Whatisopengovernment?

ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
As the world is changing, governments are now faced with complex challenges
sustaining societies and economies in the wake of energy shortages, poverty,
climate changes, and demographic shifts, security will test the quality of
ingenious of those who wish to see, participate in improving the wellbeing of
the public.
Most government operate in the command and control model like during the
industrial age, in which most decisions are made by state officials. The
industrial economy and the system in government where by state officials are
making critical decisions are rising hand to hand and there is need to improve
the economy. As the government is getting bigger and so as the revenue it
becomes necessary to build more elaborate procedures, structures, and control
all run by new layers of professional experts.
The bureaucracies operated individually with information circulating within a
department and rarely among departments. There was a change since computers
where introduced and they could be used for governments daily operations to
acquire and built data systems. Old procedures processes and forms were just
encoded in software. The use of computers cemented old ways of working but
there was still need to plan, implement, operate and control. Despite the effort
made experts have largely failed to resolve issues of inconsistent in data bases,
duelling spreadsheets, and other anomalies that affect many government
agencies.
Government face a reality in which they are now depended for authority on a
network of power and counter-influences of which they are just a part.
Government now need participation of citizens and an array of other stack
holders for its streamline services and also resolving complex global issues.
Governments must now be able to integrate skills and knowledge from a variety
of participants to meet expectations for a more responsive, resourceful,
efficient, and a countable form of government.
E-government provided some benefits it made government information and
services more accessible to citizens while creating administrative and
operational efficiencies but the initiatives only focused on automating existing
processes and moving existing government services online.
There is a new phase that redesigns how governments should operate, how and
what the public sector should provide, and how governments interact and
engage with their citizens. It is time when governments will play an act and
positive role in its own transformation. In other countries they are already using

1|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

this new design. A growing number of governments need to distribute power

and leverage innovation, knowledge and value from the private sector and civil
society.

JUSTIFICATION
As mentioned above government face a reality in which they are now depended
for authority on a network of power and counter-influences of which they are
just a part. Government now need participation of citizens and an array of other
stack holders for its streamline services and also resolving complex global
issues. Governments must now be able to integrate skills and knowledge from a
variety of participants to meet expectations for a more responsive, resourceful,
efficient, and a countable form of government.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this project is to
1. Research on what open government is ,its status quo ,explore
technologies in implementations and obstacles faced
2. Report on the African open government success stories
3. Recommend on how Zimbabwe can adopt open government

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

WHAT IS OPEN GOVERNMENT
Open government has many definitions depending on what you are referring to.
Open government is a doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access
the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for public oversight
Wikipedia . Open government is a system of principles , mechanisms and
instruments governance through the development of forums of citizen
participation in governance ,transparency and accountability of government and
as well as extensive use of modern technologies and new media in the
implementation of cooperation with citizens.
Open Government is a product of the enlightenment and freedom of press
movements and also the enshrining principles of open government. Open
Government is an initiative focused on improving government transparency,
accountability and responsiveness to citizens. In the 20th century the idea that
government should be open was introduced in order to make it susceptible to
public opinion and also to be open to be scrutinized this was during the time of

2|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

enlightenment in the west. The way in which the government used to operate
was criticized by the philosophes that where brought forward during that time.
The general public was concerned by the way the government used to operate
and the secrecy within the government.
As the communities were and are still changing the citizens took the ordeal of
redefining how their governments were supposed to operate and also how they
should operate and also how they relate with the general public. This would
enable individuals to take full responsibility for their use of power and
resources at their disposal. This enabled open government to be widely seen as
a key hallmark of contemporary democratic practice and is often linked to the
passing of freedom of legislation.
Open government also involves improved communications and operations
within the various branches and levels of government and also sharing
information internally that leads to great efficiency and accountability.
Open government is based on the principles of citizen involvement
accountability, access to information, clarity and transparent of government.
Citizens must be involved in all levels of the government i.e. municipal,
regional and federal levels. It is the citizens the general public who are
supposed to retain the ultimate power and the people must have access to the
government operations and also means of acquiring information about the
government activities.
Open government means that the general public may acquire information about
governmental activities it is done by two types of laws which are open record
laws and open meeting laws. Open records laws provides that public documents
are available for inspection and can also be scrutinised by the general public.
Open meeting laws allows government departments to conduct their meetings in
public and also be susceptible to public scrutiny.

