The Sunday Mail
Dr Samuel Chindaro
In his maiden State of the Nation Address, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said: “Corruption remains the major source of some of the problems we face as a country and its retarding impact on national development cannot be overemphasised. We need to use the e-government programme not only as a means to keep in step with the ICT revolution, but also to fight corruption. This is being complemented by the concurrent drive to boost Internet connectivity throughout the country.”
E-governance or e-government is the use of Information Communication Technology to provide information to citizens, connecting them with their government.
It has gained popularity, with many countries employing the innovation to modernise government, increase efficiency and improve public service delivery.
President Mnangagwa’s statement was a refreshing acknowledgement of the depth of corruption as Zimbabwe continues to struggle with the systemic problem.
The President pointed out that part of the solution lies in ICTs, particularly e-governance.
This was significant as it signalled a fresh approach that targets utilising technological advancements to fight some social ills.
As President Mnangagwa rightly pointed out, corruption is probably the most prevalent and persistent challenge Zimbabwe faces in enhancing economic growth and improving livelihoods.
The World Bank’s 2011 guide identifies corruption as “one of the single greatest obstacles to economic and social development”.
It involves misuse of public power, office or authority for private benefit through bribery, extortion, influence-peddling, nepotism, fraud or embezzlement.
Evidence of corrupt activities that have contributed to Zimbabwe’s economic challenges is beginning to emerge, as some culprits are now being exposed or arrested.
Corruption by individuals or companies contribute to increasing public expenditure and declining taxes received by governments, thus making less money available for essential government services.
Zimbabwe has not been spared, with such activities discouraging investment, limiting economic growth and retarding improvements in quality of life in rural and poor segments of the country.
In the era gone by, corruption led to mistrust between citizens and public officials, with traffic police cited among the most unprincipled.
The wealth of some public officials, as exemplified by ownership of assets which are disproportionate to their official incomes, has further put a wedge between public servants and the general public.
Corruption in Zimbabwe has been fuelled by a number of issues.
Monopoly of power, where public officials have absolute authority to enforce regulations and policies, is one such factor.
Other drivers include misuse of the power of discretion, lack of accountability and transparency.
Although publicised corruption cases in Zimbabwe involve abuse of office for private benefit, it goes without saying that corruption is also prevalent in the private sector.
It is hoped Government will continue to pursue such cases and bring perpetrators to justice.
Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption fight has over the years taken different forms such as the establishment of anti-graft agencies like the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.
Despite these measures, the corruption virus keeps spreading.
In this respect, the President’s proposal to fight the scourge using ICT tools, in particular e-governance, has to be applauded as this can be an effective tool in increasing transparency and combating corruption.
A considerable number of corruption cases involve participation of “middlemen” in service delivery processes.
For instance, when one wants to apply for land, a birth certificate, passport or some other documentation, a paper-based application is handled by a “middleman” who may demand a bribe to facilitate service.
Electronic delivery of services (e.g. submitting Internet applications and tax returns for computer-processing) can reduce corruption by cutting interactions with officials and the “middleman”.
This eliminates discretion from the equation by removing intermediary services and allowing citizens to conduct transactions on their own. It also does away with unnecessary human intervention in government work processes, in turn, reducing the need to monitor corruption.
E-governance makes face-to-face interactions between government officials and citizens unnecessary.
Contents and procedures of all work are disclosed, and the administrative agency responds to questions and inquiries of complainants online, reducing the possibility of unfair treatment (or corruption).
The entire tax system, for example, must be restructured with the specific purpose of reducing direct contact between citizens and tax officials.
This will reduce opportunities or requests for bribes.
In addition, e-governance can reduce the need for citizens to use bribes to obtain information by making essential information publicly available.
The President highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in his New Year message, saying: “I urge you fellow Zimbabweans to engage with Government, its institutions and agencies for more transparent, just, accountable and responsible governance.
“Let us equally commit to honesty, transparency, accountability and discipline to ensure accelerated national development and progress.”
Greater access to information will promote greater transparency and accountability, which will, in turn, contribute to Government’s anti-corruption goals.
Implementation of e-governance will also greatly reduce the cost of collecting, distributing and accessing government information.
Additionally, the more open the government, the bigger the chance of discovering corruption, resulting in public officials being accountable to citizens.
This will lead to satisfaction of citizens and development of a closer and trustworthy relationship between Government and citizens. Monopoly of power and exercise of discretion, if not supported by high professional or ethical standards, may result in increased corruption.
E–governance can be designed to make government processes more rule-based and objective, thereby limiting the possibility of public officials deciding and interpreting disagreements.
In an “if-the-computer-says-no-it-means-no” culture, an individual’s discretional powers will be eroded.
Corruption is often caused by competition restrictions and information monopolies.
The Herald of January 1, 2018 pointed out how corruption in procurement has manifested.
The paper reported: “It is believed Government has been losing public funds through inefficient and ineffective procurement processes, which often resulted in the acquisition of sub-standard goods. In some instances, procurement officers have been accused of inflating the cost of goods and services.”
The effects of corruption control through competition can be significant, especially in government procurement.
Government has prioritised implementation of e-procurement as reflected in Ambassador Chidyausiku’s statement after the dissolution of the State Procurement Board.
Ambassador Chidyausiku said: “There will be a new authority with new faces, which is expected to bring the much-needed efficiency and technology such as e-procurement.”
E-governance’s disclosure of information will make it possible to compete fairly.
It will provide an environment in which all private operators participate in open competition in procurement contracts.
Fair distribution of information will suppress corruption by eliminating opportunities for officials in charge to provide beneficial information to specific operators or to apply special criteria.
Further, e-procurement will prevent price-fixing in addition to providing transparency and accountability.
Government faces a lot of challenges in implementing e-governance.
At the heart of these is poor ICT infrastructure.
The development of robust ICT infrastructure is, therefore, a requirement for successful e-governance implementation in which Government should play a leading role.
It should create an enabling environment for adoption of ICT in citizens’ everyday lives as a starting point of e-governance. Policies that aim to improve penetration, increase uptake and bridge the digital divide should be developed. Internet diffusion is still low due to the fact that local phone calls are expensive.
Telecommunications infrastructure is still inaccessible to most parts of Zimbabwe. In places where it is accessible, cost is usually a barrier. Lack of computer literacy among citizens, businesses and Government sectors themselves has proved to be a barrier in implementing e-governance.
A lot of training and capacity-building will be required for both Government institutions and the general public.
The majority of those with ICT skills are young, thus older generations might be left out on e-governance.
Government, therefore, needs to set up an institutional framework that supports e-governance initiatives.
It is important to define clear mandates and responsibilities to ensure e-governance development and proper co-ordination across Government agencies.
For sustainability, local expertise should be developed to eliminate the need for costly foreign consultants.
E-governance systems require considerable financial resources and these must be allocated to build and manage systems, upgrade and construct relevant infrastructure.
It is, however, acknowledged that e-governance in itself is not a silver bullet in the fight against corruption.
Corruption and accountability involve complex economic, cultural and governance issues.
It is the summation of the various approaches that make up the ethical infrastructure that we must all reaffirm commitment to preserving.
The President’s resolve to eliminate corruption has been unwavering and e-governance — with the right implementation — can make a huge difference in eliminating this evil vice from Zimbabwean society.
Dr Samuel Chindaro holds a PhD in Electronics (University of Kent), MSc in Electronics and IT (University of Birmingham) and a B.Eng. Hons in Electronic Engineering (Nust). He is also a Chartered Engineer (Institution of Engineering and Technology). He wrote this article for The Sunday Mail.
