E-Government Development in Zimbabwe

The development of digital government in Zimbabwe is not rapid, yet is progressing steadily and consistently. A number of challenges ranging from ageing infrastructure, inadequate electricity supply, unreliable connectivity, and low digital skills to inadequate cybersecurity framework, and inefficient interoperability between governmental systems complicate access to the Internet and public e-services.

The objectives of e-Government implementation are identified in the following strategies, policies, and legal acts:

• Vision 2030 “Towards a Prosperous & Empowered Upper Middle Income Society by 2030”, declaring that by 2030 public services will become of high quality, and they will be delivered in an efficient and effective manner due to modernising public sector agencies and creating a comprehensive e-Government system based on integration of different government departments.

• National Development Strategy 1 (2021 – 2025), proclaiming goals to improve public services through embracing ICTs, imparting appropriate ICT skills in the public sector,  increasing internet penetration rate, enhancing Government common connectivity infrastructure,  and developing E-Government Enterprise Architecture and Interoperability Framework.

• Data Protection Act [Chapter 11:12], No. 5/2021, as part of the cybersecurity framework, aiming at building confidence and trust in the secure use of information and communication technologies, and dealing with cybercrimes.

• The Smart Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan, claimed to be developed for reforming “critical Government operations through ICTs” and enhancing “interaction between  Government and its citizens through digital platforms”.

According to the 2020 National Budget Highlights, in 2020, the implementation of the National E-Government Programme was to be started.

Carrying out of the E-Government Programme is the responsibility of the Office of the President and Cabinet, in particular of the E-Government Technological Unit. The Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services is in charge of implementing ICT policy including establishing and managing e-Government infrastructure, servicing and upgrading government ICT infrastructure, establishing and managing the government data centre, facilitating the development and maintenance of e-Applications, etc.

The progress of e-Governance depends on the funding available. Since 2020 fiscal outlays towards e-Government interventions have been increased. The 2023 National Budget Statement announces that 1.3 billion ZWL (an equivalent of 4 million USD) will be allocated to the sector in 2023. 

Moreover, Zimbabwe’s leaders work on attracting foreign investments. In 2018, China started exporting facial ID technology to Zimbabwe as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. China provided Zimbabwe with nearly 240 million USD to develop NetOne, a national mobile telecommunications system. 

In 2017, The World Bank’s Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund granted 2 million USD for reforming the public procurement system. Nevertheless, according to the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, the WB is not going to provide any further financing to the project, which makes the government commit internal resources. Moreover, the WB informs that its lending programme in Zimbabwe is inactive at present due to “high unsustainable debt and arrears to international financial institutions”.

Since the first generation of e-Government approaches, including ZimConnect – E-Government Framework and Implementation Strategy (2011-2015), Zimbabwe has created a good potential for the development of the sector, in particular for the improvement of public service delivery through ICTs, designed and employed to make government operations efficient, affective, transparent and accountable.

Rankings

Despite the challenges that Zimbabwe faces on its way to e-Government implementation, according to the 2022 UN E-Government Development Survey, it ranks 138 (compared to 126 in 2020) with middle EGDI (E-Government Development Index) equal to 0.41.

Identification and Registration

The national identification system was implemented under the National Registration Act (Chapter 10:17; Acts 36/1976, 41/1978 (s. 41), 17/1979 (s. 16), 1/1984, 14/1994, 22/2001). In 1996, the Zimbabwe Population Registration System (an integrated computerised data system) was created to contain all demographic personal data, which is also shared for e-Governance purposes. The national ID was digitised too.  

Biometric IDs were introduced in the early 2000s. In 2018, a facial recognition project was started in cooperation with a Chinese company Cloudwalk. The project was supposed to help the government establish a smart financial service network, introduce intelligent security applications at airports, railway stations and bus stations, as well as build a national facial database in Zimbabwe.

By the end of 2023 current passports will have been fully replaced with e-passports (biometric and machine-readable). At present, several projects are based on the digitised data of the population registry, including civil servants audit, the registration of mobile phone users, the payment of social welfare grants, vehicle registrations, and some others.  Zimbabwe’s Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe recently announced that an integrated digital system, based on the Zimbabwe Population Register, is to be launched in 2023. The system will be integrated with such e-services as applying for national ID cards and biometric passports, registering the birth of children, and others. It will also help security services monitor and track down criminals. At the moment requisite digital platforms and websites are being designed. Nevertheless, the development of the digital ID system is being criticised for posing a threat of violation of human rights in the country due to insufficient cybersecurity legal framework.

Integration of Public Services

There are more than 100 websites and portals owned and sponsored by the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), or district councils in Zimbabwe. In order to make the Government websites unified, citizen oriented and user friendly there were issued the Guidelines for Government of Zimbabwe Websites which contained the requirements for the design, content, development and management of sites. Nevertheless, not all the MDAs follow the instructions (e.g. many websites do not have acts and regulations, concerning this department, documents and reports, issued by it; some information is outdated, some links are broken and lead to an error page “Not Found”, the language cannot be opted except for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, etc.). A number of websites are being restructured. 

