Abstract :-

All symbols used in the E-government is commonly conceptualized as governments ‘use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) combined with organizational change to improve the structures and operations of government. E-governments are characterized by providing increased levels of convenient efficiency to citizens, thereby ensuring a better quality of customer service and convenience in accessing better information. Regardless of how advanced a country is in terms of ICT infrastructure and deployment; many technical and non-technical obstacles must be faced in the adoption and dissemination of egovernment. The understanding of e-government barriers and challenges is a significant strategic phase toward reliable and effective e-government adoption. The aim of the study is to identify barriers and challenges in adopting e-government in Sri Lanka. A range of earlier studies in India, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, UAE have been critically examined and analysed to identify challenges of e-government. This paper then presents a critical analysis of barriers and challenges experienced in public sector organisations in the light of Sri Lankan context using an e government architecture consisted of four layers. Findings reveal that Sri Lanka faces similar challenges including financial constraints, policy barriers, infrastructure, lack of integration across government systems and organizations, change management, security risks, trust issues and low IT literacy which should be addressed in a holistic approach. Introducing a new e-government and ICT policy is recommended as an initial step to overcome the barriers and challenges.

Key words: E-government, Barriers and challenges, Sri Lanka.