OPENING AND SCALING-UP OF E- GOVERNMENT DATA CENTRE OF THE GAMBIAFEASIBILITY STUDY REPORT

Version 1.0

Submitted by Dr. Gatana Kariuki

9 September 2013

1Acronyms and Abbreviations

AISI - African Information Society Initiative DNT Directorate of National TreasuryDOCD - Department of Community Development DOIS - Department of Information Services DOLS - Department of Lands and SurveysDOPH - Department of Physical Planning and Housing DRS Disaster Recovery SiteECA Economic Commission for Africa

EMIS - Education Management Information System GFRS - Gambia Fire and Rescue ServicesGID - Gambia Immigration Department GovNet Government NetworkGPF - Gambia Police Force

GRA - Gambia Revenue Authority

HMIS - Health Management Information System ICT - Information and Communications TechnologyICT4D Information and Communications Technology for Development IDS Intrusion Detection SystemIFMIS - Integrated Financial Management Information System IPS Intrusion Prevention SystemISP Internet Service Provider

LAN Local Area Network

MDAs - Ministries, Departments and Agencies MOD Ministry of DefenseMOE - Ministry of Energy

MOFEA - Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs MOFPW - Ministry of Forestry, Parks and WildlifeMOICI Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure MOHEST - Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology MOHSW - Ministry of Health and Social WelfareMOI - Ministry of Interior MOJ - Ministry of JusticeMOTIRIE Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment MOTWI - Ministry of Transport, Works and InfrastructureNAO - National Audit office

NDEA - National Drug Enforcement Agency

NICI - National Information and Communications Infrastructure OP Office of the PresidentOVP Office of the Vice President PMO Personnel Management OfficePRSP - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNECA - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa WAN Wide Area NetworkWARCIP - West Africa Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme

3Table of ContentsEXECUTIVE SUMMARY6Background6Introduction8WAN SETUP9I. WAN Network Design15LAN SETUP19I. LAN Network Design25INVENTORY OF COMPUTERS AND NETWORK POINTS28LIST OF ESSENTIAL NETWORK AND SERVER EQUIPMENT TO BE PROCURED.30LIST OF ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE TO BE PROCURED.30MANPOWER STRUCTURE30CONCLUSION.32OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS34ANNEXES37

List of Figures

Figure 1: Existing WAN Design15

Figure 2: Future WAN Design16

Figure 3: Extended WAN Network for 48 Districts17

Figure 4: Future Datacentre LAN2 5

Figure 5: Future Disaster Recovery Site26

Figure 6: Future Ministry LAN.27

Figure 7: Proposed Organogram for GICTDA31

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Objectives: The objective of this feasibility study is to carry out in-depth assessment and analysis of existing computing and network environment in government and to study the feasibility of opening and scaling-up of e-government data centre as a gateway/hub for government network (Gambia GovNet) and integrating e-government services in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Methodology: The methodological approach used for this feasibility study was based on desk review, site visits, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders.1.Background

The Gambia is one of a number of African countries that have acknowledged the need to have an ICT-led socio-economic development strategy if they are to transform their agriculture-based economies into information and knowledge-driven economies. Against this background, the Gambia developed a National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI) policy, plans and strategies with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) within the context of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI).The NICI Policy & Plans development process in The Gambia is geared towards recognizing the areas where ICT would contribute to attaining the overall objective of the Vision 2020 and the four strategic issues identified in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP):1. Enhancing the Productive Capacity of the Poor.

2. Enhancing Access to and the Performance of Social Services.

3. Local Level Capacity Building.

4. Promoting Participatory Communications Processes.Based on the input from the consultative meetings with the stakeholders, analysis of various policy papers adopted by the government and desk research on e-strategies formulated by

