Digital Liberia and Electronic Government (eGov) Activity Annual Work Plan

in collaboration with the USAID Global Development Lab (Lab) and USAID/Liberia. The program aims to strengthen the Government of Liberia's (GoL) ICT capacity, improve connectivity, and prepare the GoL to prevent, detect, and respond to potential future health crises. The program must align with GoL priorities and support existing GoL policy and strategies, including the Agenda for Transformation, the Economic Stabilization and Recovery Plan, the National Telecommunications and ICT Policy (NTIP), and the eGovernment Strategy 2015-2018 (eGov Strategy). The program will develop and coordinate broader ICT programs to improve development outcomes for Liberian communities across multiple sectors. Chemonics will coordinate the overall implementation of Digital Liberia and implement all work under Objective 2, while IBI directly implements work under Objective 1. Strong collaboration, information sharing, and cost-sharing efficiencies have been implemented to deliver results for USAID, the GoL, and the Liberian people. The Ebola Crisis of 2014/15 exposed a fundamental fragility in the social contract and the inability of the central government to provide essential services, including information to Liberian citizens. Better information could have saved thousands of lives, and stronger communications and digital integration within the GoL would have been invaluable in aiding the government in its response. Increased connectivity and digital programs have the potential to strengthen government efficacy to prevent and respond to future shocks, as well as support health, schools, and other civil society facilities in accelerating recovery from the epidemic and strengthening their work over the long-term. The need for improved ICT infrastructure, improved availability and effective usage of ICT services, and a national chief information officer (CIO) regime has been highlighted in both the NTIP and the GoL eGov Strategy. The Head CIO for the Government and the Program Manager for the Program Management Office (PMO) have been appointed, but neither has been provided with resources or staff sufficient to fully implement the ICT policy and services envisioned for the CIO regime. The eGov Strategy document states that the national CIO regime in its current form is saddled with a number of challenges and requires immediate revamping to make the offices viable going forward. The program will support the implementation of eInitiatives approved by the PAC, targeting the needs of each eInitiative and including capacity development in the fields of Change Management, Communications, Project Management, MIS, and other targeted competencies required to successfully deliver the benefits of the initiatives. A key beneficiary of the capacity development will be the eLiberia/PMO and CIO Council, which will support the direct development of these institutions and their ability to service the needs of eInitiatives in other ministries, agencies, and commissions (MACs). Chemonics' work will address support for provisioning of internet, the ongoing rollout of eInitiatives, and the development of a national CIO regime. The program will also develop and coordinate broader ICT programs to improve development outcomes for Liberian communities across multiple sectors. The program's implementation will be guided by the NTIP and the eGov Strategy, and will support the GoL's efforts to strengthen its ICT capacity and improve connectivity.