According to the Seacom Head of Sales for East Africa Region, M Julius Opio, following the recent development in construction of Information Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, plans were underway to link colleges and universities on one educational network.
“Once the National ICT Broadband Backbone is completed, the local universities will be connected to other universities and exchange contents at lower cost than the current prices,” said Mr Opio.He said after joining the network, then there will be no need for students to travel to other countries or continents for exchange programmes as the foreign contents will be accessed locally.
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.
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Minister for Communication, Science and Technology Professor Makame Mbarawa says that resources to make sure that the initiatives go ahead as planned are available, arguing that President Jakaya Kikwete's government is committed to fully utilise ICT as a tool for rapid economic development.
"The government's commitment in research and development through science and technology cannot be overemphasized," Prof. Mbarawa points out. The national fibre-optic cable which is part of the East African Submarine System (EASSy) connecting 12 eastern and southern African countries to the global marine fibre-optic cable which was commissioned in 2008.
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.
Unemployment rates are higher in urban than rural areas (16.5 percent and 7.5 percent respectively), excluding Dar es Salaam with a staggering unemployment rate of 31.5 percent.
Youth unemployment in urban areas is 13.4 per cent compared to the national level of 11.7 percent. Women are more affected, with their unemployment rate put at 13 percent compared 10 percent for men.
Read more: TZ: ICT project launched to fight youth unemployment