Factors affecting e-government service utilization in developing Countries

Abstract

Governments across the global are in the search for better ways of operating and providing improved services to the public through the use e-government technologies and services. Despite that many developing countries are crippling on utilization of e-government services, Uganda inclusive. This study was conducted in order to ascertain and examine the prevalent factors that affected the utilization of egovernment services in developing countries with Uganda as a case study. Primary data were gathered from 5 Government of Uganda ministries and other organizations that supervised the implementation of e-government and utilization of e-government services in the country. Self administered questionnaires, coupled with interview guides were the main instruments used for data collection. Findings indicate that the most commonly used e-government services are; IFMS, Video Conferencing Services, VOIP, E-tax System, CCAS and LoGICs. However, IFMS is the most widely used service across government departments. The findings further indicate that the factors affecting e-government services utilization include; limited bandwidth, network failure, load shedding, lack of proper infrastructure, high internet charges, negative attitude of staff, resistance to change and systems breakdown. The findings suggest that for effective utilization of e-government services, there should be improved e-Government infrastructure, training of users, system scalability and reduced redundancy.