Improve responsiveness and efficiency in service delivery through E-Government (GHST0001)

Commitment ID

GHST0001

Commitment Title

Improve responsiveness and efficiency in municipal service delivery through E-Government

Problem

Opportunities for citizens to make inputs into decisions that directly or indirectly affect their socio-economic well-being are the key guiding principle in Ghana’s local government system. The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), and the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989) exist, among others, to empower citizens to participate in decision-making, demand transparency, and accountability, and gain unfettered access to legally permissible information from duty-bearers in all aspects of national life; including local governance.

However, the enabling environment for citizen participation, as well as the horizontal accountability mechanisms these legislations sought to provide have largely not engendered transparency nor accountability, creating mistrust in local government authorities. Equally, limited avenues to access information, receive feedback and bureaucracy in accessing municipal services further entrench the feeling of neglect of the social contract between government and citizens.

Consequently, feedback from community consultation sessions indicates a disapproval rating of between 40-60%, in terms of avenues for participation in decision, access to financial data, and opportunities to seek accountability from duty-bearers for their stewardship. This has translated into low in trust and lack of trust, weak ownership of public projects and programs, and low participation of civil society in local governance.

Status quo

Limited avenues for participation and access to information; including financial data, feed an unhealthy perception of opacity and lack of accountability in government. Currently, close to 98% of all transactions associated with municipal services are conducted through physical means. Also, the potentiality of an existing e-service platform, STMA360, has not been fully explored beyond permit application tracking.

Turnaround time in assessing such services is equally not encouraging due to bureaucracy, and prone to corruption as a result of human intervention. Traditional avenues for participation such as citizen engagement platforms also limit the ability to involve of a wider population to contribute to decision-making, resulting in apathy. Thus, the non-existence of a digital platform for citizens to access services and provide feedback on quality, request information, and make complaints; further weakens the citizen-city authority relationship. Also, existing client service channels are poorly coordinated resulting in less than professional output, in terms of providing prompt feedback to citizen queries.

Action

Description:
- Through consultations with various local government (STMA) public-facing departments/units, focus groups, civil society organizations and other stakeholders, a citizen-centric E-Government platform would be co-created that expands the functionality of the existing e-service platform (STMA360) to enhance its existing structure, protocols and services by redesigning and joining it up to back-office business processes and IT systems. This constructive and participatory approach is expected to deliver a platform that is not only fit for purpose but also meets the needs and aspirations of citizens and businesses within the metropolis.
The electronic platform would include a multi-channel service delivery interface that improves access to municipal services by integrating service delivery across different delivery systems by integrating service systems including internet, call centre, over the counter service, e-mail and ordinary mail. The platform would also include electronic services (e-services) and enhance citizen’s ability to track and provide feedback on government services, revenue, expenditure and policies.

Expected Results:
- Enhanced Citizen-Centric Digital Governance and Service Delivery

Overall Objective:
- To increase efficiency in municipal service delivery and broaden avenues for citizen participation in decision-making and participatory monitoring of projects and programmes.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

Expected Outputs:

1. Stakeholder Consultative meetings to solicit inputs on the adoption of e-government and e-services with public-facing departments/units, businesses, citizen groups, civil society and traditional authority conducted.
2. Redesigned and multi-functional e-government and e-services (STMA360) platform, with computer and mobile versions; designed, tested and launched
3. Social accountability training on participatory infrastructure monitoring and public expenditure tracking for 40-member Multi-stakeholder Forum and identified stakeholders organized.

Expected Outcomes:

1. Expanded avenues for popular participation in local policy and co-design of solutions
2. Improved digital access to information and municipal services
3. Improved capacity of stakeholders to use disclosed data to conduct independent social audits on public expenditure, projects and programmes

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

The commitment aligns with STMA’s OGP vision that espouses a long-term desire to co-create and implement local policy interventions that hinge on trust building with citizens, and enduring partnership with civil society and other stakeholders towards creating a safe and equitable city for all.

Primary Policy Area

Digital Governance, Inclusion, Open Data, Right to Information, Social Accountability

Primary Sector

Cross-sectoral

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?