Key Challenges of E-Government Adoption in Less Developed Countries: The Case of Saudi Arabia

The Government of Saudi Arabia has given a great attention to the e-Government program and the transformation process that leads to the successful implementation of such program in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, in recent years e-Government has been the favourable theme for numerous studies and reports. Yet, there is a lack of systematic empirical evidence regarding the key challenges for the e-Government implementation in less developed countries in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular. Consequently, this paper is an exploratory attempt that seeks to analyse the key challenges for implementing e-Government project in Saudi Arabia, as well as to establish the main obstacles to the deployment of such new technology and the associated causes and possible solutions to avoid potential drawbacks and overcome all problems. Using a sample of 50 experts, the author found that trust is the first factor inhibiting wider adoption of e-Government application in Saudi Arabia. The results of this study have major implications for policy makers, as they suggest the notion that the e-Government applications will not work without building a solid trust foundation with citizens.