Factors impacting digital government adoption in Africa

Abstract

Digital government involves the use of technology, especially the internet, to provide online services such as tax filing and passport applications to citizens and other stakeholders. Similarly, digital governance entails the process of ensuring the provision of digital government services, and seeks to contribute towards enhanced efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness through these technologies. The goal is to regulate, manage and improve the delivery of government services to the citizens. Developed nations such as Denmark and Finland have taken the lead in embracing digital governance, promoting citizen engagement and transparency. Even in Africa, which was previously considered a technology desert, progress is evident in some countries, mostly those for which the state has a functional website. However, there is still work to be done to reach a level of adoption and realisation of benefits comparable to that of developed nations. This chapter aims to discuss the factors which impact digital government adoption in Africa. To achieve that, a systematic literature review was conducted, analysing peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings from SCOPUS, Web of Science and EBCO Host databases, published from January 2019 to January 2024. As part of the review, 31 articles were synthesised. Inductive thematic analysis was performed, and the following sub-themes of factors were identified: Technology, Socioeconomic, Process, People, Leadership, and Legislation. These were unpacked in detail. One finding was that there is a need for more studies in Africa, as there were no studies found for 2022, 2023 and 2024. The purpose of this chapter is to assist policymakers by highlighting critical factors they should consider for the successful adoption of digital government in the African region. Future research could explore the impact of each theme in a specific African context, and compare the results for different countries