various other African countries under ECAs AISI framework in the recent years, following ten pillars (focus areas) were identified and approved by the NICI Core Group namely: infrastructure, regulatory issues, local governance, education, health, trade and commerce, e- governance, agriculture, gender and media. Four pillars of the NICI implementation plans have been completed so far and the rest are in the process of development. The ICT4D-2013 Plan is designed to implement the provisions of specific components of each of these focus areas.2. IntroductionThe development of The Gambia e-Government Implementation Strategy and Action Plan for 2013 has adopted three fundamental guiding principles. One of these is the concept of e- government-as-a-whole - that offers the possibility of dealing with government as a single entity by cutting across diverse organizational boundaries. Central to this concept is the connected government framework, which focuses on vertically integrating inter-governmental processes between various government agencies and/or horizontally between agencies at the same level. Due to various implementation barriers and challenges, an evolutional e-government roll-out strategy is another guiding principle being adopted by Gambia e-Government program similar to most countries that implemented e-government. This is more practical and cost-efficient approach. Consistent with the guiding principles mentioned, the e-Government Data Centre (DC) was established in 2010 by the Directorate of ICT under Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure (MOICI) with support from UNDP. The e-Government Data Centre initially offers e-mail and web services. The e-Government Data Centre is co-located at IFMIS Data Centre including its Disaster Recovery Site through a memorandum of understanding between MOICI and Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA). In 2012, it started to open-up and host Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the

7Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW). On the other hand, other individual data centres exist in the government system such as the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), Education Management Information System (EMIS), Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), amongst others. Other government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are planning to implement the same set-up in the future. While these MDAs acknowledge the greater benefits that the connected-government will provide, there is a need to have a framework, guidelines and detailed implementation plan on how this strategy should be carried out. Hence this feasibility study was proposed to UNDP for priority funding and immediate implementation. This activity is timely link to the implementation of local area network (LAN) for 37 MDAs funded by West Africa Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme (WARCIP). Once completed, the remaining task is to connect all the LAN of MDAs to e-Government Data Centre. This will complete the basic infrastructure for a connected- government which is the Gambia government network (Gambia GovNet). In addition, the internet connection for the 37 MDAs will be consolidated into one internet connection to reduce on cost and improve on service delivery.

B. WAN SETUP

1. Findings

The following sites have been connected to central systems using microwave links. Microwave tower structures have been built at the locations listed below.

NoProject SiteConnectivity

1JudiciaryA pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the terrace just

above the accounts room. This pole has been installed to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making Microwave link between Judiciary and National Audit Office

2National Audit

Office (NAO)Existing tower has been replaced with 18 meter mini-mast tower.

To provide two point to point back haul links, one between Primary Site and National Audit office and another between National Audit office and Backup site at Kanifing . To provide backbone link to connect 6 Fiber sites (National Assembly, Ministry of Water Resources and Department of Water Resources, Department of Fishery, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Army HQ ) To provide point to multipoint link for the 6 Sites ( Judiciary, Ministry of Justice, Department of Community Development, Department of Lands and Survey, Department of Physical Planning and Housing and Womens Bureau.

3Ministry of JusticeA pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the Terrace just

(MOJ)above the Curator office. This has been used to establish the IFMIS

connectivity, making Microwave link between National Audit Office and Ministry of Justice. As Ministry of Justice has data points in two buildings, both of these buildings have been connected through Fiber Optics.

4Department of

Information Services (DOIS)A mini-mast tower of 20 meter height installed in the premises of

Department of Community. Development has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making Microwave link between National Audit Office and Department of Information Services.

5Department of

Community Development (DOCD)A mini-mast tower of 20 meter height has been installed in the

premises of Department of Community Development and has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making microwave link between National Audit Office and Department of Community Development.

6Department of Lands

and Surveys (DOLS)A pole of 6 meter height has been installed on a corner (facing

towards National Audit Office) of the terrace of Department of Lands and Survey building and has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making Microwave link between National Audit Office and Department of Lands and Surveys.

7Department of

Physical Planning and Housing(DOPH)A fiber cable has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity,

making Fiber link between Department of Lands and Surveys and Department of Physical Planning and Housing.

10

8Womens BureauA mini-mast tower of 20 meter height has been installed in the

premises of Womens Bureau and has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making Microwave link between National Audit office and Womens Bureau.

9Medical Department,

Near Albert MarketA pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the wall adjacent to

Senior Economics Office Room on the 1st floor. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between primary site and Medical Department near Albert Market.

10Gambia Police Force

(GPF)A pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the terrace above

Accounts Office Room on the 2nd floor. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between GRA Cell site and Gambia Police Force. Number Plate office has been connected directly to GRA cell site installing 6 meter pole on the adjacent wall.

11National Drug

Enforcement Agency (NDEA)Ethernet (STP) 70 meter cable has been used to establish the

IFMIS connectivity, between Police Number Plate and National Drug Enforcement Agency.

12Gambia Fire and

Rescue Services (GFRS)A pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the wall of the

Room adjacent to Accounts Office room on the 1st floor for the location of the Pole. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between GRA Cell site and Gambia Fire and Rescue Services.

