IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The 4G wireless technology is the term used to describe the fourth-generation mobile technology of wireless service succeeding 3G, which is currently the most widespread, high-speed wireless service.

The government has connected 72 public institutions with the government communication network (GovNet) system that will enable them use internet.

The institutions are now connected to the national fiber optic network.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, the education and communication manager of E-Government Agency (EGA) Ms Suzan Mshakangoto said the system will easy the communication processes and reduce cost in the public institutions.

The policy review process has come at an opportune time when ICT is increasingly becoming an important ingredient and tool in all facets of socio-economic activities, as demonstrated by the importance that the mushrooming initiatives are occupying in our society, including government, schools, economy and health.

This was said yesterday in Dar es Salaam by Minister for Communication, Science and Technology Prof Makame Mbarawa at the ICT stakeholders’ forum convened to kick-start the policy review.

Optimism is high for a booming data hosting business as construction of a national centre in Dar es Salaam nears completion.

The Minister for Communications, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, said in the city on Tuesday that the centre would have state-of-the-art infrastructure to provide high quality database hosting services to government and business institutions.

However, governments are increasingly burdened with increasing demand of education services matched with increased enrolment, especially at primary and secondary education levels.

The governments therefore take initiatives to involve the private sector in supporting the education development.

This was disclosed in Dar es Salaam by the Registrar of Political Parties, Judge Francis Mutungi, while receiving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment donated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The exercise will require applicants to have their fingerprints, images and signatures taken.

Speaking to The Guardian in an exclusive interview, NIDA Information Officer Thomas William said the agency is still in the preparations process of the exercise. “We have organised ourselves well and people will be notified before the commencement of the exercise though the media and other outlets,” he said.

This is the stage of collecting finger prints and photographing individuals.

However, the National Identification Authority (NIDA) Information Officer, Agnes Gerald, told The Guardian yesterday that there are more stages before Dar residents are issued with the IDs.

THE National Electoral Commission (NEC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to non-citizens and people who registered more than once in the Permanent Voter Register (PVR) to turn up and surrender the voter cards or risk prosecution.

In a related development, the electoral body has handed over to the police force a list of 52,078 people with multiple registrations in the PVR through the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR).

State investment in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has helped put the government online, making Tanzania the first country around Africa with wider digital tool coverage.

At least 211 websites spanning 26 regional and 185 district councils across Tanzania Mainland were officially launched yesterday, costing a whopping 600bn/-.

Dickson Mwanyika, TGDLC acting training Coordinator, made the revelation yesterday at the three-day international conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, which opened in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

The forum, which was opened by Vice-President Dr. Mohamed Gharib Bilal on Wednesday, drew ICT experts and specialists, government ministers and representatives of civil societies and ICT companies from around the world.

The Tanzania Government Portal is designed, developed and maintained by e-Government Agency.

The portal’s main objective is to enable a one stop centre interface for public services delivery in a transparent, easy and cost effective manner from various public institutions for the benefit of citizens, businesses, employees and other stakeholders, both within Tanzania and abroad.

In this special report, our reporter SYLVESTER DOMASA examines the power, potential and value of ICT in agricultural transformation in Tanzania reviewing a case study of cassava and maize diseases and pests…

The value of Information Communication Technology (ICT) to agricultural transformation in Tanzania best became evident when severe attacks by several biotic and abiotic dynamics including cassava and corn mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) hit the lake zone.

Lessons from Tanzania in ID4Africa webinar

The number of people with legal, digital ID in Tanzania, backed by biometrics has increased by roughly 70 percent over the past five years, prompting an ID4Africa webinar to explore the lessons the country’s story may hold for other nations in Africa and elsewhere.

The latest ID4Africa livecast provided a country progress report ‘Spotlight on Tanzania’s Identity Ecosystem,’ prominently featuring Dr. Arnold Kihaule and Edson Guyai of the National Identification Authority (NIDA).

He said the government had already set up an agency to deal with rural electrification by establishing a universal communication access fund to facilitate connectivity to rural and under-served urban areas in the country.

He made the remarks when launching the 6th Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) - Connecting Rural Communities Africa Forum - yesterday.

Zanzibar Second Vice President Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi made the challenge to that end at the inauguration of the Zanzibar first ever ICT Laboratory facilitated by the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) recently, being the 12th ICT laboratory under OUT auspices in the country.

Prisons principal commissioner Augustine Nanyaro announced this when winding up a meeting for prison commissioners held in Dar es Salaam recently.

He said the application of ICT would help a great deal in improving and simplifying the supervision of inmates.

Ludovick Utouh, the country’s Controller and Auditor General (CAG) warned the government in a report released on Thursday last week.

Non-existent standards, lack of inter-departmental and ministerial coordination and the utter disregard of procuring entities (PEs) have adversely impacted the rate and quality of progress of national development objectives.

It is about recognising the need to access to information and communication technology (ICT), especially the Internet, to promote learning.

It also takes note of the fact that currently, very few schools, mostly the privately-owned ones, have computer laboratories and other multi-media facilities. Even fewer are linked to the Internet.

In Summary

But, we all are agreed that free and easier access to government-held information is one of the key pillars of economic and democracy development of any society. Free to access information is indeed an important aspect in promoting transparency and accountability.