Success and failure of e-government projects in developing countries: the case of Zambia

Abstract

Innovations in information and communications technologies have brought about the concept of electronic government that brings public sector closer to its citizens. e-Government is a complex information system with three perspectives; drivers, enablers and constraints that encourage adoption, success and failure respectively. However, majority of e-government projects fail either totally or partially in developing countries due its complexity. There is limited research conducted in Zambia related to e-government projects’ success and failure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the current levels of awareness and perception of e-government projects’ performance amongst public service employees and other stakeholders knowledgeable about the subject matter in Zambia. The study used an online survey based on a modified version of Heeks Factor Model that focuses on softer human aspects known to be critical to e-government projects’ success and failure. Data was collected from 121 respondents from Zambia, surveyed between September and October 2012. The results indicate an overall e-government projects’ implementation rating score of 55.10 based on Heeks 100 point scale implying a might fail totally or partially. In addition, the awareness of e-government projects was found to be inadequate and lists the most critical success and failure factors relating to e-government project’s implementation in Zambia. In order to increase the chances of e-government projects’ success, this study generally, recommends that, the government should take a leading role to promote e-government initiatives while enhancing the private-public partnership to reduce on donor dependence through collaborative initiatives with model countries.