The Inter-American Development Bank today approved a $28 million loan for an e-government and knowledge transfer program in Trinidad and Tobago.
The objective of the program is to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of public services via the development and implementation of e-government* solutions and via the transfer of knowledge on international best practices.
“It has been shown that the effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) in support of public sector modernization can reduce the costs of government operations and improve the quality of government services,” said Frank Nieder, IDB project team leader. “E-government represents an integral and comprehensive use of ICT to improve public services.”
Nieder added that by focusing on the transfer of knowledge to participating public institutions in areas that have been identified by the government as priorities, the program will build capacities on a more permanent basis rather than trying to temporarily fill the shortcomings of existing resources.
Tis 25-year loan will be executed by Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Public Administration and Information.
* E-government is the application of ICT combined with process reengineering and measures to facilitate institutional changes (change management) in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of public institutions, both with regard to internal operations and the improvement of services to clients.