Lack of knowledge impends ICT policy initiatives in the country

THE National ICT Policy Initiatives in Tanzania has been earmarked to be a slow moving process despite of the government’s efforts to keep going the policy. According to one ICT expert, the situation has been aggravated by lack of seriousness in line of its implementation. Richard Undala an IT consultant said recently during the IT and Communication Summit 2010 in the city of Dar es Salaam that lack of proper ICT knowledge coupled with poor ICT facilities, the two have deteriorated the development of ICT in the country. Before the formulation of the National ICT policy in the country which came into being in 2003, initiatives to develop ICTs were being carried out by individuals, public and private entities making it difficult to optimize utilization of national meager resources. Tanzania did realize some achievements which created the need for more concerted efforts for the establishment and development of a fully fledged National ICT policy that would provide guidance on planning, management and the coordination of all matters related to ICT in the country. Seven years ago, the government appointed the then Ministry of Communication and Transport (Now the Ministry of infrastructure development) as a national ICT coordinator and a focal point for all ICT related issues in the country. Despite of enormous strides taken by the government, much remains to be done as critical to mainstream the development of ICT tools as appropriate to address the challenge of sustainable national development. However, he said that it is useful to look at ICT as a cross-cutting issue in its own right with its goals to achieve crucial national development goals. Among the few goals is using ICT in identifying and exploiting opportunities for trade, investments and finance through e-government, e-agriculture, e-commerce, e-education, e-heath etc. Apart from the above category of usage, ICT could be used in the establishment of national and regional distance searing health and education service programs in the country.

A cross section of few participants during the Global IT Communication summit in Dar esSalaam.

In order to realize the above benefits work, ICT need to be developed on a Public and Private Partnership spirit. The private sector participation in the establishment, development and investment in ICT is of crucial importance. A two day meeting that drew participants from many IT companies and other stakeholders from district and regional levels put forward an argument with a vision to create a vibrant ICT business in Tanzania and what impact it would have to the development of the country. Another ICT consultant, Mr. Theophilus Mlaki of Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH) noted during his contribution that it was high time for the ICT sector to intervene with the developments that would help ward off obstacles in order to achieve the national development goals. Mr. Mlaki whose commission gives ICT trainings to local government authorities in the country noted that, the central government and the local government authorities from district to regional level has to conduct a full awareness and sensitization campaign programs at all levels on the role and importance of ICT to citizens.

Mr. Samwel Nyangoka of the print factory exhibition stand during the summit

In spite of government’s efforts through various agencies, sufficient knowledge among the people is still required to put in place valuable resources and strategies which would enable fight poverty into building of a strong nation. However, five years ago, Tanzania approved the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, better known by its Kiswahili acronym “MKUKUTA” whose major aim is to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. MKUKUTA was built around three primary clusters of desired outcomes namely growth and the reduction of income poverty, improved quality of life and social well-being, good governance among others as well as accountability. The adoption of MKUKUTA is a pivotal moment in Tanzania’s development process, and without the use of ICTs to address the issue, the program is likely to fail. MKUKUTA is based on the premise that poverty will only be reduced once good governance and accountability prevails in the country. According to him, ICTs are powerful resource tools needed for development, and on the basis of extensive research and experience, MKUKUTA can only achieve the goals and objectives by demanding policy makers, civil society organizations and public servants address the complex issue that drive citizens into its awareness.

Show goers at Zain exhibition stand

Lack of awareness of most policies formed in the country, has been an impediment to the growth of many economic development. Importantly however, there is a real risk to the successful implementation of MKUKUTA since at a local government level, many actors do not know about the ICT policy and do not integrate it into their planning and implementation. “MKUKUTA’s strategies would not work for the national development if the government and stakeholders do not lay down emphasis on the ICT policy initiatives and its implementation. Tanzania’s National ICT policy guides national development status and without it nothing will be done to ensure workable strategies. However, according to Mr. Innocent Mungy who is a Communication Manager representing his company, Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) in the meeting, noted that in order to achieve the basic goals, the use of ICTs and components will facilitate the development with ease. Despite government’s move of stopping excise duties on computers and IT accessories in the country four years ago, still the mode of communication skills by use of internet in the country is very poor. Since in the 1990s years of economic liberalization in Tanzania, there has been a large wave of investments in ICTs for development and some significant part of this has been aimed at to support poverty reduction. ICT provides access to information by people to enable them share and exchange information, knowledge and experience and thus empowering people to easily encounter the challenges of everyday life. It offers enormous opportunities to narrow social and economic inequalities and support sustainable local wealth creation, and thus help to achieve the broader development goals that a country has set through free integration of information systems.