Cameroon’s web-centric: Assessing websites’ information flow between government ministries and citizens
Abstract
Research and experience have shown that information on the websites of government ministries’ in Cameroon is rarely updated. Some websites do not have user’s option page to post comments. There is inefficiency and inconsistency in the dissemination of information on the websites. For this reason, long stretches of lines are still common in front of government ministries where citizens come to obtain information, and submit administrative files for processing. To understand this phenomenon, the researchers used an in-house survey for two reasons: firstly to know if some electronic information tools other than websites are used by government ministries in governance and secondly, to ascertain the extent to which new media tools are a catalyst for the effective implementation of e-Gov in Cameroon. A non-random sampling technique was used to get the opinions of officials of 10 Regional Delegations of government ministries located in Buea, capital of the South West Region. The study used four theories: Agenda Setting theory (1972), Uses and Gratification theory (1974), the technology acceptance model (1989), and the Web Trust theory (2005). Data collection was done through questionnaire administration and analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS version 21). Descriptive, inferential and modelling analyses were used. All ten ministries agreed to using radio, television, newspapers and magazines in communicating and receiving feedback from the public. Most (70%) government ministries in Cameroon agree that e-government practice in Cameroon is not effective. The Public as well as the government both depend and use more of mainstream media than new media in information access and dissemination. As recommendation, the government needs to provide a more stable and favourable platform for new media since it is certain that new media will be the future for any aspiring e-gov economy. Looking ahead to Cameroon’s emergence by 2035, the training of citizens on how to access, manage, receive, and communicate with the government via ICT facilities is primordial, with the caution that it remains only a means to an end and not an end in itself.
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