Dear Colleagues,
Walu did a good job in getting us to talk about PPPs in
ICT for Development. I would like to invite you to go slightly deeper to a
specific area of interest which is e-Government - PPPs in e-Government.
Private sector participation in e-Government can range
from conventional procurement (an example would be purchasing software for an
e-Government application) to full privatization of a particular service or
product. For those who’ve visited India, eSeva would be a good
example. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) fall in between these two extremes
of the continuum of private sector participation.
Whereas in conventional procurement, the responsibility
for operations and risks fall entirely on the Government, public-private
partnerships involve public ownership of assets and the delivery of services through
various contractual arrangements with the private sector involving varying
levels of risk transfer to the private sector.
These contractual arrangements can include service
contracts, management contracts, DBO (Design, Build, Operate) contracts, BTO (Build,
Transfer, Operate) and full concession contracts. The key benefits of these
diverse PPP models are that they transfer risk to the private sector, which is
generally better equipped to handle risk, they enhance government
accountability, they support entrepreneurship and local enterprise development,
and they leverage private finance. The result is often faster deployment
of better services.
It is from this background that African eDevelopment
Resource Centre together with the e-Development Thematic Group of the World
Bank are hosting a Video Conference on PPPs in e-Government on June 25th
2008 from 4.30pm at the World Bank offices in Nairobi. The Video Conference
will involve about 10 countries with speakers from both developing and
developed countries. Using case studies, the speakers will draw out key lessons
from PPPs in e-Government, discussing the challenges faced, solutions
developed, as well as general recommendations for designing and implementing successful
PPPs.
Some of the key issues that the speakers will address
include:
1) Is
private sector delivery in conflict with public interest?
2) Are
there any limits to outsourcing service delivery to the private sector?
3) What
are the most successful examples of PPPs in e-Government? Is there a solid
evidence of positive impact?
4) Can
these be easily replicated in other countries?
5) What
should governments do to ensure success of PPP approaches in e-Government?
6) What
kind of procurement system reforms may be necessary?
7) What
changes to legal framework may be necessary?
8) Which
business models have proven most successful to motivate both parties and
produce best results?
Participation to the VC is free, but you will need to
register to participate. Should you want to participate, please send your
request to joyce@africanedevelopment.org
not later than mid-day Monday 23rd June 2008. Space is limited and
shall be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Kindest Regards
Harry Hare
African eDevelopment Resource Centre
eDevelopment House
604 Limuru Road, Old Muthaiga
PO Box 49475 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Cel +254 725 650044
Land +254 20 3741646/7
www.africanedevelopment.org
June/July 2008 Training Opportunities
VSAT Feild Eng. 18-20 June
Supply Chain Management 24-27 June
Fibre Optic Technician 1-4 July
Knowledge Management 8-11July
Space is limited Book Now!
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