Contributions Of Information And Communication Technology In The Public Sector The Case Of The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange

The main objective of this case study is to investigate the contribution ofrnInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) to the public sector, with arnparticular emphasis on the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange. The studyrnevaluated the how ICT application of the Exchange support its variousrnoperations and its clients. Descriptive case study research method is used, andrnit applied questionnaires and interviews as a data gathering instruments. Datarnwere acquired through questionnaires to evaluate the contributions of thernapplication of ICT in the ECX since its formation in 2008, and opportunitiesrnand challenges it created to commodities exporters. In addition to this,rninterview guides were prepared and interviews were conducted with ICT/ITrndepartment of the exchange and the Ministry of Communications andrnInformation Technology senior ICT officer. In the meantime secondary datarnanalysis conducted to investigate the contributions of ICT to the exchange‟srnoperations since its formation in 2008. The research adopted mainly qualitativerndata analysis. The application or introduction of intensive ICT technologies inrnthe Ethiopian commodities market is a new and recent experience. It has notrnbeen explored academically and the researcher considered this as a majorrnresearch gap. Hence, in this research I explored what contributions andrnchanges the ECX brought to the county‟s commodities sectors. ThernGovernment of Ethiopia is the owner of the ECX, and it is established as publicrnenterprise in 2007 under the proclamation No. 550/07. In this research paperrnthe theory of E-Government and E-Governance along with economic theoriesrnthat justifies the need for institutionalized exchange formation were alsornassessed. In the context of this study ICTs was found to be contributingrnsignificantly to the Ethiopian commodities market in its application of variousrntechnological ICT support systems that facilitates the daily transactionrnactivities of its own and exporters various operations, ICT also enhancedrndecision-making capacity, and create an opportunity for a smooth and fasterrnclearing and settlement of transactions. The most common perceived barriersrnfelt by exporters are the exchange‟s website was not user-friendly, unable tornknow the stock positions at the exchanges‟ hand, frequent communicationrnbreakdown and interruptions, and increased operational costs are among thernfew to mention

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