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The E-Administration in Tunisia

An outline on the development of the e-administration program in Tunisia

The emergence of the Internet and the proliferation of connectivity is transforming many aspects of our life. Services and transactions become independent of physical limitations like location or time or feasibility constraints. Private sector organizations were the first to identify and exploit these newly afforded capabilities. In short order, information became cheap and ubiquitous and service availability and accessibility increased exponentially.

Public administration and structures have shown signs of moving from a classical way of delivering services to a more modern approach. In the traditional approach, each agency provides specific service regardless of required interactions with other agencies involved in the entire process. In the new approach, services become the core around which web-based offerings are arranged, as ministries and administrative structures cooperate to provide their part of the service through a single point of entry.

It is in this new framework that Tunisian Government bases the priority of the electronic administration development into two complementary objectives:

• the improvement of the citizen administration relationship,
• the development of the Tunisian enterprises competitiveness.

The achievement of these two objectives rests on the development of an efficient integrated administration in the service of citizens and enterprises, enabling a better interaction with citizens and a more competitive environment for enterprises.

The development of the e-administration in Tunisia occupies a central place among the national priorities. It is a fundamental pillar in the global and sustainable development process given the primordial role of the e- administration in the improvement of the public management performance and the reinforcement of services quality. It also aims at providing users with the means of better serving the citizen on the one hand and improving the enterprise competitiveness, on the other hand.

The genesis of the first core of a communicative administration

Many initiatives have been taken, since the Eighties; have resulted in the first experiences of administrative dematerialization processes, and this through the introduction of computing within the public administration.

This computerization resulted in the creation of several National computer applications, such as the applications relating to:

• The management of the administrative affairs of the State personnel (INSAF)
• The process of Budgetary decision-making (ADEB)
• The management of National Debt (SIADE).
• The follow-up and management of the orders for missions abroad (RACHED).
• The follow-up of governmental work (Amen).

Taking into account their horizontal aspect, these computer applications have been generalized in administrative structures. this allowed a valorization of the investments carried out and a standardization of the procedures and the management methods

The implementation of these computer applications, can be considered as the first step in the e-Government journey in Tunisia.

The Public Administration upgrade program (1996-1999)

This period, also, has been marked by the launching of the implementation of the Public Administrationof upgrade  program. It includes a program of computing in the administration.

This program was incorpored into sectoral plans aiming to:

• improve the services and reinforce their quality,
• exchange information by electronically,
• share data between the different public structures and departments.

this period was characterizied by massive investment in technological infrastructure in order to support the automation process.

After having provided the technological infrastructure supporting the administrative dematerialization procedures, the Tunisian administration is oriented towards the valorization of its achievements in opening on the Internet with the objective to provide faster, cheaper and more effective administrative services.

The (1999-2004) presidential program "for tomorrow’s Tunisia"

This strategic choice was consecrated within the framework of the electoral program of the President of the Republic "for tomorrow's Tunisia", it translated a clear political commitment  for the development of numerous electronic citizen and businesses oriented services.

The (2004-2009) presidential program 

This comnitment was reaffirmed, within the framework of the presidential program (2004-2009), which admitted the need for setting up an administration in harmony with its time, and which adapts itself to the needs of its users under the title "A public service that serves citizens and prepares for a new economy ".

It is, in this program that shall be considered the presidential decisions aiming at implementing:

• A modern public service to the benefit of citizens to be promoted by enlarging the scope of remote services provided to citizens and institutions, and generalizing the systems of remote taxation, remote foreign trade, remote retrieval of civil status documents and remote registration in universities by the end of 2009.
• Generalizing the quality system in public service departments.
• Generalizing call-centers to provide advice, guidance and information services. 
• The Tunisian public service with human resources qualified for the communication-based administration, through new programs and a special effort for large-scale training in the fields of communication-based administration and the appropriate computer applications.

The (2009-2014) presidential programme "together we meet challenges"

In this programme that shall be considered the presidential decisions aiming to set up a “A modern public service serving citizens and development”.

Tunisian government prime objective for the coming stage is to achieve a high level of modernity in the performance of public service and to improve its relations with citizens. E-Government programme will enable public administration to meet these challenges.

This will be achieved through:

• Promoting the electronic administration to the level of advanced international standards, as regards:
  • The development of the competences and occupations related to electronic administration,
  • Education, communication infrastructure and websites,
  • Services for citizens,
  • Connections between ministries,
  • Quicker and less costly administrative procedures for enterprises.
• Providing 200 new online priority administrative services in 2014,
• Establishing a legal framework for the electronic administration,

With defines:

• The general framework for data exchange,
• The legal framework for access to, and exchange of, personnel data,
• The legal framework for online public procurement contracts,
• The legal framework for the national archives.
• Developing the use of the mobile phone to provide remote services,
• Establishing a system allowing enterprises to track online the files submitted to the public service,
• Establishing an observatory for electronic administration, in charge of:
  • Identifying needs and concerns,
  • Contributing to the development of services,
  • Increasing the level of transparency.
• Generalize remote administrative and pedagogical services for pupils and students.

E- administration action plan 2006-2009

In order to concretize all the decisions made within the framework of the (2004-2009) presidential program, many measures were taken by a Government cabinet meeting which decided the implementation of an action plan to be used by all public structures in order to boost the e-administration development rhythm.

