Mobile phone Expansion and Opportunities for E‐Governance in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Abstract Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has invaded every sphere of human life and it is changing not only how people interact but also how governments serve their constituents in a process generally termed as digital or e‐government. E‐government is especially relevant for sub‐Saharan African countries where public administration is characterized by limited capacity and lack of skilled personnel. Unfortunately, broadband and internet that drive most e‐government activities elsewhere are lacking in sub‐Saharan Africa but mobile phone subscription is massive and still growing. Given the widespread use of mobile phones in the region, one would expect that plans for sub‐Saharan African countries to engage their citizens would start with the massively subscribed mobile phone and steadily expand to include such less available technologies as the internet. Regrettably, the potentials of the mobile phone for digital government remain largely unexplored in the region. Accordingly, this paper investigates reasons behind the neglect of mobile phone aided e‐government programs in sub‐Saharan Africa.