ICT use is for all regardless of one’s old age

ARE you one of the elderly that arte excluded from ICT use and still use traditional methods of communicating with people? Are you techno-phobic and find it difficult to learn something new? Is there an age limit to ICT usage? Not at all, it’s only the youngest who call the older generations too old. ICT knows there is no age limit while using it. In fact there are many people who are older than you, and who are still benefiting from ICT.
The Web podia Computer Dictionary defines ICT which stands for Information and Communication Technology as the study or business of developing and using technology to process information and aid communications. In other words, if you are using technology to process information, or you are using technology to support communications, then you are using ICT. Many of the-day-to-day technologies we take for granted incorporates ICT. The mobile phone is such one example, the second is the computer, Fax and Email at your office or at the internet café is another example. The examples are endless and the probability that you have used ICT before a
nd not only once, but that you use it regularly, is quite high.
Old people have also an opportunity to make used of the ICT gadgets. No matter how old they are with grey hairs on their head. ICT is for all people of all walks of life
When you buy a burger at a fast food chain, your order is taken in a computer terminal. The terminal is used to process information. At a clothing store, the labels are scanned and the information is used not only for your purchase and for inventory replenishment, but also for marketing campaigns again processing information. It’s important to recognize and understand ICT so that you can use it more effectively in your daily life. The more you become aware of the technology around you, the greater its value will be to you. The fact that the elderly are intimidated by technology and that therefore they are not going to be productive members in the computer age, just because one has grey hairs on head, does not mean one cannot learn to think in terms of bits and bytes. Such ideas are gone as far as ICT is concerned. In fact a great market opportunity is being misused here.

An old woman from Iramba village in Bunda district can be seen seated besides her house while communicating in a mobile phone with her daughter who is in Mwanza city.
At your age whereby your children are all grown up, there is money and time to spend on newest technology, especially when it can make your life easier and allow you to accomplish tasks much faster. Above that though, for the elderly, it’s not only a question of doing the same thing more quickly or in a simpler way with the aid of ICT. It’s also a question of being able to perform tasks independently which would be impossible without ICT. Another step could then be introducing ICT into your life in a way that is directly beneficial to you. For instance, a computer in your home could be used to type your work, manage your business and monitor your finances. With a connection to the internet, you can instantly communicate with people who are far from you, or download a wealth of information and it doesn’t matter how old are you. For those who have operated quite effectively at a slower pace, you can without anxiety, turn off the machines and then enjoy a spectacular sunset, immerse yourself in a novel or hold a child in your lap and tell her a tale.

Why ICT has yet to reach rural areas in Tanzania?

LACK of modern infrastructure in the country’s rural areas has been a stabling block that hinders the growth and development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This is why most rural areas in Tanzania are still lagging behind in adopting the use of ICTs and their applications. About 80 percent of Tanzanians live in rural areas where there is no electricity and the government shows no any efforts to create a conducive environment that would increase investments in those areas in a bid to eradicate the escalating phenomenon. Statistics made available by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals shows that, rural areas covers only 2 percent of the power distribution network in the country, an aspect which shows that the vast majority of the rural people lacks ICT use whose gadgets mostly depends on the electricity power supply.

Most roads in rural areas in Tanzania are in bad condition while others still impassable during rainy seasons an aspect that has rendered into poor ICT investments. Little developments with few electric poles can only be seen at the junction points of the main roads.

Another thing, most roads are still in bad shape and virtually impassable especially during rainy seasons. Schools and hospitals in these areas are the worst hit, with most students in rural areas currently unable to use computers. According to an ICT engineer in the Ministry of Science and Technology Mr. Samson Mwera, illiteracy is still one of the major obstacles to the spread of ICT in rural areas in the country. However, he says, this is also coupled by the crude technology as well as language barrier. A majority of the people there could not communicate in English, a situation that is disturbing to most Tanzanians who are used to Swahili language. In the modern world language has become an important aspect in the application of ICT gadget e.g internet, and computer application.

How desktop computers came to the rescue of newspaper production

A newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising usually printed in low cost paper called newsprint. Usually newspapers are most published daily or weekly. In this world, the first printed newspaper was published way back in 1605, and the form thrive even if the face of competition from technologies such as radio and television. However, recent developments on the internet are posing major threats to its business model. Paid circulation is declining in most countries and advertising revenue, which makes up the bulk of a newspaper’s income is shifting from print to online sources. Plummeting sales notwithstanding, since the 1980s, the newspaper industry has made giant strides in so far as the production process is concerned. Thanks to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the use of modern computers in general
In addition, their printing process has largely moved away from lower quality, four colour process, offset printing. However, the area that has largely benefited from modern computers is the production process. Indeed with the use of desktop computers, word processing software, graphic software, digital cameras and digital prepress and typesetting technologies, all these have revolutionalised newspapers’ production process.

