Foreword

Dear Reader,

Africa is currently experiencing the world's fastest urbanization rate at 3.5% annually -placing increasing pressure on resource-constrained local governments to maintain and improve livability standards of their cities. But simultaneously, an 'Information and Communication Technologies' (ICT) revolution has swept across the continent -as evidenced by vastly improved telecommunications and internet infrastructure, leapfrogging mobile communications penetration rates, and emergence of a successful homegrown IT applications industry. Successful e-initiatives in South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and other regions have demonstrated that harnessing of ICT can enable a range of activities when integrated into the urban development agenda, such as strengthened financial management systems, social accountability initiatives capturing citizens' feedback and so forth. In this context, this report seeks to explore similar strategies for transforming capabilities of urban agencies in the Africa Region through the power of ICT.

In view of the World Bank Group's (WBG) commitment towards promoting sustainable urban development, the objective of this analytical report is to support the strategic direction, focus, and action plan in governance reform by implementing ICT within the urban development framework of the Africa Region. With a focus on replicating successful ICT-Urban Governance strategies in Africa, this report aims to (i) synthesize the role currently played by ICT towards improved governance, management and accountability of urban service providers in Africa as well as other Regions, (ii) explore current ICT initiatives that are relevant to the World Bank's thematic concerns, (iii) reconcile existing deficiencies/barriers towards potential for replication, and (iv) develop a roadmap to render easy strategy implementation by project teams.

Section I outlines evolving trends in urban governance and presents ICT as a potential tool in the environment of modern governance. Section II discusses the role of ICT in some of the Bank's core areas of urban focus, namely: Local Governance & Economic Development; Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations & Municipal Finance; Urban Poverty & Slum Upgrading; Urban Planning, Land & Housing; Urban Environment & Climate Change; and Water & Sanitation Service Delivery. An analysis of fundamental ICT methodologies employed is discussed in Section III. Section IV, in conclusion, suggests an action-plan for enhancing ICT initiatives as a component of the Bank's lending activities.

But essentially, this report is a work in progress -and requires your inputs to finish! We encourage you to join in the discussion and help shape the World Bank's roadmap towards applying ICT for urban improvement. Are you aware of any interesting ICT application or methodology that could transform Africa's cities? Do you have feedback or suggestions on what the World Bank's next steps should be in this direction? Or simply have questions or need clarifications on the material already presented in this report? Then do let us know! Your views will be incorporated (with accreditation to your name if permitted) in Section IV, building upon some of the ideas already contributed by Bank staff. Thoughts, suggestions, and comments can be conveyed to us using the online feedback form or by emailing grelhan@ifc.org. If you are on Facebook, post your suggestions to the World Bank Africa page. On Twitter, reply to @WorldBankAfrica

Hope to hear from you soon. Happy Reading!

Best Wishes,
Gaurav Relhan

The World Bank invites comments from African social accountability practitioners on a draft handbook examining the role of ICT in promoting good governance practices. Entitled Good Urban Governance through ICT: issues, analysis and strategies, the handbook examines a wide range of issues in which ICT can play a key role in promoting accountability and service delivery. The handbook was compiled by the WB's Africa Urban and Water Sector Unit. Gaurav Relhan, one of the compilers, says technology helps well-informed citizens collaborate, exchange ideas and participate in real-time with their elected officials. Voters can have their voices heard and officials can incorporate this feedback in their decisions. For instance, through mobile phones and the Internet, a Facebook page or post, a Tweet or a YouTube video, a citizen now has the power to participate at his fingertips to improve outcomes and trap corruption. Examples include tracing expenditures to see if there is sufficient spending by region or sector; tracking procurement results to see if vendors seem to be getting too much business or charging too much; and on-the-ground pictures to show whether projects were actually completed.