Abstract:

E-Government development in most SADC countries is still in its initial stages compared to 1st world countries. Also, SADC member states have realized the benefits inherent in e-Government
development projects and therefore have undertaken the task of implementing these in order to add value to their respective citizens. Their problem, however, is to find a referral framework that can guide them when implementing such projects. Some countries are very poor that any investment in egovernment projects may use a very big portion of their gross domestic earnings. This therefore requires sufficient planning to reduce the risks associated with such capital expenditures. Using data from the CIA fact file, this research proposes a framework that can be adopted by member SADC states when implementing e-Government projects. Like in any other e-business model, Internet plays a major role as the medium of communication in e-government projects. The research study has revealed that internet use is highly correlated to the number of cell phones (0.965), fixed telephone lines(0.985), television broadcasting stations( 0.980), but has a very low correlation with the literacy level (0.333) of a country. However, television broadcasting stations, to a certain degree, informs the level of e-Government awareness. Therefore, level of awareness is correlated to literacy rate but not to the number of Internet users. Hence there is no correlation between the literacy rate and the likelihood of citizens accessing e-Government services. The research did not consider other softer aspects that may impact the uptake and use of e-government services such as social background, gender, income levels as well as types of services that are required by the populace.