With the introduction of desktop computers, newspapers production has become much more easier than before. Modern computers connected with new media facilities e.g internet, has in general helped develop media industry.

Gone are the old “Hot type” method of text composition which used molten lead to create individual letters, paragraphs, and full pages of text is extinct. Today, composition work is done primarily with computers. Improvements in desktop publishing software also allows customers to do much more of their own typesetting. These technological advances have enabled newspapers to public colour photographs and graphics as well as innovative layouts and better design. In fact the user of computers has simplified publishing tasks that would otherwise require much more complicated equipment and human efforts. This is called desktop publishing and it allows an individual to combine text, numerical data, photographs, charts and other visual elements in a document that can be printed on a laser printer or more advanced typesetting machine. The primary advantages of desktop publishing over conventional publishing apparatus are low cost and ease of use. Tanzania newspaper industry had to move with the world in the development set up.

Various African journalists at the media center during World Summit on Information Society in Tunis, Tunisia. The use of desktop computers and internet in general have helped media personnel disseminate their information with ease and more quickly.

It is also significant to note that, coming into Tanzania of such technology was during the time of the liberalization of the county’s newspaper industry. It was a time when many private newspapers came into being and which had necessitated the importation into the country modern printing presses, and lased prepress equipment. In fact typesetting and page layout have been revolutionalised by the technological changes shaping desktop publishing. Increasingly computers are used to do much of the typesetting and huge layout work formerly done by pre-press workers, posing new challenges for the printing industry. Desktop publishing is in itself rapidly changing field that encompasses a number of different kinds of jobs. As explained computers enable desktop publishers to perform publishing tasks that would otherwise require complicated equipment and extensive human efforts. Advances in computer software and printing technology continue to change and enhance desktop publishing work. For example, instead of receiving simple types text from customers, desktop publishers get the materials over the internet or in a computer disk. Other innovations in the occupation includes digital colour page make-up systems, electronic page layout systems, and off-press colour proofing systems.

ICT as a catalyst for economic take off

It’s not a dispute that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accords a password to prosperity and posterity in all realms of the human society in the 21st century. ICT is one of the pillars for socio-economic and industrial development. It has revolutionalised education, governance, manufacturing, medicine and communication and Transport in entirely.
In essence, the benefits of embracing and being ICT compliant for individuals, nations, governments, learning institutions and companies outstrips the underlying costs of installation and capacity building. As a consequence, governments ought to develop a comprehensive integrated ICT led social-economic development policy plan, set within the wider context of the development goals of each country.
This will facilitate the realization of the society into an information rich knowledge base society. All key economic activities for instance, Agriculture, Tourism, Commerce, Industries, Health, Aviation, Research, the list is endless, have to be anchored around modern technology in order to achieve the desired efficiency and productivity. But even as there exists disparities in levels of growth and development in ICT worldwide, as clearly manifested in the global digital divide, all energy and resources ought to be routed in the pursuit to bridge the gap. In the past, people haplessly witnessed the widening gap in the digital divide, now the western world has continuously edged the developing world in ICT advancement. The reasons for the phenomena are apparent that the western world has a rich resource base both human and financial and the requisite infrastructure.

Downloading of educational materials for distance learning has enabled most on-line students worldwide acquire their learning materials with ease. Besides online facilities, computer connected with the internet has also played a crucial role by quickening the work of researchers and scholars to obtain information from various web sites all over the world.

There is need for all the stakeholders in developing societies to put in place policies, resources and the infrastructure that will bolster the development of ICT for posterity.
E-learning, e-commerce, and e-governance among others have become the clarion in affluent and fast placed society, impacting directly to the development of the society. Despite the difficulty environment, it’s important to note that the developing countries and Africa in particular, have recorded remarkable in the field of ICT. With the advent of World Wide Web (www) communication has been eased in speed, convince and the cost of people mailing at the touch of a button across borders and continents. For instance in Africa, and particularly the East African Region, ICT has yielded greater benefits in the education sector.
Those who hitherto, for one or more reasons could not access education either because of the prohibitive costs are now learning on-line, others are students at the open visual learning centers, pivoted from Universities in the region. Besides the online facilities, ICT provides an unlimited database for scholars and researchers posted on various sites on the world wide web. But the sector now owes remarkable advancements to ICT is commerce, its emergence has enhanced the levels of transaction and speed. Currently individuals and companies made orders and transact online. The benefit from the technology is that, the cost of doing business has tremendously been lowered. Even bank transactions are undertaken online.