Transparency
Transparency is referred to as the traditional hallmark of an open government
meaning that the public should have access to government held information and
be informed of government proceedings. Transparency promotes accountability
and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing.
The administration takes appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to
disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use.
Agencies are instructed to find ways to use new technologies to make public
available information on agency operations and decisions and also solicit public
feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Transparency is the back bone of the open government initiatives and one of the
standing factor that the doctrine stands or falls. It allows governments to share
their data or decisions making processes with the citizens

3|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

Public Participation
public engagement in government can improve the quality of its decisions and
public participation allows government to access knowledge that is widely
dispersed in society. Departments and agencies are directed to increase
opportunities for public participation in government, and to solicit public input
on ways to increase civic engagement in the deliberative process.
Collaboration
collaboration is defined as actively engaging citizens in the work of their
Government. Government departments are encouraged to use innovative tools,
methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of
Government, and with non-profit organizations, businesses, and individuals in
the private sector. The administration directed agencies to find new ways to get
the public and private organizations involved in collaborative and cooperative
government efforts.
Collaboration is one of the main advantages of open government, it streamlines
cooperation between different levels of government and favours interaction with
other social agencies that contributes greater value and the transfer of
knowledge. Collaboration can also be interaction between government
departments or also with the private or public sectors

Accountability people in the public offices are forced to be more

accountable. Proper use of funds
As mentioned above open government is a system of mechanisms, providing
effective cooperative of power and civil society. The cooperation has to result in
upgrading of decision making and quality of state machine as a whole and the
upgrading lives of the citizens. Open government is legally identified with the
term open state.
Implementation of open government
BASIC PRINCIPLES, PURPOSES, AND TASKS OF THE DOCTRINE
THE OPEN GOVERNMENT
The doctrine of open government is based on principles such as: the
involvement of citizens, collaboration and accountability, access to information,
clarity and transparency of government. Citizen engagement involves a wider
public in the government at the municipal, regional, and federal levels.
Accountability requires public control authorities and public examination of the
decisions taken. The principle of availability of information involves the
disclosure of government information to citizens and businesses on an equal
footing, as well as the admission of organizations to participate in public
procurement on the basis of competitiveness. Clarity and transparency of
government mean that the state information and management decisions should
be accessible and understandable to all citizens, not only skilled in the art.
Projecting the concept of open government on reality can come to the
4|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

following conclusion, open governmenta system of principles,

mechanisms, and instruments governance through the development of forms of
citizen participation in governance, transparency, and accountability of
government, as well as extensive use of modern information technology and
new media in the implementation of cooperation with citizens. So based on the
above principles, the following objectives have been identified:

Open government has some objectives that includes

1. ensure public control and expert support in execution of strategic goals
and commitments
2. increase public confidence in the people who are running the day to day
businesses of the country
3. increase the number of citizens involved in public administration
4. increase and improve the quality of public administration and public
services efficiency and de-bureaucratization
5. Public and expert control execution of the decree of the president at the
federal and regional level
6. Control and optimization of public spending
7. National plan of open government
8. Open clear authorityan open state.
Open government has different objectives for its citizens, businesses and also
the government
Citizens
Citizens must have access to information and analysis on the bases of that
state of work
Public civil self realization
Participation in government
Interactions and feedback
Impact on decision making
Convenient and quality services
Public control
Business
Clear and predictable rules
Transparency and fairness of public resources
Improving quality of public services and supervising functions
Availability and quality of information
Improving investment climate

Government
Improving the quality of public decisions making
5|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

Advisory council, a platform for discussions of difficult decisions

Public support
Efficient use of resources
Improving the quality of health institutions
Public and expert control
Control and optimization of public spending
Open clear authority

BENEFITS

Implementation mechanisms of openness, transparency, and accessibility of

public administration in government and in the municipal authorities are one of
the most important components of the countrys success on the world stage in
the global competition. Clear rules, access to government information and
order, low levels of corruptionall these have a positive effect on the countrys
investment image and contribute to additional financial flows to different areas
of economic activity
1. Increased local and foreign direct investment
A country with open policies attracts a lot of investment whether it is
locally or foreign direct investment. A country that is transparency
indicates or shows that there is accountability it is easy to inject some
money for business.
2. Infrastructure development
Open government allows development of infrastructure. Building of
telecommunication networks

3. Building a better society

Services are better and more efficient if co-planned and delivered.