13Gambia Immigration

Department (GID)A pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the top Roof made

of concrete above the stairs on the right side of the building. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between GRA Cell site and Gambia Immigration Department.

14Ministry of Interior

H/Q (MOI)A pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the terrace. This has

been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between GRA Cell site and Ministry of Interior.

15Ministry of

Forestry, Parks and Wildlife (MOFPW)A pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the terrace just

above the Accounts room. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity with Central site through microwave link between Disaster Recovery site and Ministry of Forestry and Environment.

16Ministry of

Information and Communication Infrastructure (MOICI)A pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the Terrace just

above the Accounts room. This has been used to establish IFMIS connectivity with Central site through microwave link between Disaster Recovery site and MOICI.

17Ministry of

Transport, Works and Infrastructure (MOTWI)A 10 meter mini-mast tower has been installed in the corner of a

small garden at the central place of the building.

18Ministry of Higher

EducationA pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the top of lift room

on the left side while facing the building from main road. This has

(MOHEST),

Ministry of Energy (MOE), Ministry of Petroleum (MOP)been used to establish IFMIS connectivity with central site through

microwave link between Backup site and Ministry of Higher Education. Link has been extended to Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Petroleum through LAN.

19Department of

Agriculture, Great Banjul, Cape PointA mini-mast tower of 30 meter height has been installed on the

ground and has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity through microwave link between Indigenous Business Advisory Services (IBAS) and Disaster Recovery site (Kanifing CSD).

20Population

Commission SecretariatA pole of 3 meter height has been installed on the terrace. This has

been used to establish IFMIS connectivity making microwave link between GRA Cell site and Population Commission Secretariat.

21Ministry of

Economic PlanningA pole of 6 meter height has been installed on the top of roof just

above the accounts room. This Pole has been used to establish the IFMIS connectivity, making microwave link between Economic Planning and DRS.

The following sites have been connected to central systems using Fiber links.

1Office of the

President Personnel Management Office (PMO)Existing Fiber Link at PMO site has been extended to eight Phase-

II sites (Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Public Service Commission, Ministry of Local Government and Lands, Ministry of Agriculture, Office of the President, Office of the Vice President and Ministry of Defense.

2National Audit

officeBackhaul Link at National Audit Office has been extended to Six

Phase-II sites (National assembly, Ministry of Water Resources and Department of Water Resources, Department of Fishery, Department of Forestry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Army HQ).

2. Observation

It was observed that each of the 37 MDAs has independent internet connections from various ISPs. This needs to be consolidated into one internet connection to reduce on cost and improve on service delivery. For example, the internet budget for the each of the 37 MDAs can be collectively accumulated into one cost and allocated for one primary high bandwidth internet connection as opposed to many low bandwidth internet connections.

I. WAN Network Design

Figure 1: Existing WAN Design

The existing WAN is based on the IFMIS network that currently covers 42 MDAs. A combination of fibre optic cable, wireless and cat 5e Ethernet cable are the main transmission media with no internet connection. This is a closed network.

Figure 2: Future WAN Design

The future WAN will run on Gamtel fibre optic cable which covers the Greater Banjul Area with a maximum internet bandwidth of 310Mbps. Gamtel is able to provide leased lines, ordinary site to site VPN with internet services riding on Gamtels state-of-the-art IP-MPLS national backbone. A 4G/LTE base station tower at Abukar will be installed to provide WiMAX connectivity to remote users.

Figure 3: Extended WAN Network for 48 Districts

The WAN network extending to the 48 districts will have at least one WIMAX base station with a 30 mile or 50 km (2,800 square miles or 9,300 square km of coverage) radius line-of-sight. There are two ways WiMAX can be implemented namely as a zone for wireless connections that single users go to when they want to connect to the Internet on a laptop (the non-line-of-sight "super WiFi" implementation) (4 to 6 miles radius approximately 25 square miles or 65 square km of coverage, which is similar in range to a cell-phone zone), or as a line-of-sight hub used to connect hundreds of customers to a steady, always-on, high-speed wireless Internet connection. The non-line-of-sight, WiFi sort of service, is where a small antenna on your computer connects to the WIMAX base station. In this mode, WiMAX uses a lower frequency range of 2 GHz to 11 GHz (similar to WiFi). Lower-wavelength transmissions are not as easily disrupted by physical

obstructions and they are better able to diffract, or bend, around obstacles. For line-of-sight service, where a fixed dish antenna points straight at the WiMAX base station from a rooftop or pole, the connection is stronger and more stable, so it's able to send a lot of data with fewer errors. Line-of-sight transmissions use higher frequencies, with ranges reaching a possible 66 GHz. At higher frequencies, there is less interference and lots more bandwidth.