The G2G system is in development. Most government platforms were created separately. They have not been linked to each other yet and don’t enable any interoperability or interconnectivity. Moreover MDAs don’t establish linkages between their back-office platforms and e-services. There are also no registries of platforms and e-services. These problems are still to be solved. Nevertheless, in terms of interoperability framework and integration, there is some positive experience, including the connection between the vehicle registration system and licensing and insurance providers, linkages between the Ministry of Transport’s Vehicle Registration database and the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority and police vehicle theft squad; and an integrated e-service portal.

The central Government Portal (zim.gov.zw) provides access to all the Government entities’ websites and e-services delivered by MDAs. The Portal and each website are connected through links provided on both of them. 

Source: The Government Portal (zim.gov.zw)                                                                                                     Source: The Government Portal 

The government website serving as a one-stop shop portal in Zimbabwe is ZimConnect – E-Service. It provides a number of e-services, in particular visa application, land, mines, investor applications for licences and permits, liquor, export/import licensing, deeds search, companies name search and companies registration. One can also report gender-based violence through the Portal and make payments for e-services. 

Source: ZimConnect – E-Service

E-service delivery is accessible for residents and non-residents only after registration /logging in.

Source: ZimConnect – E-Service

ZimConnect is linked through the central Government Portal and some MDAs’ websites redirecting the visitor from the e-service page (e.g. e-Recruitment on Public Service Commission).

Departmental Services

Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have developed a rather broad range of back-office platforms which are specified in the WB’s Diagnostic Report Digital Economy for Zimbabwe:

Source:  the World Bank’s Diagnostic Report Digital Economy for Zimbabwe

The Public Financial Management System was decentralised under the PFM Enhancement Project supported by the WB. Service centres (67 kiosks) were established in the districts to provide access to district MDAs through the PFMS.

E-Visa

Online visa application is accessed through the official GoZ e-Visa website. The visitor will be required to register on the platform or log in if they have an account on it. Afterwards they will be able to go through filling in an online application form, paying for a visa, and getting a visa letter. The website provides substantial information on all the details of the procedure before registration (a visa regime, a visa type, terms, required documents, duration of processing the application, making payments, etc.) and customer assistance (through FAQs, an online chat or e-mails).

Source: e-Visa website

Public Procurement

In 2017, the Government started reforming the Public Procurement system with the support of  the African Development Bank and the WB. The latter floated a tender to develop an electronic procurement strategy for the Zimbabwe government which was won by a British consulting company Crown Agency. As a result, in 2018, a number of accomplishments were reported. The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act was adopted. The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe was established. Procurement Regulations, Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) and Guidelines were worked out. In 2019, the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe reported on the development of a supplier registration portal. At present, the e-GP claims to provide suppliers e-registration, an access to tender notices of various government agencies for the procurement of goods, services and construction, to the list of all Government procuring entities and suppliers, to online payments, to Bid Bond application, and others. Awarding notices and Entities’ procurement plans are to be activated soon.

Source: the e-GP

The Authority pays great attention to explaining potential bidders and contractors how to register on the platform. With this aim an e-learning platform has been introduced.

Source: the e-GP 

Source: E-learning platform

The services of the Entity Portal (Online Application, Procurement Planning, and others) are under development. The link is inactive yet.

e-Taxes

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) established the ZIMRA e-service platform for making “it convenient, simple, safe and quick for Zimbabwean citizens and businesses to file their tax returns, make online payments and keep track of their tax transactions online and from anywhere in the world”. The e-services concern paying income tax and VAT. The detailed instructions are given on how to register on the platform. The ”How to Do Guide” page provides information on different procedures and operations that are accessible on the platform (from getting or changing a password to submitting for a CGT return).

Source: the ZIMRA e-service platform

ZIMRA  developed the e-Tip portal for visitors coming to Zimbabwe to be able to apply for their vehicle Temporary Import Permits online, from anywhere in the world prior to their arrival. Signing up is possible through mobile phone applications as well as on the portal.  The instructions and the list of the required documents are provided on the Portal.

Source: the E-Tip Portal

Education and Healthcare

In 2016, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education introduced the Electronic Ministry Application Platform (EMAP) as a means of solving the problem of application caused by a gap between the demand and the number of boarding places. Applicants are supposed to create an account and apply for a maximum of 20 schools. Successful applicants are informed through SMS by School Heads. 

Source: The Electronic Ministry Application Platform

E-Learning Passport is the first digital content platform owned and managed by the Ministry. It is available for free. The Learning Passport gives a chance to the learners who cannot afford paid e-Learning platforms.

E-Nurse Online Application Portal can be accessed through the website of the Ministry of Health and Child care. A candidate can apply for Nurses Training. The Portal lists the requirements for candidates to apply. The application fee is paid on the Portal. The successful applicants are also informed through the Portal.

Data Management and Infrastructure

The National Data Centre was officially opened in 2021. The project was completed with assistance from the Chinese government, as well as Chinese firms Inspur Group and Sino-Zimbabwe. It contains information from the government records and private companies and due to cloud computing it can provide the virtual services to all ministries and departments.

Author: 

Maria Saulina