Transparency, open communication and visibility to a fair process is a
foundation to civil engagement. Open government allows for greater
participation dialogue innovation and smarter more connected communities.
Citizens engagements leads to reduced risk and better decisions. Allows
government to be more effective and efficient if it is more open

6|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

4. Fairness and hope

Government should be more accountable to those who elected it. Strengthening

democracy fighting corruption empowering citizens. Accountability for money
spent, also good information should be shared with those who want it. Data is
paid for so it should be given to the citizen. There is need for working together
to solve wicked problems facing society. Open government is a global platform
for citizens and governments to work together for a better future and it can also
restore trust between government and citizens. Its a sign that the culture of
secrecy and entitlement is changing

5. Self-direction

Allows to see the raw data without political interference and make informed
decisions based on personal conclusions. It also helps to trust the source and
keeping one informed and feeling engaged. This also allows citizens to
personally benefit from raw data

6. Low levels of corruption

These are all reasons and they resonate with the logical part of the brain. Open
government impacts the economy political system social stability quality of life
beliefs and ultimately the heart of democracy

7|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

OBSTACLES
1. turning transparency into participation
Open government agenda is closely associated with open data and
transparency. Since all of the data is useful and important to the citizens
some of it is doctored by experts such that it is partially valid. This kind
of operation neglects one of the main objectives of open government
which is increased citizen participation. The general public is mostly
blinded from the real truth and they end up failing to make informed
decisions.
2. Making the data useful to everyone
The population that engages with open data tends to be the well-educated,
well employed and already in the orbit of the government. There is a lot
of challenges in making data more useful to everyone. A lot of
information that is released by the government is either clear but
confusing or it is accurate but unclear for example press releases,
ministerial speeches.

3. Turning the government into something big

Balancing expectations against reality is a challenge in terms of what can
be achieved. The concept of open government promises a lot but as
compared to work that can be done on the ground can be so limited. In
this context some of the projects that are carried out are quite specific and
policy wonkish some they fail to address the issues at the required scale.

4. Design flaws that discourage public utilization and participation

Public administrators have long struggled in designing and building
services that meet the needs of the citizens and also programs that
encourage democratic participation. Open government tools are only
useful when they are properly designed to effectively engage the public
and produce outcomes that benefit the relevant governmental
departments. Making sure that the all the services fully leverages the
collective power of the government and that the tools are both useful to
the citizens and government agencies

5. Failure to identify key customer base

Identification of whom to serve has been one of the biggest obstacles of
government leaders. Online transparency serves a wide range of
8|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

customers in different sectors. It is difficult to pin point where the

message is directed. Creating an online application can be so hard, and
whether the people whom are intended to use the application are able to
use it can also be a mystery.

6. Lack of internet access and adoption among citizens

The use of government applications is correlated with peoples access to
the internet and also the digital level of literacy among the citizens. The
people have different adoption rate of the use of internet. The younger
generation uses the internet more as compared to the old folks. The
information that the government may have posted might not reach out to
all the citizens.

7. Legal constraint that restrict better user experience

Legal constraint may limit the ability of innovators to create open
government tools and services that are useful to the public. There can also
be limits on how some other government departments collect
information. Also the disclosure of all the information can also be
aproblem.

Status quo

Open Government Partnership was established by a group of eight counties

namely Brazil, South Africa, and United States of America. Their vision was
that their governments should become sustainably more transparent,
accountable, and responsive to their own citizens with the main goal of
improving the quality of governance, as well as the quality of services to
citizens. Thus meaning that there was need to change the norms and culture in
which the governments operated to ensure that there is genuine dialogue and
collaboration between governments and civil society.

OGP is a body that aspires to support both government and civil society
reformers by elevating open government to the highest levels of political
discourse, providing cover for difficult reforms, and creating a supportive
community of like-minded reformers from countries around the world.

9|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

OGP has now established and has grown significantly more than 69 countries
has joined the initiative. The key objective is to make sure that real change is
happening on the ground in a majority of OGP countries, and that this change is
benefitting citizens.

OGP has established four ways to help make sure the right conditions are in
place for countries to deliver ambitious open government reforms that are

1) Maintain high-level political leadership and commitment to OGP within

participating countries
2) Support domestic reformers with technical expertise and inspiration
3) Foster more engagement in OGP by a diverse group of citizens and civil
society organizations
4) Ensure that countries are held accountable for making progress toward
achieving their OGP commitments.

Open government in the USA

Open government in Russia
Open government in United kingdom

TECHNOLOGIES
The word GOV2,0 is often used in place of the word open government but it
mainly refers to the utilization of open, collaborative technologies to create a
platform through which government and individuals can work together to
improve transparency and efficiency of government services. Governments use
open standards and provide government data in open formats through which
individuals or companies can create new apps, websites, and mashups for the
benefit of the public.
The ideal of participatory democracy today is about far more than simple
representation. The possibility for citizens to co-produce and partner with
government is becoming a reality. In the age of social networks and peer-to-peer
practices, governments are increasingly expected to develop institutional
frameworks that provide citizens with a means to develop and augment public
services and even co-produce services rendered on their behalf. This includes
both user-driven e-services and the introduction of community tools and
resources that can provide citizens with a means to have their voices heard.
Indeed, the challenge for open government today is less about finding new
solutions to the transmission of government services, and more about
empowering citizens to become agents, as opposed to subjects, of governance.

10|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

Social media technology

Social media has the ability to transform government by increasing its
transparency and also interaction with citizens thus also creating democratic
participation new institutional structures and processes and frame works for
open and transparent government on an unprecedented scale.
Social media is one of the most used technology these days. It allows people to
connect, share, information thoughts pictures music and videos. It has also
allowed collaboration between colleagues. Organisations are now reaching out
to social media to transform the way they operate, collaborate and innovate. It is
also one of the technologies that is used by government to reach out to its
citizens and also gives the platform for citizens to participate in government
activities. There are two types or groups of social media that are expressive
social media and collaborative social media. Expressive social media enables
people to express themselves by sharing with others text, pictures, videos and
music. It is mainly about feelings, for example face book, twitter, You tube, My
Space. Collaborative social media enables people to work together to achieve
common goals for example Wikipedia and google
Social media and government
Government agents uses social media technologies to conduct their business
and also seek solutions. Governments allows democratic participation and
engagement, through which social media technologies are used to involve the
public government decisions and also processes to enable dialog and policy
development.
Social media and citizens
E-GOVERNMENT

AFRICAN SUCCESS STORIES OF OPEN

GOVERNMENT
TANZANIA
The Open Government Partnership is a global initiative that aims at promoting
transparency, accountability, citizen empowerment, fighting corruption and
encouraging the use of new technologies to improve governance.
In Tanzania commitment for OGP is at a very higher level they are willing to be
guided by good governance transparency and accountability. Respect of the rule
of law and respect the separation of powers between the executives, legislature
and the judiciary and also empowering each branch to discharge its

11|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

responsibilities and also strengthening the public service and fight social ills
without fear or favour.
The republic of Tanzania joined (OGP) in September 2011 their main goal was
to make government proceedings more accessible to its citizens in the interest
of making an improvement in the public service delivery. Government
responsiveness, combating corruption and building greater trust.
OGP in Tanzania is built on key pillars of good governance which are
transparency, citizen participation, accountability, technology and innovation.

TRANSPARENCY
The government of Tanzania has taken certain measures to improve the
transparency which includes
1. Parliament controls or oversees how the government operate without the
interference of the other branches of the state such as the executive and
the judiciary
2. There is freedom of press
3. Reports from the controller and auditor general are made public and
debated openly in parliament
4. There is a review of the constitution
5. new legislation on prevention and combating of corruption act which
broadens and enhances good governance and eradicate corruption
6. Tanzania has joined Extractive industry initiative EITI to ensure
transparency of activities in the extractive industry
7. It is also a member of the African peer review mechanism

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
The government of Tanzania has made several programs to enable its citizens to
participate.
1. They established a citizens website in 2007. Formulation and approval of
local government budgets through a participatory approach known as
Opportunities and Obstacles to Development (O&OD).

2. Establishment of Public Expenditure Review (PER) dialogue. Which is a

high level dialogue between Government, Development Partners, CSOs
and other social groups or needy people. It is a technical advisory forum
that the Government uses to draw views or comments for improving
planning, budgeting and financial management.
12|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

3. Establishment of Annual Policy Dialogue to review PER, General Budget

Support (GBS) and National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of
Poverty (NSGRP).

4. Open and transparent system of village land allocation that requires the
Village Assembly to pass a resolution to allocate Village land.
Guidelines for Engaging Non State Actors have been provided to all
Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY

Over the past two decades especially towards the end of 1990s, the Government
has been instituting several accountability and integrity as follows:-
1. Introduction of Client Service Charters in Government Institutions aimed
at enhancing transparency and accountability in public service delivery.
2. Establishment of the National Anti-corruption Strategy and Action Plan
(NACSAP) in 1999. The NACSAP provides a framework within which
MDAs, Regions and LGAs are required to initiate concrete measures to
address corruption in their areas of jurisdiction.
3. Establishment of Institutional Integrity Committees at Central and Local
Government levels
4. Introduction of Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS)
5. Strengthening of the Internal Audit function
6. Establishment of Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) to
manage public expenditure in accordance with approved budgets.
7. Enactment of Election Expenses Act of 2010 to enforce accountability of
campaign financing by Political Parties.

Technology and innovation

Investment in technology and innovation was key to achieving the spirit of good
government initiatives that were put in place includes
1. Approval of National Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Policy in 2003 which has set the platform to transform Tanzania into a
knowledge-based society.
2. Construction of the Terrestrial National Optic Fibre Cable (OFC), which
enhanced access to information throughout the country.
3. Establishment of Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow (TBT) e-education
Development Programme to facilitate and enable remote learning and
increased collaboration among students and teachers

13|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

4. Establishment of Telemedicine services focusing on provision of distance

clinical health care barriers and improving access to medical services to
save life and handle emergency cases in remote communities.
5. Establishment of Water Sector Management Information System
(WSMIS) containing a web based water point mapping system as a tool
for planning and monitoring of water distribution services.

TANZANIAS COMMITMENT ON OGP

The OGP Action Plan in Tanzania focuses mainly on three service delivery
sectors of health, education and water. The government of Tanzania committed
its self to
1. Increase the availability of information about Government activities.
Support citizens participation by promoting public engagement including
full participation of women, increasing the effectiveness of the
Government by making policy formulation and decision making
processes more transparent.
2. Implement the highest standards of professional integrity through by
having robust anti-corruption policies, mechanisms and practices,
ensuring transparency in the management of public finances and
Government purchasing and the rule of law.
3. Develop and/or review Client Service Charters and make then accessible
to citizens
4. Improve Government and Ministries websites
5. Prepare legislative amendments and Regulations to strengthen asset
disclosure of public officials.
6. Increase access to new technologies for openness and accountability by
harnessing new technologies to make more information public in a way
that enables people to understand and influence decision in Government.

Education Sector
Educational circulars, reports/researches and sector documents have been
posted in the Ministry of Education and Vocational Education website
The Ministry has established a complaints register and is operational.
Basic Education Statistics (BEST) book with National data is posted on the
Ministrys website.

Water Sector
Ministrys website is in place and reports have been posted (www.maji.go.tz)
Client Service Charter of the Ministry of Water has been reviewed and
published on the website

14|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

Water points data has been published on the website in machine readable format
Financial Reports of Agencies under the Ministry (EWURA and DAWASA)
have been posted on their respective websites

Fiscal sector
National Budget is developed and published and also quarterly budget
execution reports are posted on the ministry of finance website.
Detailed disbursement of donor general budget support, project grants and loans
are posted on the Ministrys website every month.

Health Sector
Amount of funds allocated for procurement and distribution of medicine,
supplies, medical supplies and reagents for all health facilities are posted on the
Ministrys website.
The Ministry of Health client Service Charter has been reviewed

Challenges
Tanzania is still a developing country there is insufficient infrastructure and one
of the major problems is the unavailability of certain mechanisms or proper
channels to enable information to reach comprehensively at the root level.
Efforts are being made to popularize this programme through radio and
television programmes, newspapers, and workshops. Civil society and private
sector participation has been relatively low. Implementation of the
commitments needs adequate resources. Scarce resources hinder effective
implementation.
Conclusions
The citizens' of Tanzania increased demands for good governance has improved
service delivery, information and accountability. Government dictates that
governments and public administration should embrace the open government
concept. Capacity building to embrace OGP both at government, civil society
and citizens level is however necessary for realization of transparency and
accountability in governments.

15|P a g e
 Whatisopengovernment?

RWANDA
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa is one of the pioneers of open government in Africa. It is one of
the countries that signed the first declaration of open government in September
2011
e-channel
MALAWI
NAMIBIA

CHAPTER 4 OPEN GOVERNMENT IN ZIMBABWE

HOW ZIMBABWE CAN ADOPT OPEN
GOVERNMENT

16|P a g e