C. LAN SETUP

Findings

1. Directorate of National Treasury Data Centre

Date24th July 2013

LocationDirectorate of National Treasury, The Quadrangel, Banjul.

Monitoring

TeamDr. Gatana Kariuki

Bubacarr Barry Serign Modou Bah

People consulted

at Site.Beran Gillen, Deputy Director ICT, (220) 3769020 / (220) 7969020

Objective of

MissionFeasibility study on the opening and scaling-up of E-Government Data

Centre of The Gambia

Observations

1. Gamtel setup fiber connectivity to the site and terminated it on a modem. The circuit capacity is 1Mbps.2. Under the MOICI rack, six dell servers have been setup with following roles: Primary DNS and domain controller, Secondary DNS and domain controller, Exchange 2010 Mail Server 1, Exchange 2010 Mail Server 2, IIS7 Webserver 1 and IIS 7 Backup Webserver2.

3. Other equipment mounted included the KVM switch and TFT monitor, DELL switch, Cisco ASA 5510 firewall, Cisco 1841 router and fiber modem.

4. The systems are well documented by the service provider, Unique Solutions, making it easy to plan for Business Contingency and Disaster Recovery.5. The site is in a secure location.

6. A dedicated team of IT technicians and manager are present on site.

7. There is no Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance.

8. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) has been installed with a standby time of 30 minutes in case of power outage and a standby generator.

Uninterruptable Power SupplyMOICI Rack

IFMIS Rack and servers (Front view)IFMIS Rack (Behind view)

20

Air Conditioning systemIFMIS Main Switch Rack

Recommendations

1. The access control is old. This needs to be upgraded to the latest technology using biometrics.2. The site should be secured more through Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance to monitor intruders or unauthorized personnel 24x7x365 days.3. No fire suppression systems in case of a fire. This is an absolute necessity in any critical infrastructure to avoid total damage in case of a fire. Smoke detectors and halogen gas emission valves should be installed for 1st response to fire. A case in point is the electrical fault that occurred in GRA which resulted in a fire that consumed the entire server room. No automatic fire suppression system was installed on site.4. Lack of raised floor which is critical in case of flooding which is harmful to electronic equipment. Secondly, trunking of cables is easily done under the raised floors. Thirdly, for cooling purposes, the raised floor should have perforations to facilitate air cooling and circulation from the bottom up.

5. Air conditioning system is inadequate for cooling. Large automated air conditioning systems with temperature control need to be installed.6. Patch management is not neatly done on both server and switch racks.

2. Disaster Recovery Site at Kanifing

Date31st July 2013

LocationDirectorate of National Treasury, Disaster Recovery Site, Kanifing.

Monitoring

TeamDr. Gatana Kariuki

Bubacarr Barry

People consulted

at Site.Beran Gillen, Deputy Director ICT, (220) 3769020 / (220) 7969020

Objective of

MissionFeasibility study on the opening and scaling-up of E-Government Data

Centre of The Gambia

Observations

1. Gamtel setup a leased line of 512 kbps which can be upgraded 1024 kbps in the event of disaster.2. Under the MOICI rack, three servers have been installed and configured. These are Active Directory and DNS Server, IIS Web Server and Exchange 2010 Mail Server.3. A Cisco 2960 catalyst switch, Cisco 1841 router and Cisco ASA 5510 firewall have been installed and configured.4. The systems are well documented by the service provider, Unique Solutions, making it easy to plan for Business Contingency and Disaster Recovery.

5. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) has been installed with a standby time of 30 minutes in case of power outage and a standby generator.6. Air conditioning has been installed.

7. Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) has been installed with a standby time of 30 minutes in case of power outage and a standby generator.

