E-government is all about using ICTs – from the internet to plain old telephones – to improve government service delivery. The most visible forms of e-government are portals like Cape Gateway that provide direct public access to government information and services, but the true scope of e-government initiatives is much broader.

One of the most important e-government activities is using ICTs to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of government’s own internal administrative processes. This can beachieved in many ways, including for example:

• converting paper documents and processes to electronic formats
• increasing the quality, quantity and appropriateness of information gathered by government
• improving the flow of information within and between government departments
• automating and improving workflows.

When government works better, it works better for all. This is the heart of the Ce-I’s mission: to help create a government for the Western Cape that is efficient, streamlined and always responsive to the needs of its citizens.