Tunisian Administration Lags Behind in E-governance

Tunisian online public services are still far from being effective, according to a global study published this week in Tunis, the capital. A World Bank-funded study to develop an ‘e-gov’ (electronic government) project in Tunisia, ranked the country 106th in the world, a poor position, Tunisian officials have acknowledged.

While admitting there is “something wrong,” although “much has been done in Tunisia” to improve the situation, Khadija Zammouri, a high-ranking official in charge of ‘ E-government”, at the office of the Prime Minister, believes “the study’s diagnosis failed to reflect the reality in some respects.”

“Our online services are not effective and the citizen’s access is limited,” lamented Zouhaier Moudhaffer, Minister-delegate to the Prime Minister, in charge of Civil Service and Administrative Development.

Administrative users are not even using the services and “there is no training in various departments,” while a 5 million dinar state budget (some 4 million dollars) for the project “was insufficiently tapped.”

According to Moudhaffer, the Tunisian administration is yet to develop the right strategy to promote online services at all levels.

“A paperless administration is the only way to eradicate all the evils of public service and prevent people from unnecessary movements,” he said, adding it would help reduce the cost of administrative services, which are currently absorbing 13 percent of GNP.

“We have the needed legal framework but the infrastructure and administrative practices are not following,” he said.

Regarding e-payment, Tunisia’s experience began in 1998, with the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) setting up an experimental platform as part of pilot projects.

The platform uses as a payment currency dubbed e-dinar (or electronic dinar) and the two international cards - Visa and Mastercard.

In 2001, the Tunisian Post launched its own platform using the e-dinar, the poste-dinar card and the international Visa card as means of payment.

The banking sector reacted; launching an electronic payment system consisting of a secure payment server (SPS) administered by the Tunisian Electronic Banking Corporation (GTS) and using national bank cards and money transfers.

The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) launched on 4 November 2006 a system to transfer large Tunisian amounts, allowing the electronic transfer, levies, checks and bills of exchange between the world’s various financial institutions, and their e-clearing through the Electronic Clearing Interbank Company (SIBTEL) within 48 hours.

Source African Press Agency

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