The Officer-in-charge of the Development Information Services Division (DISD) at the UN-Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) based in Addis Ababa-Ethiopia, Ms. Aida Opoku Mensah displaying a book she had just launched at African Information Society Initiative (AISI) pavilion during second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, Tunisia. This was in November 2005. This an ICT book highlighting ICT news for African Development

On the part of rich nations, they need to help in exploring ways of how to connect the entire world wide voice gates. They too of course in collaboration with the less advantaged, need to explore concrete measures and action plan to meet this objective, taking into account resolution reached at previous telecommunications development meetings in Tunis in November 2005 and in Geneva in December 2003. There is need to lay down a clear and more inclusive, most just and equitable information society. But then poor countries, especially in Africa, have complained about the reticence of western governments since the Geneva summit. However, this should not be a draw back to attain ICT growth.

Five Tanzanian ICT companies receives licenses

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has issued five licenses to different companies to enable them offer Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions in the country. TCRA Director General Professor John Nkoma said recently in Dar es Salaam while presenting licenses during ICT week celebrations, that the country was doing everything possible to attract ICT companies invest in ICT related solutions.
There was need for companies to invest in the ICT sector to give people a wide choice of services. ”If we license more companies in different ICT related fields, there will be competition in the sector as well as reduction of costs and other related charges”, he said.
He insisted the country`s ICT Policy should address issues of curriculum development and syllabi for computer and ICT training courses at all levels of education.
He said that the government has opened up doors for private sector participation in the telecommunications sector development to facilitate adequate usage of ICT services.

Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Director Genera Prof. John Nkoma speaks to the pressmen (not in the picture. Right is the National ICT coordinator, Engineer Augustus Kowero and left is a TCRA official.

”This is important to develop human capital if we have to effectively utilise the ICT services” he said. A representative of one of the companies which received license, Alan Paul, of Midas Services, underscored the need to strengthen public-private partnership to ensure inclusion of women, children, and other disadvantaged groups in ICT for development. According to him, his organization would provide banking services and point of sale services which are state-of-the-art services aimed at reducing the stress of carrying a lot of money when going shopping.
Chairman of the 2-mobile, one of the companies which received licenses, Joseph Rugumyamheto, commended the government for its demonstration of interest in the use of ICT services from the central government to the village level. He said that his company would provide multimedia services and voice over internet protocol.
Besides Midas services and 2-Mobile, other licensed companies include E-Life which will provide short massages for examination results, and Zanzibar Datacom, which will provide internet services. Others were E-click, licensed to provide video conferencing and voice over internet protocol.

Bird’s eye view of corruption scandals in Tanzania

FOLLOWING the death of a former Bank of Tanzania (BOT) Governor, the late Dr. Daudi Ballali which occurred in Washington DC in USA towards the end of May 2008, Tanzanian government has come under intense pressure from the public over his death as he is considered to be a prime suspect in a multi-billion financial scandal currently facing the BOT. Activists and the media personnel have strove to investigate and bring to law the masterminds of misappropriated funds especially those under External Payment Arrears (EPA) account operated by Bank of Tanzania (BOT), Richmond saga, dubious mining contracts and many others. The public has demanded the release of names of people involved in the scandal and their immediate persecution but this has since ended up in vain. EPA scandal alone consists of fraudulent payment of about Tshs. 133 billion (US$ 116 million) made by BOT to 22 ghost companies in the financial year 2005/06 involving the payment of the country’s external debt.

The late Dr. Daudi Ballali who died in an hospital in Washington DC-USA towards the end of May 2008. His mysterious death is still a subject of debate among most Tanzanians.

According to a recent government pronouncement, nearly half of the money (Tshs. 60 million) had mysteriously found its way back into state coffers. The Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police refused to disclose the names at this stage, pleading for patience because the investigations were still going on. Speculation has been rife as to why the government would rather recover the loot than prosecute? While others believe that the government may be shielding the culprits, and the most plausible reason seem to be that the government has figured out that it has a weak case against the culprits in a court of law.
The now famous Richmond scandal where Richmond Development Company Ltd struck a lucrative deal to generate electricity for national grid for the detriment of the nation’s economy, saw the government almost collapsing. Therefore, this may yet be another scandal similar to the mining contracts that later had to be negotiated.