MOICI RackUninterruptable Power Supply (UPS)

UPS BatteriesMicrowave termination and patch panel

Recommendations

1. The site should be secured more through Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance to monitor intruders or unauthorized personnel 24x7x365 days.2. The access control system is old. This needs to be upgraded to the latest technology using biometrics to allow access to authorized personnel.3. No fire suppression systems in case of a fire. This is an absolute necessity in any critical infrastructure to avoid total damage in case of a fire. Smoke detectors and halogen gas emission valves should be installed for 1st response to fire.4. Lack of raised floor which is critical in case of flooding which is harmful to electronic

equipment. Secondly, trunking of cables is easily done under the raised floors. Thirdly, for cooling purposes, the raised floor should have perforations to facilitate air cooling and circulation from the bottom up.5. Air conditioning system is inadequate for cooling. Large automated air conditioning systems with temperature control need to be installed.6. Patch management is not neatly done on both server and switch racks

I.LAN Network Design

Figure 4: Future Data Centre LAN

The future Data Centre LAN will be hosted at Directorate of National Treasury until further notice. Since this is critical Government site, network and physical security are of paramount importance. Two Cisco ASA firewalls will be configured to provide VPN access to IFMIS and also filter unwanted traffic. A Cisco IPS will be installed to accurately identify, classify, and stop malicious activity that may traverse the network. VLANs will be configured for each MDA so that traffic from each MDA is separate and can be analyzed separately in case of a viral attack or network congestion.

Figure 5: Future Disaster Recovery Site

The Disaster Recovery site is a mirror image of the Data Centre with identical equipment. Its a hot standby site with real-time data backup of web, email and data servers.

Figure 6: Future Ministry LAN

The 37 MDAs will have a standardized setup for ease of troubleshooting and helpdesk support. Each MDA will have Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Active Directory and Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010.

D. INVENTORY OF COMPUTERS AND NETWORK POINTS PER MINISTRY/DEPARTMENT/LINE AGENCIES

AGENCY NAMENumber of ComputersNumber of NetworkPoints

OVP1530*

NRS1034

PMO3044

MOFWR33131

MOJ5270*

MOTIRIE42113

PSC1519

MOFA2970

NATL ASSEMBLY51235

GRTS43187

MOFEA80129

MOHSW30058

DEPT OF MEDICALHEALTH-209

MOHERST2572

MOP1135

GID3098

MOI1670

DEPT OF PLANNING(AGRICULTURE)1865

MOYS624

GPF30217

GRA300307

OP4860*

MOBSE50238

MOFPW1244

MOICI2048

MOTC1358

MOD1230*

MOA1857

MOLRG1759

MOE1845

MOTWI1880

GBOS2256

OMBUDSMAN1348

NAO4789

DEPT OF PHYSICALPLANNING AND HOUSING-67

JUDICIARY370198

DOIS3148

Womens Bureau67

TOTAL18453509

NB

The network points highlighted in asterisk are rough estimates. No feasibility study was conducted due to lack of access to the buildings or ongoing renova tions.The total number of network points (3509) will cater for the total number of users (1870) in the 37 MDAs and hence determine the total internet bandwidth required by each MDA. Assuming each user takes up 100Kbps, the total bandwidth is 350,900 Kbps (350.9Mbps) at peak hours. A minimum of 2 STM lines of 155Mbps each will be required to serve the GovNet at the Data Centre.

E. LIST OF ESSENTIAL NETWORK AND SERVER EQUIPMENT TO BE PROCURED

NoProduct NameProduct DescriptionQuantityOwner

1Cisco Intrusion PreventionSystem IPS-4510-K9Cisco IPS 4510 Sensor2DC andDRS

2Cisco Adaptive SecurityAppliance (ASA) 5510- BUN-K9)

Cisco ASA 5510 Security Appliance1DNT IFMIS

3Cisco 1841-HSEC/K91841 Security bundle w/AIM-VPN,Adv.IP Svcs,64FL/256DR1DRS

4Cisco 2960 WS-C2960-48PST-LCatalyst 2960-48PST-L 48 10/100, 210/100/1000TX + 2 SFP uplinks37MDAs

5Cisco 3560 WS-C3560G-48PS-SCatalyst 3560 48 10/100/1000T PoE+ 4 SFP Standard Image2DC andDRS

6Cisco 4506 Chassis WS-C4506Catalyst 4500 Chassis (6-Slot),fan,no p/s1DC

7Cisco 4500 WS-X4516-10GECatalyst 4500 Supervisor V-10GE,2x10GE (X2) or 4x1GE (SFP)1DC

8Dell PowerEdge ServersDell PowerEdge t110 Servers37MDAs

9Dell vStartDell vStart 50v/vStart 50m2DC andDRS

F. LIST OF ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE TO BE PROCURED

NoNameQuantityOwner

1Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) Server 2010 Enterprise Edition unlimited license1DC, DRSand MDAs

