The author is a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra
Governments across developing countries have unleashed the power of information communication technologies in promoting digital media literacy as a prerequisite for the urgent initiation of electronic governance services for citizens to engage in online economic, social, and political activities. Internet technology has transformed the delivery of government-to-government, government-to-business, and government-to-citizen e-governance services.
Although some e-governance services, such as government-to-government, have existed for decades, they have had poor penetration rates among key government departments and agencies.
Like most African countries, Ghana has adopted media systems that are mostly described as hyper-choice. Increased internet technology and the advances in new media technologies have highlighted the relevance of incorporating digital media literacy to enable citizens to understand the use of the e-government services introduced by the governments.
Media and information literacy education are at its foundation stage among many citizens in many sub-Saharan African countries.
In one of such a recent study, John Demuyakor suggest that even though some countries in Africa have made significant progress in the state of digital media literacy, the progress of media literacy in Ghana is not encouraging. Though Ghana has introduced many e-governance services like e-procurement; e-justice, e-smart driver’s licenses, mobile money interoperability systems, paperless port systems, and renewal of national health insurance via electronic systems, it is ironic to note that digital media literacy is still very low.
As a country mostly described by many as the gateway to Africa and the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain political independence from colonial rule, it is expected to record a high digital media literacy rate among its citizens. Though the digital framework for Ghana contains some elements of digital media literacy training for citizens, few citizens have high media literacy skills.
The development of Internet technology in Ghana has transformed the levels at which citizens use electronic governance services provided by the government. Digital media literacy is central to national governance. The implementation of government policies is premised on the digital literacy of its citizens.
Digital media literacy is also a yardstick for citizens’ assessment of varied government e-governance services for enhanced transparency and accountability. To achieve a responsible and effective evaluation of digital government services, citizens’ digital media literacy knowledge is a predator for transparency and accountability.
For a successful implementation of digital government services, effective digital literacy is crucial for enhancing trust between the citizens and the state. As a new paradigm, digital media literacy is considered the yield stick for citizens’ use and acceptance of e-governance services.
This study takes a unique approach by using UNESCO’s media and information literacy competency framework to assess how digital media literacy influences the acceptance and use of e-governance services among the citizens in Ghana. The study employed an online survey questionnaire hosted by QuestionPro and exploratory-based designs with a mixed approach(multiphase) to investigate how media literacy levels revolutionised the use of e-governance services.
The study sampled (n=690) Ghanaian citizens in the Greater Accra and Bono Regions. Before designing the online survey instrument, informed consent was sought from the study participants.
The survey questionnaire comprised 56 Likert scale questions and 4 open-ended questions.
The major findings of this study are that media literacy is vital and traction for citizens’ acceptance and use of e-governance services. Digital media literacy has also improved citizen’s ease of use of e-governance services, especially during non-working days of the week.
The study, therefore, concludes that rigorous evaluation, validation, and the development of best-practice standards for digital services are greatly needed to ensure a fundamental level of quality and safety when these tools are used by citizens.
This study has proposed some practical implications for e-governance in developing countries. Online public services are the foundation block for inclusive e-governance service delivery. Therefore, the findings from this study could serve as a wake-up call for countries in sub-Saharan Africa to incorporate and integrate digital media literacy into their national digital framework policies.
Conscious national efforts should be made to bridge the urban-rural digital gaps for inclusive e-governance growth. The current seedy sampled only two out of the sixteen regions in Ghana.
The researcher recommends that future studies be conducted from a holistic perspective to give a clear national trend on how digital literacy could propel inclusive e-governance utilization among citizens.
This study is published by Palgrave Macmillan, Cham in: Onyango, G., Karuri-Sebina, G. (eds) Digitalisation and Public Policy in Africa. Studies in National Governance and Emerging Technologies.
