Technical and Advisory Support Facility (TASF) Development of E-Government & ICT in the Public Sector: Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica

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1 Caribbean Technical and Advisory Support Facility (TASF) on egovernment UNDESA/ CARICAD MISSION REPORT Background Technical and Advisory Support Facility (TASF) Development of E-Government & ICT in the Public Sector: Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica July 4 th - 5 th, 2006 The TASF conducted two (2) E-Government Policy Workshops in Dominica: February 3 rd and March 16 th, 2006 respectively. These in-country workshops not only provided the opportunity to build capacity at the senior management and technical levels, with respect to the advancement of the E-Government agenda, but also provided the TASF the opportunity to have invaluable discussions and exchange of ideas and information with senior public sector officials and IT personnel (see Appendix 2) on the work of the Facility and e-government in the Caribbean. These included; Mr. Felix Gregoire, Secretary to the Cabinet and Mrs. Juliet Lewis, Chief Personnel Officer (the Chief Personnel Officer, is next in line to the Cabinet Secretary in the hierarchy of the Public Service in Dominica and Chairs the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Secretaries in the absence of the Cabinet Secretary). A request was made by the Chief Personnel Officer for assistance from the TASF with respect to the advancement of the E-Government agenda in Dominica. Activities Held during Mission: July 4 th to 5 th The Knowledge and Information Manager (KIM) conducted meetings with the Chief Personnel Officer, the Head of the Public Sector Reform Unit, Mrs. Ruth Allport and the Senior Systems

2 Analyst, Ms. Arlette Vidal. The outputs of the group activity conducted with the Public Sector IT personnel in March 1 were reviewed and agreed upon (Tables 1 and 2 below). Meetings were also held with the Legal Advisor in the Reform Unit and a State Attorney in the Ministry of Legal Affairs on the draft legislation on the following: E-transactions; Computer Misuse and Freedom of Information. It was agreed that follow-up efforts would be made to formally include these areas on the legislative agenda of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Cabinet of Ministers for the current financial year and the broad-based public consultation and education would be spearheaded by the Reform Unit. 1 See Appendix 1 2

3 Table 1: Output of Participatory Methodology and Group Exercises Common Vision Blocks and Constraints Strategic Direction to Overcome Blocks & Constraints 1 Establishment of Political Support Technical Assistance Central IT Unit & Resistance to Inter-ministerial Formal Training Rationalization of Collaboration Creation of Incentives for retention of Central and Frontline IT Functions/ Limited resources (Funding/ qualified personnel Finance & technical capacity Identification of lobbyist/champion Services Varied levels of development Sensitization/Team Building Activities between Ministries Establish Inter-ministerial Implementation & Monitoring Committee (Transition Team) 2 Placement of Unit within Establishment or OPM 3 Development of Web Portal and Integration of Public Sector Online Services Political Will/Support Lack of acceptance by HODs Limited resources, esp. technical staff New posts to be created Limited Physical Space & Equipment and Supplies Additional managerial responsibilities for technical officers Political Support Technical Capacity Incentives for retention of Qualified Personnel Resistance to Standardization by Agencies with s/w applications already developed Security Issues: ensuring only persons who should see information actually are the ones who see that information Secure from outside attacks Physical safety Bandwidth: IT Provider Identification of office space, Reassign existing space; Create additional space (use of space in Financial Center or other locations) Hiring of consultant Cabinet Decision Convert existing posts to IT posts where possible Prepare Project Proposal for Donor Funding Review Job Descriptions and Salary levels Training in Management Hiring of Consultant Development of Attractive Packages & Salary Establish appropriate legislation & policies to ensure compliance by all Agencies Establish legislation/policies on security issues related to e-govt. Ensure appropriate security measures including limited physical access to restricted areas and software security Establish Guidelines on Physical protection/security of computer equipment Negotiation with service providers; external assistance may be required 3

4 Common Vision Blocks and Constraints Strategic Direction to Overcome Blocks & Constraints 4 Review and Upgrade of backend databases 5 Legislation and Regulations governing all aspects of E-Government and E-Commerce 6 Public Awareness & Capacity Building 7 Wide Area Network/Island Wide Frame Relay, Fiber Optics or Web-based Dissemination of Information Funding/Financing Lack of Manpower Standardization of Databases Absence of National Unique Identifier and Postal Codes Capacity of Legal Dept Political Will Financial Resources Resistance to Change Limited Financial Resources Lack of Negotiating Capacity Review Approaches taken in other countries Issue Guidelines on database development Recruit technical assistance for legal Dept. Education/Sensitization on Policy matters Training of Personnel for Sensitization of the general public Development of long-term training plan Apply change management techniques to Agencies Technical Assistance for negotiating team In-country focus group sessions were also conducted on the IT functions which need to be executed at the line agency level and those which need to be centralized. 4

5 Table 2: Analysis of Public Sector IT Functions Central Functions: 1. Maintenance of Hardware (Establishment of Help Desk for Support) 2. Purchasing/Procurement of IT Hardware, Software and Services 3. Training 4. Web Services: Internet Access, Integration and upgrade of Online Services and Web Sites, in the Public Sector, including: Domain Name Management: manage the Top level/country indicator (.lc) and function indicator (.gov); implementation of policies and harmonized practices on Hosting and management of government web sites; link back-end systems to government websites to enable the creation of dynamic, interactive online services, with access to real time data and processing capabilities. 5. Development of Policies: a. National ICT Strategy b. Monitoring of Usage Policies 6. Software Licensing (Enterprise Options) 7. Supplier Management/Vendor Relations and Negotiations: in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, managing the top-level relationship with strategic suppliers to Government and conducting supplier analysis. 8. Systems Analysis and Design, BPA, (If cannot be done at Agency level). 9. Research Decentralized/Front Line Services 1. Specific Software Applications: Administration, D/Base & Support 2. First Line of Support (H/W) 3. Content Management Online and data and Information management offline 5

6 APPENDIX 1: List of IT Personnel NAME DESIGNATION MINISTRY/ DEPARTMENT Mr. Timothy Lavernier Computer Technician Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs Mr. Charles Raymond Library Technician (Actg.) Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs Ms. Celemencia Victor Senior Systems Analyst Establishment, Personnel and Training Department Ms. Debra Cuffy Ms. Michelle Courneen Systems Analyst and Officer-in-Charge Assistant Project Coordinator Computer Center/ Ministry of Finance and Planning Ministry of Health and Social Security Mr. Bret Harry Computer Specialist Ministry of Health and Social Security Mr. Dorian Harris Junior Clerk (temp.) Establishment, Personnel and Training Department Mr. Timothy Thomas Computer Technician Ministry of Health and Social Security Mr. Kelvin Woodman Systems Analyst Inland Revenue/ Ministry of Finance and Planning Mr. Dwayne Dick Statistician Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs Mrs. Annette George- Boney Mr. Abraham Durand Systems Analyst (temp.) Coordinator, Technical/ Vocational Education Inland Revenue/ Ministry of Finance and Planning Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs Cpl. Vernon O Brien Constable Police Department/ Prime Minister s Office 6

7 Mr. Kelvin Woodman Systems Analyst Inland Revenue/ Ministry of Finance and Planning Mr. Kelvin Woodman Systems Analyst Inland Revenue/ Ministry of Finance and Planning Mr. Everson Collaire Building Maintenance Officer Ministry of Public Works and Public Utilities 7

8 Appendix 2: Overview of Public Sector IT Initiatives and Issues Library Services The National Library is now exploring the use of Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs) to support easier access to materials in libraries, but due to the high cost associated with most of these solutions, most libraries are exploring alternative solutions independently. National Security Currently, Dominica has a national social security card, but there are various other forms of identification being used simultaneously. The introduction of a single identity card would introduce some uniformity, as each identity card has its own control number, and security feature, therefore, a common identifier for each citizen would minimize fraud and duplication. The facilitator then posed the question to the representative from the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF), who coincidentally was the officer within the government previously in charge of the National Computer Center; on what were the opportunities for the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in combating crime. The delegate informed the rest of the group that there are various initiatives being planned to have the island s police stations connected and using SmartStream technology to communicate information and share intelligence. It was mentioned that this effort was being pursued with Cable and Wireless Dominica (CW), however, it was noted that SAT Television might be a better option, as it enjoys a wider fibre-optic network than CW. He emphasized the need for the CDPF to establish this kind of networking across the island, as a step towards the greater collaboration and interactivity between the CDPF and other international crime management organizations such as Interpol and other networked police bodies. There are also plans to establish border control systems, but these plans are still at the embryonic stage. Revenue Collection Currently, there are proposals by the government to develop and launch various initiatives using IT to enforce and facilitate revenue collection. The delegate from the Inland Revenue Division lamented that the use of ICTs within the department has been limited to managing functions such as filing returns and administrative processes. 8

9 Statistical Data There is no coordinated approach to the use of IT to properly support statistics management, currently, commercial solutions such as Microsoft Access is being used instead of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), which offers in addition to statistical analysis, data management (case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data documentation in the basic version of the solution. When the facilitator enquired of the representative from the statistical unit, whether any recent survey was done on the IT sector, he replied in the negative. It was recognized by the delegate that this was an area that should rightly be receiving more attention in the upcoming surveys being planned. Education Currently, mainly through the libraries, there are various initiatives aimed at introducing IT skills to citizens, however, there are challenges with the provision of adequate skilled/ knowledgeable facilitators to deliver the training required. There is also a sever lack of the necessary hardware and software required to facilitate this training, i.e.; computers, peripherals, NetWare and tutorials. The Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development, Sports and Youth Affairs is focusing on delivering some form of IT training via its website. Government Portal The Chief Personnel Officer indicated to the grouping that there were currently plans in train to develop a Commonwealth of Dominica Web Portal, with the relevant links to government ministries and departments. However, she reiterated the position expressed earlier by the delegate from the CDPF, that there was a need for harmonization and control over issues surrounding ICT developments and issues within the government. Special mention was made of the assignment of s addresses domains by persons/ departments of the Government, where there is duplication and confusion regarding the standard to be adapted when assigning such addresses. The Computer Center of the Ministry of Finance and Planning needs to be able to develop and establish policies and govern ICT related activities. It was felt that the establishment of a Central Authority, with much more clout than the current Computer Center along with the necessary supporting legislation was the best route for this harmonization and control to become a reality; however, there is need for 9

10 technical assistance in this area. It was agreed that this technical assistance was to be provided by the TASF through a formal request by the Government of Dominica. Frame Relay While it was one particular participant s perspective that the use of Frame Relays is a poor approach to WAN support infrastructure vis-à-vis Point-to-Point Protocol approach, the facilitator cautioned that consideration must be given to the differences between the infrastructure of say Japan and other developed states, and what obtains here in the Caribbean. Dr. Bertin pointed out that the region is in the developmental stages of telecommunications liberalization. A similar point was raised by the same delegate on the matter of Open-Source solutions. The facilitator made the caveat that while it is cost-effective and indeed a good approach to use open-source software there has to be some recognition of standards when this is being employed. It was generally felt by most of the delegates at this caucus that use of ICTs is the way to go improve service delivery and promote in a positive manner, public sector modernization. 10