2Microsoft Windows 2008 Server SP2 x86/x64 (x64 includesHyper-V)37MDAs

G. MANPOWER STRUCTURE

Most ministries, departments and agencies have at least one ICT Officer. In larger ministries such as Health, Education, Finance, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and Interior, there is a need for two or more ICT staff based on the needs of the respective ministries. Some of the ICT staff are not under the ICT Cadre Scheme of Service. The Scheme of Service covers professional and

30non-professional officers working in the ICT function of the Government of The Gambia. It is important for ICT staffing to be standardized with specific job descriptions and grades.The Scheme of Service is a good start but needs to be revised to reflect evolving ICT trends. Most governments have setup Government Chief Information Office (GCIO) which oversees all ICT activities in Government and is better aligned to e-Government. The GCIO system has been

Figure 7: Proposed Organogram for GICTDA

adopted by many governments around the world, in particular by governments considered as leaders in e-Government development such as Rep. of Korea, Singapore, UK, USA, Norway, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, etc. The role of the GCIO is to provide leadership on ICT matters within government with the aim of lowering cost and producing higher quality public services. The GCIO position should be an advisor to the National Information Technology Council (NITC) and at the same level as a permanent secretary. The GCIO should head the Gambia Information Communications Technology Development Agency (GICTDA), which serves as the national ICT4D implementation and coordination agency under the auspices of the NITC. The GICTDA should promote the whole-of-government approach in order to avoid duplication and reduce the workload on MDAs focusing on improving their procedures. GICTDA should be autonomous like as is the case in Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The Office of the President Personnel Management Office (PMO) organogram should factor this in the professional grouping of ICT Staff (See Figure 7).H. CONCLUSIONSIt was observed that most MDAs have adequate computer facilities and are up to current standards. There is need for reliable electric power to minimize on power outages that can damage electronic equipment. A standby generator or alternative source of power should be procured for each MDA and UPS should be provided for each workstation. Some MDA buildings are in need of immediate refurbishment before any LAN setup can take place. These include Department of Agriculture (Planning) and Gambia Revenue Authority (old building) which are colonial era relics. Other MDAs that are currently being renovated or are in the process of being renovated include Ministry of Justice, National Assembly, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and Office of the Ombudsman. Only one MDA plans to relocate to a

new building once completed. This is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A new survey needs to be done for these sites to get an exact estimate of network points required based on the new office plans.Duplication of resources is also very common in MDAs and this need to be harmonized to avoid wastage of resources. Sharing of IT infrastructure and services if well executed can lead to efficient delivery of services. Better coordination between MOICI and line ministries such as MOBSE and MOHSW needs to be established. Similarly, high priority projects such as VISA issuing system and document management systems (DMS) need to be well coordinated to avoid knowledge and skill gaps during implementation by involving all stakeholders and understanding their needs.Most users seem to be comfortable handling basic computer applications such as MsWord, MsExcel, Internet browsing and email but there is a lack of technical knowledge on supporting the computer hardware, software and network infrastructure. There is need for intensive technical training in Microsoft Windows (MCITPS), Cisco networking (CCNA) and Computer Assembly (CompTIA A+) for ICT officers and technicians. In addition, most MDAs have ICT Officers who are not familiar with current IT standards. They cannot configure Microsoft Windows Active Directory 2008 Server and Forefront TMG 2010 Server which is the main platform all MDAs will be installing, configuring and administering. In-house training must be conducted for all ICT Officers in the 37 MDAs to be able to support this platform and ensure security of data. In addition, some MDAs have no ICT Officers who may have left for further studies and their positions have been left vacant until their return. This has left several MDAs in a quagmire and cannot operate effectively and efficiently. Those affected include Ministry of

