How Tanzania benefits from ICT technologies

ALTHOUGH Tanzania is not among countries that have effectively exploited digital opportunities, it has benefited immensely from Information and communication Technologies (ICTs) in recent years. Addressing the Leon Sullivan Summit delegates in Arusha city recently, the country’s Communications, Science and Technology Minister, Professor Peter Msolla said that the tangible achievements includes two million internet users across the country and about nine million telephone subscribers. He said since the liberalization of broadcasting services in the country, the sector has registered 47 radio stations and 29 television broadcasters. ICT is indispensable for Tanzania to meet the target to build a well educated society with medium industrialization and an inclusive people-centered and development-oriented information society by 2025. According to available statistics, one telephone line is shared by five people compared to the 0.03 per cent Tele-density in the country in 2000. The current 20 per cent telephony penetration is a result of the spread of services to cover many parts of the country and the gradual fall of tariffs. Statistics further shows that postal and courier service operators now numbers 42 compared to 13 in 2000. A few years ago Tanzania had less than half a million internet users while mobile phone subscribers and basic telephony users were 606,859 and 161,590, respectively, in 2002.

The Minister for Science and Technology Professor Peter Msolla stressing a point while presenting a paper during Leon Sullivan summit held at Arusha International Conference Center (AICC) in Arusha city recently.
According to the Minister the use of ICT has become the government’s strategic development tools whose adoption is being supported by relevant policy measures and strategies. The new technologies are in that regard viewed as a pillar and driving engines towards attainment of national development plans and fighting poverty. The digital infrastructure and services are vital for stimulating development activities as well as in empowering people to access and exchange information. ICT catalyses business growth, propels good governance and helps to cheapen availability of public services and making others affordable.

Two American delegates who attended the Leon Sullivan Summit taking a stroll along some of the companies’ exhibition stands during the summit.

The minister noted that ICT has had positive impact on social lives and is greatly supporting the national economy as a whole. As a result people’s lives and business transactions are becoming even more ICT dependent and there is increased demand for more sophistication and convenience on the related services. There is ample room for the private sector in Tanzania to team up with the Government in order to address the ever increasing demands for the related ICT services as well as expansion of the ICT infrastructure. Several strategic national and international initiatives have been taken to improve access to ICT, reduce the digital divide and improve the requisite infrastructure in the country. These include the East African Submarine Cable systems (EASSy) and the Tanzania national fibre optic backbone that will be built before the end of the forthcoming financial year. There is also the due Tanzania Educational and Research Institutions network that will be implemented to facilitate connectivity of universities, higher education and research institutions. Local operators have, on their part, come together to address the missing undersea link on the eastern part of Africa through EASSy. The government has put on measures to be pursued so as to enhance ICT penetration in the country that include approving the necessary legislation for implementing objectives in the present national ICT policy. There are also plans to devote more resources to the development of the national infrastructure to support exploitation of the ICT capacity. Others are creating and approving better incentive packages for investment in the ICT service industry and seeking international support to help mainstream the sector. Another aspect in that regard will be promotion of wider use of ICTs at the level of the State and public services, institutions, private entities, community and individual users. Digital experts say prerequisites for effective exploitation of ICT requires among other things existence of a comprehensive national policy, access to reliable power, and implementation of e-initiatives such as e-government, e-commerce, e-learning and e-health. Also strategically vital are digitally skilled personnel, existence of a reliable national ICT infrastructure and a good national science, technology and innovations policy. Science and technology and innovation must play a major role in seeking and implementing solutions and methodologies which will allow the expansion use of ICTs for production processes, provision of services, improvement of teaching and learning, research, etc in order to improve living conditions for our citizens.