Public sector ICTs are now focusing on the public as a departure point for its service delivery strategy.

“While this is a good start, in fulfilling its mandate to represent and be accountable to its citizens, government has to act like an enterprise,” says Ashraf Patel, head of consulting at ForgeAhead.

“Government has to manage resources, people, systems, and processes,” he adds, “and this ability depends on efficient ICTs and communications to ensure activities are conducted effectively and that its services are delivered at optimum levels of quality.

”Patel says this has led to a new paradigm in public sector ICTs, one that has a distinct focus and prioritisation on service delivery.

“The emphasis would be to enable service delivery as a core outcome of ICT policy implementation. This will support poverty reduction strategies and other service delivery areas that can benefit from ICT,” he adds.

ForgeAhead 2007 National Report also remarks on the trend by government that the citizen is the central point of departure for service delivery.

“These services should form the foundation of a delivery model for the citizens of the country who, in turn, become customers of the government,” it says.

In this context, Patel says the ICT policy implementation planning takes into account service delivery as a starting point to technology implementation and e-services planning before IT master plans are developed.

“Key departments have strategies that identify the need for an integrated approach to ICT policy in the public sector and e-government,” continues Patel.

“As an example, the Department of Communication has integrated e-government into its 2007 to 2010 strategy,” he says. “This strategy focuses on several areas that include the role of the CIO and leadership in technology policy, an e-commerce policy, and citizen services.”

“There is also a strong focus on economic competitiveness to exploit technology in the traditional economic development assets. This drive also seeks to get small and medium businesses online and building the Web presence and brand recognition of other online businesses,” says Patel.

“The key is for CIOs to understand the capabilities of the technology infrastructure and how to apply and translate these to achieve strategic objectives,” he concludes.