House told: e-government saves 42bn/- in administration costs

ZANZIBAR government has saved over 18 million US dollars (about 42bn/-) in administration costs, thanks to the electronic government (e-government), the House of Representatives was told here on Thursday.

Acting Minister of State, President’s Office, Constitution, Legal, Public Service and Good Governance Dr Khalid Salum Mohammed informed the house that the government also earns 4bn/- annually as contribution from the Zanzibar eGovernment Agency, which collects 6bn/- annually through its services.

Dr Khalid who doubles as Infrastructure, Communication and Transport Minister said the government is determined to improve public services to wananchi through automation.

He was answering a question by Pandani Representative Professor Omar Fakih Hamad who wanted to know the progress and impact of e-government in the country.

Dr Khalid said the multibillion project, which started in 2011 was implemented through two phases—the laying of the Fiber Optic Cable that cost 22 million US dollars (about 52bn/-) and the second phase’s e-health and e-revenue systems costing 33 million dollars (about 78bn/-).

The minister said the government plans to add another optic cable from Djibouti through Pemba to Fumba, where there will be a huge three-tier data centre and connect all public institutions to the electronic system. Currently, 280 institutions are connected, the minister said.

“The aim is to ensure all government services are offered electronically; we focus on paperless offices,” Dr Khalid told the house.