Information Technology Governance Barriers, Drivers, IT/Business Alignment, and Maturity in Ghanaian Universities

The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine the status of IT governance in universities in a developing country, Ghana, by assessing the drivers and barriers to pursuing formal ITG, measuring the extent to which universities align IT goals with academic and business objectives and determining ITG maturity level. Using a survey questionnaire and applying frequency analysis and T-test of independent samples, the results showed that 60.6% of the institutions surveyed were at the non-existent and initial stages of IT governance while only 6% were at the managed and optimized stages. The study also found that the factors contributing towards the drivers for formal IT governance include cost reduction and increased efficiencies, and promoting an institution-wide view of IT. However, the barriers were also identified which included lack of participation, inadequate funding, and top-down leadership-driven institutional culture. Universities can use these findings to improve formal IT governance practices and to benchmark future performance.