Digital orientation and service delivery in Africa: A post-COVID-19 epoch perspective

Abstract

Background: Globally, the proliferation and widespread use of information and communication technology (ICT) have reformed service delivery. Hitherto, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the delivery of those services in the African continent. Although the public sector’s application of emerging digital technologies (EDTs) has improved efficiency, transparency, citizen participation and service delivery, the African emerging economies still need to overcome impediments that obstruct their full potential.
Aim: This study investigates the effect of digital orientation on the service delivery of public sector organisations (PSOs) in Africa in the post-COVID-19 epoch.
Setting: This study focused on the African continent.
Methods: This study delves into a qualitative approach, utilising the systematic literature review and applied Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) to investigate the effect of digital orientation on the service delivery of PSOs in Africa in the post-COVID-19 epoch.
Results: The results reveal that the digital divide, inadequate digital infrastructure, lack of digital competencies and unreliable networks remain the most common contextual determinants experienced by African economies post-COVID-19.
Conclusion: The main obstacles to adopting and implementing digital technologies in Africa are bureaucracy and the lack of appropriate funding.
Contribution: This study may assist managers, decision-makers, policymakers and practitioners of PSOs reshape service delivery and develop sound legislative mandates regarding EDTs. Moreover, to contributing by providing an overview of the present theoretical and application insights of digital orientation, that is, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data, virtual platforms and cloud computing by the African public sector.