Mobile phones as means for extending e-governance in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Literature tells how well and successful e-governance, or e-service, and many more other names, given to the process whereby government services are provided to the citizens via electronic means in developed countries. Literature accounts for developing countries such as the USA, UK to name but a few, which have made headway in implementing e-governance. The general assumption in the current literature is that Africa, and Sub-Saharan African countries in particular should replicate what developed countries such as the UK and USA have done in order to achieve the same results. The author of this article challenges these widely accepted views by showing that the reported success of e-governance in developed countries has been the result of widespread availability of computers and of high levels of computer literacy which are not available in most, if not all Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Thus the researcher asks the question: Given the socio-economic conditions in which the majority of people in rural areas of Limpopo live, what practical options of ICT can be used to extend e-services/e-governance to them and the people living in similar socio-economic conditions elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa? The research design comprised a critical literature analysis and assessment of the available publications on the topic at the time of writing.