This action plan is aiming at:

• Reinforcing the e-communication and exchange within public administration at the central, regional and local levels. This will be done through the implementation of some measures such as putting into place an inter-administrative network covering central and regional levels, improving the access of civil servants to Internet and to assign them with an electronic address (e-mail), developing some high value-added services such as electronic exchange of the documents, IP Telephony, video conferencing.
• Extending the scope of e-services provided to citizens and businesses and to ensure their effectiveness.

          Public administration will work at putting online:

• all the administrative forms and ensuring their acceptation by all public structures and agencies,
• specification books and develop an e-procurement system, an e-justice portal, 
• widening the e-payment system,
• developing an e-student card for university services,
• putting into place a database for enterprises.
• To strengthen the capacity of the civil servants with regard to the requirements of the e-administration, through trainings on ICT use (passport for the information society) and by the increase of e-learning utilization.
• To upgrade the technological platform to enable the e-administration development.
• To ensure the interoperability between national and sectroral computer applications and to enhance the use of common standards and references.

The 2010-2014 national strategy for the E- Administration development

In order to develop the achievements of the e-administration and to put them within the framework of a global and evolutionary vision, a project of a national strategy for e-administration development; called e-strategy; has been launched in 2008, in collaboration with different ministerial structures.

This strategy will include a new generation of public services based on the idea of services integration and interoperability between information systems belonging to administrative structures. These new generations of projects enabled by data sharing and collaboration aim is to reduce costs, enhance the citizen engagement and improve the efficiency of public structures.

Tunisian citizens and businesses can get benefits from a huge range of joined services taking into consideration their aspirations and needs.

This e-strategy covers:

• E-administration governance,
• Legal framework adjustment in accordance with e-administration requirements, 
• Information systems architecture,
• Interoperability framework and references;
• Accessibility enhancement,
• Telecommunication infrastructures reinforcement,
• Human capital capacity building and training,
• Communication and marketing tools in order to improve the taking up of e-services.

E-administration implementation strategy in Tunisia

Vision

To foster a full public administration transformation process, the e-strategy provides support to ministries as they implement their services online. Some government processes will be optimized and gradually upgraded to achieve:

"The most efficient and effective delivery of services through an integrated citizens and businesses oriented public administration"

Strategic Objectives

Tunisian Government bases the priority of the electronic administration development into two complementary objectives:

• the improvement of the citizen administration relationship,
• the development of the Tunisian enterprises competitiveness.

These two strategic goals will be gradually achieved through:

• Online services intensification for better quality of services,
• Addresses government interaction with the user; services are offered in a user-centric approach, independent of the access channel chosen by users,
• Services integration.

In line with the overall national public administration modernisation programme, the e-government strategy wills led public structures reach high levels of quality and operational efficiency in public services delivery.

The e-Administration organization structure

Numerous public structures have been gradually created to support the realization of the e-administration program. These structures are classified in two categories: structures of strategic management and structures of technical assistance.

Structures of strategic management

At the strategic level the programme is managed by:

• The communicative administration ministerial committee: created by decree n°2003-1083 dated 13 May 2003. This committee is mandated to monitor the implementation of general guidelines in the field of e-government through:
  • Approving e-government projects,
  • Giving opinion about the technical, administrative and legal aspects in the field of e-government,
  • Adopting the appropriate solutions when there are Problems and difficulties impeding the implementation of e-government projects,
  • Studying the periodical reports relating to the follow-up of the e-government projects,
• The communicative administration technical committee: This committee was created by the same decree creating the ministerial committee of the communicative administration (decree n° 2003-1083 dated 13 May 2003). This committee was created to examine and propose e-government projects to the ministerial committee. it is in charge of:
  • Studying public structures e-government projects proposal,
  • Approving e-government studies proposed by the public structures,
  • Examining the studies results in the light of the opinions of the concerned parties before submitting them to the ministerial committee of the communicative administration for approval,
  • Studying the problems submitted to it by the different public structures concerned by the e-government projects,
  • Ensuring the follow-up of the communicative administration projects on the basis of reports established by the concerned public structures on the advancement state and submitting a periodical report to the ministerial committee of the communicative administration,
  • Inviting the specialized public structures to propose solutions to the general issues relating to the communicative administration program particularly in matter of norms, standards, technical choices and legal and administrative aspects,
  • Submitting to the communicative administration ministerial committee, proposals relating to the requirements of the e-government program including the necessary studies to facilitate its implementation,
  • Coordinating between the different public structures concerned by common projects in the field of e-government. 
•  The e-Government unit: In order to ensure the continuity of coordination between the different public structures involved in the implementation of e-government projects, a structure dedicated to the e-government program has been created in 2005 under the name of the e-government unit. This unit is charged of: o The coordination between the structures directly concerned by the e-government projects; o The follow-up of the implementation of the decisions and recommendations relating to the e-government programme, o The follow-up of the implementation of the e-government projects taking into account the reports elaborated by the public structures, o The establishment of connection with the electronic administration program coordinators in the different ministries to facilitate the implementation of the e-government projects, o The elaboration for the technical committee of the communicating administration of proposals with regard to the administrative, legal and technical aspects raised through the follow-up of the e-government projects, o the follow-up of the international cooperation projects falling within the framework of the e-government program, In order to help the e-government unit to achieve its missions of follow-up and coordination, coordinators have been appointed by decree. These coordinators are directly attached to the minister.

Structures of support

The most known services of the Electronic Administration: