Nepal has envisioned Digital Nepal. This dream is to ensure good governance by developing knowledge, skills and capabilities related to information technology through electronic service delivery to the Nepalese citizens in line with the global advancements. Digital Nepal constitutes the three national goals: One, accessible modern infrastructure and intensive connectivity. Two, high and sustainable production and productivity. Three, good governance. The core objective is to ensure a multi-dimensional transformation of the economy. The expected outcome will be easy and simple public service delivery through maximum use of digital technology.
In this direction, Nepal has fulfilled the major activities such as building nationwide optical fibre network under information highway, connecting, and operating the main equipment of 4G LTE, bringing mobile device management system and national e-payment gateway into operation, and now exploring the feasibility of use of digital signature in government service delivery and rendering public services electronically. The twin challenges ahead are to launch and operate the Sagarmatha Satellite and to launch the 5G mobile network. The ever-widening digital divide has posed another challenge. The ICT advancements dwell on the digital infrastructure and technology which further need expansion and development in a federal governance system.
The fourteenth plan of Nepal did more than expected: The target was to reach 65 percent of the Nepali population with access to internet service but it achieved 65.9 percent. The fifteenth plan has a periodic target to access 80 percent of the Nepalis with internet by the end of fiscal year 2023-2024 and a long term vision to broaden the access of internet to every Nepali citizen by FY 2043-2044.
The Covid-19 had adverse impacts on Nepal’s economy but on the contrary, it opened the doors to virtual communication and made an urgent call for digital services in the virtual world. For now, the expansion and management of information technology infrastructure remains challenging. Nepal needs to develop innovation, talent, skills, and entrepreneurship through a multilateral partnership by maintaining the interconnectivity between the various information systems of the government in service delivery through digital infrastructure development.
Many developing countries are reeling under extreme poverty and the lives of people have not improved significantly over the years. Among many reasons, one substantial reason is widespread corruption. The nations are in the clutches of corruption and that ultimately leads to the vicious circle of poverty. The traditional style of governance, manual systems, unethical behaviors of public servants, bribery, embezzlement, government procurement systems, bureaucratic delays, and red tape have contributed to corruption reaching the peak. South Asia is marred by the cancer of corruption. In particular, Nepal is one of the notorious countries in the world list of corruption.
Under such circumstances, e-government or e-governance or the Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a big role in ensuring good governance in general and transparency in particular. E-Government is an innovative approach that many world governments are increasingly adopting in order to work more effectively, share information and deliver better services to the public. e-government is essentially more about the process of government reform and resulting benefits than about the application of specific technological solutions or services. Many scholars have agreed with this definition: E-government means the use of technology to enhance access to and delivery of government services in order to benefit citizens, business partners, and employees.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have emerged as innovative approaches with mammoth potential to make people’s lives better at large and, particularly, the people in the margin and the people in developing countries. Use of ICTs can enhance business, support education and healthcare systems and also improve the governance and government system both at local and national level in the development endeavor. Today we cannot imagine a world without a computer or a smartphone or the Internet. ICTs have an impact and presence in cars, phones, aircrafts, banks, schools, etc. The innovative domain called Internet of Things (IoT) is on the go and on the rise. Technology-mediated applications are increasingly gaining popularity and have become a part and parcel of our daily lives.
ICTs contribute to the overall development in multiple ways: e-Government for anti-corruption, attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, citizens’ trust, fast public service delivery and so on.
E-government and transparency has a very intimate nexus and are complementary to one another. Transparency is the soul of good governance. It refers to the state of openness, accountability and visibility. Its domain has stretched its arms with the wave of right to information. Clearly the prominence of transparency as an administrative norm is very critical. Democratic, accountable and legitimate government depends largely on how transparent the government is. Transparency is best ensured by the tools of ICTs.
A good e-government strategy can contribute to building a more efficient, accountable and transparent government. If inclusive in nature, e-government applications can rebuild citizen trust in government, promote economic growth by improving interface with business, and empower citizens to participate in the broader advancement of good governance. While e-government is not a panacea for the complex and deep-rooted problems of corruption, it cannot be ignored that ICTs possess the ability to contribute effectively towards any anti-corruption efforts. E-government’s potential to increase transparency and combat corruption in government administration is gaining popularity in communities of e-government practitioners and researchers.
It is noteworthy of the immense role of ICTs and the world governments need to make use of the full potential of ICTs for the timely achievement of the SDGs. In fact, ICTs have enormous potential to deliver dramatic results in education, health and socio-economic growth. It is critically important to reach a consensus on the need for a new set of connectivity targets to help governments more effectively harness broadband networks and services to drive progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In Nepal’s context, the rapid advancement pace in ICT development and promotion is doing good compared to other sectors but needs to be done better. One major bottleneck is lack of strong political commitment for the full utilization of ICTs and its implementation. Where is the ICT agenda which is the mother of all agendas? The political leadership does not seem vehemently carrying the agenda of ICTs as a driver of socio-economic transformation of Nepal. Our leaders must realize the growing importance of ICTs or the Internet or social media or the e-world. People today actively participate in the interactions in the digital world.
Of course the sectors like agriculture, hydropower and tourism are the potential sectors of Nepal with high feasibility of growth and a ray of hope. But one thing cannot be ignored that the ICTs have gone beyond the borders. Its impact is massive. Its impact is rapid. Its impact is multifaceted. It is redrawing the boundaries and redefining the way the services are offered to the public whether by a private company or by a public enterprise or organization or entity or as a whole the government.
As we are discussing the ICTs, e-government and how they play a significant role in combating corruption, Korea can be considered as a good benchmark in examining how governmental transparency can be enhanced in the context of the developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) like Nepal. Since the democratic transition in 1987 in South Korea, it can be experienced that governmental transparency has rapidly and significantly been improved in Korea. A number of legal approaches contributed to improving good governance including the Official Information Disclosure Act, a Korean version of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, contributed significantly toward enhanced transparency. Similarly, various e-government systems and government initiatives for the digitalization of government have been devised to increase not only efficiency but also transparency in government.
Moreover, active civic engagement based on democratization has functioned as a political driver to overcome obstacles preventing improved governmental transparency while also working to speed up the enactment of laws and regulations related to governmental transparency. Can Nepal learn lessons and policy implications from Korea in the economic development through ICTs?
Of course, yes. Nepal can do a big deal in ICT development and promotion. However, there are, relatively, a few instances of digitalization initiatives of the Government of Nepal. A number of legal instruments including Telecom Policy, 2004, IT Policy 2010, Broadband Policy 2010, ICT Policy 2015 have been formulated in the direction of e-Government. The ICT Policy 2015 envisages the role of ICTs: “ICTs hold the potential to enhance better governance, with more transparent and efficient civil service. ICT is to play important roles for economic development and poverty alleviation efforts which are the primary goals of SDGs.”
It is undeniable that e-Government is crucial for good governance on the whole and for combating corruption specifically. There is a room with high feasibility for Nepal to replicate Korea’s ICT legislation and implementation measures in the efforts of ensuring good governance and economic development through ICTs as an important driver of growth and development.
It is high time the political leadership realized the enormous potentials of ICTs in the overall development and the Nepali bureaucracy translated these potentials into action to regain the public trust at a time Nepali bureaucracy is unpopular, corrupt and sluggish in the eyes of the public. It is a good opportunity for both the policy makers and the administrators to dream and materialize—Digital Nepal.
The author is a postgraduate from Kyung Hee University, South Korea and currently working at Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security
