The rationale need of ICT in business activities

THE successful future of a society and any industry depends on its ability to compete in a global market which is technologically changing, and Tanzania is not exceptional nor isolated in a long perspective that creates wealth which is needed for the country’s future economic development. The successes of nations depends on a variety of business activities the concerned nation deals with and such activities by any means whatsoever, are always necessitated by use of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These are those tools which actually are helpful in speeding up the process of globalization in terms of technology and information giving. Such things are computers connected with internet, radios, televisions and telephones to mention a few. There is no local manufacturer of the ICT gadgets mentioned above in Tanzania, all local dealers or agents import these products for use into the country including their software. Tanzania has made a remarkable progress in deploying these gadgets in a bid to speed up economic development and their progresses has well been received by people, and service providers who are striving to address unmet demand and competition in newly liberalized markets. To accomplish the need, few local ICT companies are developing application packages and most of the software which are used by both public and private sectors are imported for use in the country at a considerable cost. Tanzania has a little skilled capacity to support the ICT industry in terms of developing, selling or supporting hardware and software. Despite of this, it’s therefore imperative for every sector of development to exploit the opportunities offered by emerging new technologies in order to maintain the ICT equipment and networks.

Computers have proved successful in executing business activities.

According to an ICT consultant based in the city, Mr. Rajan Mohammed, in order to meet challenges ahead of us successfully, people and the society are required to have the appropriate knowledge, skills and ability to understand so as to cope with the emerging technologies in effective and innovative ways. According to him, access of ICT components and their application in Tanzania is still very low and this is mainly due to the continued illiteracy many citizens have on the devices, and for those few who have managed to narrow this digital gap are frequently faced by insufficient electricity power supply. However, this has been a growing phenomenon in Tanzania resulting into poor deliveries of services wherever an ICT tool like computers which are largely dependent for the purpose at the service counters. With the respect of evolution of technology since early 1990s, the use of ICT has enhanced effective delivery services and its evidence are evident wherever there is a service to be offered by help of computers that concerns with cash handling such as in the banks. Although computers are sometimes interrupted, but these are normal cases of internet failure which usually occurs due to low bandwidth provided by Internet Service Providers (IPS), and the weary customers standing on the queue are told to wait for a while as technicians are busy working on the issue to solve the problems. Tanzania which in the past was conducting a socialist type of economy before it allowed trade liberalization policy in 1985, has entered in international investment forum that culminated in the mushrooming of banking institutions in the country. Now with the proliferation of banking institutions in the country, follows business competition which is exacerbated by the emerging technologies. To cope with the situation internet as the main driving force is extensively used for innovative work.
A vivid example was shown last year by “The Citibank Tanzania Ltd” which it had introduced an online funds transfer. This is an innovative way that see to its customers the transfer of funds online to beneficiary accounts held at other commercial banks in the country . With the use of internet, most commercial banks in Tanzania are now striving as hard to remain competitive and innovative to cope with the technologically ever changing world, especially in the payment systems in order to make their transaction much quicker. With the emergence of the globalization, business operators are under constant pressure for reforms and the internet is a driving force allowing their capital to move quicker. The most surprising thing to note is that, internet by not recognizing its borders is encouraging everyone to engage in the process.

An employee at the business counter offering services to customers, all transactions are fed in networked computers.

In recent years, internet has transformed the performance of the global banking business transactions. With new technological set ups, most Banks have been automating their services in order to cater for the increase in demand for quick, efficient and cost effective practices. Telephones as another ICT tool, playas a significant role to ease business activities in societies. Mobile phones unlike fixed ones can quickly define one’s geographical position in a global market. “Mobile phones and internet as new media facilities do not actually increase the economic growth rates as per capita income, but in the real sense to simplify the concept, they actually ease communication and the attainment of information”, says an economist. Joel Ezekiel said in an interview that “it’s important to realize that internet is useful to farmers as it represents an instant and economic way of knowing what the market prices for agricultural commodities such as cash crops for the purposes to trade”. With an estimated 200,000 global networks, the internet is the fastest growing infrastructure industry in the world’s history of communication. It enables information and goods to travel much faster than before, making it easier to transport things and communicate with people. The use of mobile phones and internet in African rural communities have a significant impact that provides immense opportunities to promote and foster aspects of human development in terms of social, economic, education and cultural political development. Businessmen, farmers, teachers, engineers, doctors, ordinary people and any other professional body of all walks of life elsewhere in the world use the facility for communication purposes and for the mutual benefit of their gain and nation as well. Various studies shows that new media facilities leapfrog the development divide and accelerate efforts to combat poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy in a bid to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).