Justification of ICT Expenditure: Input and Outputs

The discussion commenced by discussing matters affecting the decisions to spend on ICT by government. Dr Kereteletswe indicated that we need to be in a position to justify to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning the ICT expenditure. The chairman further added that currently the entire world is recovering from the economic melt-down hence this factor is used to justify the ICT budget cuts. Mr Balebetse supported the matter adding that we need to question why ICT is always targeted when budget cuts are made. This tendency shows that the decision makers do not have appreciation of the value-addedness or benefits derived from investing in ICT. The chairman added that this is due to the fact that the benefits from ICT are not immediate as compared to other investments or projects like roads construction, building schools. All the mentioned projects, upon completion one already derives satisfaction that they are having value for the money generated in their development. Hence this results in further challenges to justify the ICT expenditure.