Towards an integrated e-government framework for housing and urban development agencies: a case study in Lagos state Nigeria.

Abstract

The urgent demand for efficient and effective delivery of housing and urban development services, especially building permit services to facilitate housing development necessitated this study. Housing and Urban Development Agencies (HUDAs) are important government service delivery sectors, where the implementation of an integrated electronic government (e-Government) is a necessity. In the present Lagos State of Nigeria, anecdotal evidence and insight indicates that the process of acquiring development permits has proven extremely difficult, whereby citizens have to consult diverse agencies before obtaining their permits. This condition has created gaps between the citizens’ expectations and services rendered by the Lagos State HUDA. Consequently, this study proposes a conceptual framework for integrating the Lagos State Government HUDA. The framework is underpinned by technology-organisationenvironment model and complemented with some elements of drivers-barriers and threequarter moon models. The study adopts a case study approach which focuses on government to government and government to citizens in the Lagos State HUDA. Moreover, an in–depth investigation of the agencies’ information technology was conducted utilising both primary and secondary sources. The main data collection instrument used was interview and complemented with questionnaire. From the research findings, the factors (technological, organisational and environmental), the perceptions (barriers, benefits and risk) as well as the major stakeholders and their activities influencing integrated e–Government implementation in the Lagos State HUDA were determined. These were compared with those expounded in the existing literature, although some were specifically applicable to the Lagos State HUDA context. Based on the thematic analysis of the qualitative data and the statistical analysis of the quantitative data, some factors were newly derived while others were validated from the research findings. These factors were used to examine and validate the conceptualised integrated e-Government framework statistically. Hence, an innovative model that provides a holistic perspective for the implementation of integrated e-Government in the Lagos State (i-eGovF4Lag) HUDA was developed. The framework would contribute to a new generation of knowledge in the electronic government field and also help the policy makers to identify and proffer solutions to the challenges hindering the successful implementation of ICT initiatives in Nigeria and other developing nations.