Government IT spending in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will reach US$12 billion during 2014, a 2.3 per cent increase from 2013, according to research firm Gartner.
The forecast includes hardware, software, external IT services and telecommunications.
“Telecom services, which includes fixed and mobile telecom services, will be the largest overall spending category throughout the forecast period within the government sector. It is expected to grow 2.7 per cent in 2013 to reach US$5.4 billion in 2014 – led by growth in mobile network services,” Gartner said.
The highest growth in government IT expenditure will be seen in the software industry, increasing by ten per cent and reaching over US$1 billion during the course of the year.
HumanIPO reported last week the Ugandan government had developed an e-governance platform, allowing Ugandans to access government information directly and officials to communicate easily between departments.
Numerous other e-governance platforms have been launched around Africa with varying degrees of success.
Last year, the Lagos state government partnered with Microsoft to provide it with facilities to administer services to its citizens via smartphones and mobile devices.
In Kenya, e-governance programmes have been hindered by connectivity issues, according to Chinese firm ZTE. The company is currently in talks with the state government to provide e-government solutions on county and national levels.
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