Characteristics of Blockchain and Smart Services, for Smart Governments: A systematic review of the literature

The interest in blockchain technology has grown rapidly, day by day. This is simply because of the security and decentralization that it provides. Nevertheless, most government services around the world run on inefficient systems loaded with heavy bureaucracy. They lead to non-transparent systems and a loss of public confidence in government services. The present systematic review of the literature on this topic aims to highlight the characteristics of blockchain technology that demonstrate its uniqueness, together with the characteristics of the smart government services that are required for efficient service delivery. It was found that the dominant characteristics of blockchain technology that are expected to provide the highest value for customers are decentralization and the capacity to be shared and public, whereas the most desired characteristics for the efficient service delivery of smart government services are speed, trust and participation. The paper went on to examine how the use of blockchain technology in government services is impacting on their delivery to customers by using examples from all around the world and to conduct a SWOT analysis of the use of blockchain in the government sector. Its findings are expected to help governments to develop a blockchain strategy that helps smart government services to adopt blockchain successfully

Characteristics of Blockchain and Smart Services, for Smart Governments: A systematic review of the literature

The interest in blockchain technology has grown rapidly, day by day. This is simply because of the security and decentralization that it provides. Nevertheless, most government services around the world run on inefficient systems loaded with heavy bureaucracy. They lead to non-transparent systems and a loss of public confidence in government services. The present systematic review of the literature on this topic aims to highlight the characteristics of blockchain technology that demonstrate its uniqueness, together with the characteristics of the smart government services that are required for efficient service delivery. It was found that the dominant characteristics of blockchain technology that are expected to provide the highest value for customers are decentralization and the capacity to be shared and public, whereas the most desired characteristics for the efficient service delivery of smart government services are speed, trust and participation. The paper went on to examine how the use of blockchain technology in government services is impacting on their delivery to customers by using examples from all around the world and to conduct a SWOT analysis of the use of blockchain in the government sector. Its findings are expected to help governments to develop a blockchain strategy that helps smart government services to adopt blockchain successfully

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Characteristics of Blockchain and Smart Services, for Smart Governments: A systematic review of the literature

The interest in blockchain technology has grown rapidly, day by day. This is simply because of the security and decentralization that it provides. Nevertheless, most government services around the world run on inefficient systems loaded with heavy bureaucracy. They lead to non-transparent systems and a loss of public confidence in government services. The present systematic review of the literature on this topic aims to highlight the characteristics of blockchain technology that demonstrate its uniqueness, together with the characteristics of the smart government services that are required for efficient service delivery. It was found that the dominant characteristics of blockchain technology that are expected to provide the highest value for customers are decentralization and the capacity to be shared and public, whereas the most desired characteristics for the efficient service delivery of smart government services are speed, trust and participation. The paper went on to examine how the use of blockchain technology in government services is impacting on their delivery to customers by using examples from all around the world and to conduct a SWOT analysis of the use of blockchain in the government sector. Its findings are expected to help governments to develop a blockchain strategy that helps smart government services to adopt blockchain successfully