E‐governance in Africa's local governments: Do district assemblies in Ghana optimize the use of websites and social media?

Abstract

The case study research design was adopted to evaluate websites and social media portals (Facebook and Twitter) of two municipal assemblies in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Data were collected through the researcher's interaction with these portals, interviews and focus group discussions with 36 respondents. It was established that these platforms have provided new channels for information sharing between local authorities and citizens. Again, it was also found that it facilitates interaction with local authorities. Nevertheless, it came out that its full deployment has not been realized. Despite favorable demographic characteristics, citizens in the study areas do not make good use of e‐government options to interact with their local government officials. The research explores the challenges and opportunities for the adoption of these e‐government initiatives by metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana. Key conclusions and policy implications are drawn from the study.