Tourism and Culture, and Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology. MOICI and PMO should be quick to recruit, train and deploy staff.I. OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Based on the in-depth assessment and analysis of existing computing and network environment in government and the feasibility of opening and scaling-up of e-government data centre as a gateway/hub for Gambia government network (GovNet), IFMIS network can be integrated into the GovNet in a cost-effective and efficient manner. IFMIS servers will be placed behind a Cisco ASA 5510 firewall which will connect to the GovNet through a secure VPN on their firewall. Hence all IFMIS users can access the internet and IFMIS from one computer. IFMIS will be accessible through a VPN connection upon the request of login credentials via their web browser.2. With the opening and scaling-up of the e-government data centre of the Gambia, change management needs to be conducted. There is high optimism with high speed broadband internet but also understanding the proper use of internet especially during working hours is critical. A draft Network Security policy has been prepared in line with IFMIS Network Security policy which needs to be enforced to the letter. This can only be done through change management process involving all staff from top level management (Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries) to the lowest cadre staff through continuous staff training to reduce any resistance to change that may exist to new ICT systems. It has been noted that most MDAs dont use their official email accounts (mail.gov.gm) either due to lack of knowledge or they dont see the importance of using an official email address. What will happen in the event that the government rolls out moreadvanced systems such as intranets, Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs), IP

phones and video conferencing? MOHSW has a complete Polycom Video Conferencing unit which has been lying idle in boxes since December 2012 as opposed to PMO who actively use their Video Conferencing Unit for recruiting persons in the diaspora.3. With high speed broadband internet comes high demand for efficient services. The GICTDA should be put in place to coordinate all ICT implementation and activities under the direction of Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) with a strong constitutional mandate.4. A capacity building plan should be put in place to enhance the ICT skills of all government staff and convert them to ICT knowledge workers. The following key areas need to be addressed:a) Identifying the ICT skill level of the staff. This has been done through the e- government survey.b) Provision of basic ICT training. This can be done in-house at low-cost to encourage participation of all staff. This can include training on identifying computer hardware and accessories, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, email and internet.c) Establishment of an ICT training centre with necessary longterm funding to teachand conduct research in advanced ICTs. This can have long term benefits in terms

of cost savings especially for professional training that can be done in-house by accredited staff.d) Encouraging staff development through specialized ICT courses based on relevance to work assignments.e) Professional training and accreditation for highly skilled personnel to encourage

career advancement in government.

f) Boost use of ICT tools in the work place through intranet, learning management systems (LMS), e-learning, etc.5. Benchmarking ICT support services should be encouraged to be in-line with international best practices. For example, turnaround time for helpdesk support and troubleshooting should be clearly defined; escalating issues in-case of unresolved incidents and problems should be clearly documented for future reference; the level of support should be defined for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 based on the complexity and urgency of unresolved issues. IT helpdesk software should be installed especially at the Data Centre to centralize IT Helpdesk support and automate IT Service Management through tracking, managing, and reporting on customer service feedback. Examples of IT Help Desk Softwares include Smarter Track and SysAid. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Service Management Model would be a good benchmarking platform to standardized IT service management. The ICT Director, Deputy ICT Director and Principal ICT Officer should undergo training on ITIL Foundation and PRINCE2 Foundation to enhance project management skills.

ANNEXES

1. Workplan

#

Activity

Status

Lead

Support2013

JulyAugustSeptember

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Output 1 - Situational Analysis of the Computing and Network Environment in Gambia Government

1.1Review analysis and documentation prepared by previous consultants.CompletedICTConsultant

1.3Consult with MOICI Directors andManagers on future vision and ICT infrastructure issues.CompletedICTConsultant

1.2Conduct a site visit of the 37ministries,departmentsand agencies.CompletedICTConsultant

1.4Document in detail the LANdesign of the 37 MDAs and WAN connectivity to IFMIS Data Centre and Disaster Recovery Site.

CompletedICTConsultant

Output 2 - Determine the feasibility of opening and scaling up of e-Government Data Centre into a singlegateway/hub for government network (Gambia GovNet)

1.1Study the feasibility of opening,scaling-up and integrating network infrastructure, information systems including but not limited to e- Government Data Centre, IFMIS Data Centre, EMIS, etc.

Completed

ICTConsultant

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Output 3 - Design the model and structure of single-gateway data centre

1.1Develop and recommendscalable integrated government network (GovNet) data centre design including configurations, list of equipment and its specifications, manpower structure and relevant policies (operation, security, users, etc.).

Completed

ICTConsultant

1.2Develop and recommend overallnetwork security systems (hardware, software, processes & policies). Prepare comprehensive feasibility study report.

Completed

ICTConsultant

1.3Prepare detailed implementation planOngoingICTConsultant

Output 4 - Stakeholders validation

1.1Organize a validation workshop and present the feasibility report

PendingICTConsultant

1.2Submit validation workshopdocumentation report and Submit validated feasibility study report

PendingICTConsultant