Ten Years of Electronic Government Implementation: the Challenges Encountered and Lessons for Future Progress

Electronic government was formally introduced to the public sector in late 1990s in developed countries. Ever since its inception proponents of electronic government have been presenting it as a formula for improving the public sector through making the public sector more e-business like. In this perspective, the main objectives of public sector transformation promoted by electronic government involves improving efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of services for citizens while maintaining a customer centric focus and cost orientation. As a result, governments around the world were encouraged to embrace electronic government as a way of reaching out to more citizens through improved availability of services. However, research has proved that the implementation of the concept is highly complex and faced with many challenges while the adoption of services delivered through electronic government has been sparse. This chapter examines some of the challenges and complexities faced by the public sector when implementing electronic government, key indicators for its adoption, current trends and future directions.