Former Tanzanian Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, his resignation came after he was implicated to have been involved in a Richmond saga as a prime suspect.

When Richmond saga was uncovered, President Kikwete’s right hand man, Edward Lowassa was forced to resign as the Prime Minister, echoed by two other ministers, Nazir Karamagi, former Energy and Mineral Minister, as well as the Dr. Ibrahim Msabaha who headed the same Ministry before.

Former Minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr. Nazir Karamagi who is also linked to Richmond saga the second to resign from the cabinet

The BOT scandal has already claimed its governor as its first casualty, Dr. Daudi Ballali who was fired by President Jakaya Kikwete in early January this year after he was implicated in the investigative reports carried out by government’s Controller General (CAG) and the accounting and audit firm, EMST & Young.

Dr. Ibrahim Msabaha, former Energy Minister during third phase government. He is the third Minister to resign.

Following this, the President had dissolved his government and made several cabinet reshuffles following multi-million dolar scandals. Anti-graft war is gaining momentum than never before. It is the limelight today his political bigwigs looted public funds for personal gains, and perhaps unfounded institutional uses.
Analysts predict that, the President as a person might be hard hit by the anti-graft war after another Minister resigned again. This is the Infrastructure Development Minister, Andrew Chenge who served as Attorney General in the third government phase which Kikwete worked as a foreign Minister. Mr. Chenge is currently under investigations over corruption allegations in the purchase of military radar linked to a British Air company that manufacturers military weapons.

Mr. Adrew Chenge, Former Infrastructure Development Minister was also forced to resign in the on-going radar scandal. Mr. Chenge, a professional lawyer had been holding a position of the State Attorney General for the last ten years.

With investigations mounted by Kikwete’s administration and the parliament unearthing massive looting including the Bank of Tanzania, some of which claimed to have been used in financing political campaigns, stakeholders of politics now challenge the government to enact a law which will be monitoring funds used by political parties in the campaign as it was promised by President Kikwete.

Fast-paced growth in ICT fuels overall economic development in Africa-New ITU report:

THE International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said that, as the end of the first decade of the new millennium approaches, Africa stands at a crossroads with ICT policy makers faced with important choices.
Launching the ITU African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008 report, Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, said Africa presented several growth opportunities in the ICT sector.
The report shows that, growth in Africa's mobile sector has defied all predictions. Africa remains the region with the highest annual growth rate in mobile subscribers and added no less than 65 million new subscribers during 2007. At the beginning of 2008, there were over a quarter of a billion mobile subscribers on the continent. Mobile penetration has risen from just one in 50 people at the beginning of this century to almost one third of the population today. Mobile subscribers are also now more evenly distributed. In 2000, South Africa accounted for over half of all Africa's mobile subscribers, but by 2007, almost 85 per cent were in other countries. Mobile success, driven largely by competition, is also spawning new services such as micro-payment prepaid recharging, single rate inter-regional roaming and the uptake of m-commerce applications.
While mobile services have become more accessible and affordable, internet access has not kept pace. It is estimated that there were some 50 million internet users in Africa in 2007, translating into around one person among twenty. Over half of the region's internet users are estimated to be located in North African countries and South Africa. In Sub Saharan Africa, only three per cent of the population is online. The scarcity of International Internet Bandwidth and lack of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) drives up prices. As a result, Africa is the most costly for internet access. The average monthly internet subscription is almost USD 50 in Africa, close to 70 per cent of average per capita income.

Dr. Hamadoun Toure, ITU Secretary General

According to Dr Hamadoun Touré, ITU Secretary-General, ITU TELECOM AFRICA 2008 is a strategic step in bridging the digital divide. " However, he says this is a decisive milestone in our commitment to connecting the world," Dr Touré has challenged the ICT industry to explore the many opportunities that are available across the continent - and which would be on display to forge the tools that can act as catalysts in other sectors of the economy and of society, such as health, education, business, agriculture, and government services.
Addressing the opening Press conference in a recent meeting held in Cairo-Egypt, Dr Touré said, "Africa has been the fastest growing market worldwide over the last three years," adding that much of this growth had been stimulated by competition, policy and regulatory reform in most African telecommunication markets. "Today, the African ICT industry is an exciting place to be. Market liberalization continues and most countries have established regulatory bodies to ensure a fair, competitive and enabling environment."
"Today, more than ever, as the world shifts towards an information age that is transforming it into a global village, technology contributes to the core of economic growth and better living standards