• 169 of its 190 member countries had a government website presence
• 84 countries had a national government website,
• 36 countries featured single entry portals, and
• 17 governments offered online transactions capacity.  (The study, entitled 'The 2001 Global E-Government Landscape' was undertaken jointly by the United Nations Division for Public Economics and Public Administration [UNDPEPA] and the American Society for Public Administration.)

By 2002, nations ranked highest for the extent of their E-Government programmes were: Taiwan, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Chile, Australia, China, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Singapore. (Source: Study on Global E-Government, 2002, by Darrell M. West, Centre for Public Policy, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.)

An Overview of E-Services In Jamaica

E-GOVERNMENT:

E-Government is the use of the Internet and Internet based technologies for seamless transactions on-line between Government Agencies, citizens, business and other government agencies. The primary objective of e-government is for an overall improvement in the delivery of Government services, making them easy to use, and providing ICT related support to the business community and the population as a whole.

In 1999 the Jamaican Government launched a Public Sector Modernization Programme, to improve and enhance government services through the use of Information and Communication Technologies with a view to delivering Government services electronically and ultimately transforming the country into a knowledge-based society.

BENEFITS:

E-Government is customer driven, user friendly and payments online are easy. An efficient E-government system will:

• Save costs in time and resources
• Encourage transparency in government
• Facilitate a Government-wide network for greater efficiency
• Enhance compliance by taxpayers
• Facilitate improved service to clients

THE PROJECT:

A US$23 million ICT Project, jointly funded by the Jamaican Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) was launched by the Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology (MCST) in 2003. The Project's main objectives are to accelerate Jamaica's e-readiness and help attain international standards of performance and efficiency in both the public and private sectors, while reducing the cost of services to customers, promoting convenient access and enhancing their quality of life.

The 5 year Project features four major components:

• Institutional strengthening to improve the capabilities of the Ministry to lead the drive to increase Jamaica's e-readiness
• Support for the introduction of online services in key fiscal agencies; web enabling the operations of key trade agencies, including the Trade Board, Jamaica Customs and Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO); and assisting an e-procurement feasibility study
• Establishment of approximately 60 Community Access Points to enable low-income citizens in remote or deprived communities to access information and services
• ICT training for some 900 persons under a partial scholarship programme

International Models used by Jamaica

In the development of its Modernization Programme and its E-Government/ICT thrust, the Jamaican Government studied the experiences of a number of other countries including Singapore, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the United States (Dade County, Florida) Panama and Canada.

Establishing a National Framework for Modernization

In order to underpin the national modernization process, the Government is upgrading key legislation related to the use of the new technologies, and establishing a regulatory framework relevant to the emerging electronic business environment in the country.

The new Electronic Transactions Act, to be promulgated, will legalize various forms of electronic signatures. This is necessary for:

• Submitting documents to Government agencies electronically
• Establishing guiding principles in support of an environment that will encourage more consumers,
  private and public sector organizations to conduct business online.

The Vision

The Government's initiative for the use of modern technology is part of a drive to refashion a new Jamaica, provide a framework for the efficient pursuit of e-commerce and position Jamaica as a competitive player in the global marketplace, supplying manufactured goods, services, agriculture and knowledge based products at world standards.

Such technological advances will free up Jamaicans to concentrate on the vital development issues of health, education, citizenship and security and improve the quality of life and welfare of future generations.