Digital Government Transformation Strategy 2018-2022

Definitions of Data:

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Main Focus of Document:

The purpose of this document is to map plans to achieve full digital transformation of the Government

Target Beneficiaries or Sectors:

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Key Elements:

The Digital Government Transformation Strategy sets the course for accelerating public sector digitalisation in Mauritius with a view to enhancing operational effectiveness and efficiency and providing better services to citizens. The strategy is central to the governmental imperative to make government services 'digital by default' and improve the efficiency, effectiveness and governance of public services through successful digital transformation. To this end, the Strategy aims to: (1) ensure access to high-quality government information and services anywhere, anytime, on any device; (2) introduce innovative approaches contributing to national development and long-term sustainable growth; (3) increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government agencies; (4) improve productivity and transparency of government operations; (5) enhance interaction between government agencies and stakeholders; and (6) deliver better digital services through the latest tools and technologies. The achievement of these objectives is intended to transform Mauritius into a SMART island by 2030.

To achieve this, the Strategy recommends actions organised under 12 key areas to be implemented between 2018 and 2022. First, to improve openness, transparency and inclusiveness, the Strategy recommends:

• enforcing an 'open by default' standard for non-sensitive government data;
• sensitising government agencies on the importance of releasing open data;
• organising public engagement campaigns on the use of open data via hackathons, web cups and mobile apps;
• ensuring digital government systems cater for stakeholders with different needs (e.g. mobile-friendly services, mobile apps, SMS-based notifications, help material in audio or video format, user friendly interfaces, assisted digital support desks);
• reviewing and adapting national digital skills programmes to cater for digital natives and digital immigrants;
• capacity building programmes for public officials to strengthen their skills and capacity to use technology and support e-service delivery.

Second, to promote engagement and participation in policymaking and service delivery, the Strategy seeks to implement mechanisms to support integration of citizens' and other stakeholders' views in decision-making processes.

Third, to create a data-driven culture in the public sector, the strategy recommends:

• leveraging data and analytics for top management in government agencies to improve the quality of digital services and enhance decision-making;
• enforcing a once-only principle in government where citizens and businesses provide information only once to government, which is then re-used for delivering services;
• promoting interoperability in systems and enhancing sharing of data;
• sourcing data from government agencies via the InfoHighway instead of requesting copies of government-issued documents.

Fourth, key actions to protect privacy and ensure security include:

• developing partnerships with the private sector to collect data on security incidents and privacy violations;
• working in co-operation with international organisations to develop strong assessment and performance indicators regarding security and privacy;
• implementing a National Authentication Framework to allow both the public and private sectors to authenticate citizens in the delivery of digital services.

Fifth, in the area of leadership and public commitment, the Strategy recommends:

• entrusting Ministers to champion digital government initiatives with high government impact in order to demonstrate politcal support;
• contracting agreements between key stakeholders to ensure digital government projects are prioritised;
• empowering high-ranking executives with digital skills to lead the digital transformation.

Sixth, to promote coherent use of digital technology across policy areas, the Strategy recommends:

• maintaining electronic inventories of digital assets;
• reinforcing policies and standards regarding the use of ICT in the public sector;
• adopting the “digital-by-default” principle where government agencies proactively transform their services using digital technology;
• ensuring ministries and departments have an e-Business strategy/plan that includes business process reengineering and a blueprint to achieve digital transformation of their services and processes.

Seventh, key actions to establish effective organisational and governance frameworks to coordinate the implementation of digital government strategies include:

• the establishment of oversight and reporting mechanisms to support the implementation of technology-led national strategic objectives;
• monitoring the implementation of digital transformation projects by Minister-led committees, with progress reported to a High-Level Digital Government Task Force;
• governance of funding for digital government projects by the High-Level Digital Government Task Force;
• increasing government investment in ICT;
• establishing new funding mechanisms to accelerate digital transformation.

Eighth, to strengthen international cooperation with other governments, the Strategy recommends operationalising existing MOUs through charters and by creating affiliations between government agencies involved in digital government and international bodies.

Ninth, actions to support the development of a clear business case include:

• government defining KPIs and measurable benefits from going digital;
• the development of capabilities in the public sector to use business cases for evaluation and monitoring of project impacts;
• government engagement with relevant stakeholders in the design and development of business cases for national projects.

Tenth, to reinforce institutional capacities, the Strategy focuses on:

• identifying and addressing functional gaps;
• optimising operating effectiveness and simplifying coordination of units/departments in the digital ecosystem;
• reviewing staffing requirements and prioritising recruitment in units/departments delivering digital functions;
• conducting capacity building and facilitating industry exposure on technology and business domains to ICT staff supporting the digital ecosystem;
• leveraging service providers' managed services to support day-to-day ICT operations in each ministry/department;
• empowering service or business product owners with digital capabilities and skills.

Eleventh, strategic activities to support procurement of digital technologies include:

• publishing a catalogue of information systems and services;
• reviewing existing legal and regulatory frameworks to allow for replication of successful applications across government;
• adopting the 'e-Procurement-by-default' principle;
• developing and publishing an open database of supplier performance for ICT projects;
• using framework agreements in the procurement of selected digital products and services;
• reviewing procurement rules to facilitate procurement of technology products and services that embrace agile methodologies;
• supporting agile development in ministries/departments through capacity building and appointment of agile coaches.

Finally, the Strategy recommends analysising and reviewing existing legal and regulatory frameworks to support digital transformation; and drawing on legal expertise for the drafting of specialised legal agreements.