How technology has made life easier

Technology is part and parcel of everyday life. In this digital age, nothing can be done without the use of technology.

In the education sector, technology has become an integral part of the global academic field. It has enabled access to education making academic material more convenient to learners.

Tanzania has not been left too far behind when it comes to incorporation of technology in the academic field and beyond. Today, students are able to access most academic content online. Beyond education, life has also been made easier with technological developments such as mobile money transfer, online microfinancing services, among other things.

The use and adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for higher education, mobile payment and rural electrification has successfully enabled Tanzania expand its services countrywide.

In an effort to see overall development in different sectors through technology, the government has adopted ICT to propel community and economic growth. Advancements such as emerging distance education courses and mobile payment systems have supported microfinancing services and transformed economic activities and lives within local communities.

Director for ICT Commission Mr Samson Mwela made the remarks at the 15th International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing countries held recently in Dar es Salaam.

The conference, which was jointly organized by University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in partnership with Oslo University of Norway themed “strengthening southern driven cooperation as a catalyst for ICT4D” brought more than 200 ICT experts and researchers from forty countries.

Some of the countries present included United Kingdom, Malasyia, Canada, Bangladeshi, South Africa Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.

Mr Mwela, who is also Udsm Vice Chancellor explained that so far Tanzania has made efforts in digital inclusion. “As we are speaking we have a number of private investors who have invested in ICT. We might be the leading country in Africa if not in the world due to financial inclusion because we have invited more investors,” he said.

He stressed that so far 94 per cent of the country’s villages were connected by telecommunication and they believe by 2020 they would reach 100 per cent.

Explaining further, he said the only way to successfully reach the intended target was to conduct research on ICT, recognize experts in the field, encourage and motivate them in order to progress ICT.

“I therefore, take the opportunity to encourage experts to use the conference to network and exchange ideas with participants in similar fields. As we know, Tanzania’s agenda was to reach a middle income country by 2025 therefore, we need ICT more than ever before,” he said.

Mr Mwela added that ICT has helped countries with little human resources thus Tanzania must utilize ICT accordingly.

“It is worth to note that middle income countries like Brazil, China, India and South Africa are the developing countries that have put more effort in ICT research, solving the energy problem by stimulating studies of alternative energy sources that can be integrated in smart grid of power and fair utilization of the power they have,” he said.

He further noted that China is currently leading in renewable energy technologies and products in the world. It is the largest producer of solar panels in the world. “This has been made possible through intensive research through ICT platform.”

According to the VC, Sweden has successfully used ICT to make sure that financial resources they have are spent for the intended budgeted activities, therefore, it is encouraging to know that the conference tracks also addressed the three aspects of digital inclusion which were access, adoption and application.

“These digital skills have empowered people to build strong economies across the globe hence through this conference I advise you to put more effort in developing and doing relevant trainings and researches that can help us in achieving the government goals, making Tanzania’s economy an IT based economy,” he said.

He went on to state that Tanzania and other African countries have acquired a high level of ICT but, still a lot of researches and vital ideas were needed to advance ICT. “In South Africa, ICT has been the key player in health care of the poor because it is a vital tool in keeping data.”

Udsm Professor Nerey Mvungi, said Tanzania hosting such a conference will enable local researchers and ICT experts to learn from other countries.

“In today’s world you cannot have any development without the use of ICT, unlike in the late 70s when companies operated without technology. If you want to improve in education, health and industries, technology is essential,” he said.

The Professor further said Tanzania and developing countries were not simply passive recipient of technologies created and shared by their developed partners. On the contrary, many developing countries have now acquired high level of expertise in ICT and technology.

During his presentation titled “ICT is it working for us or not” Mr Geoff Walsham from University of Cambridge said ICT is crucial because all sectors and every country’s SDGs require ICT to support their implementation.

He stressed that ICT was really working because it gives new opportunities for researchers to research topics such as social media, methodologies, theories and capability approach.

Walsham stressed that the only ways to move forward in ICT for any country was to be more critical in academic sense and increase the volume of its access because it works.

The three-day conference aimed at exchanging, collecting and disseminating of experiences of developing countries, to develop a consciousness amongst professionals, policy makers and the public on social implications of computers in developing nations.

It also focused to develop criteria, methods, and guidelines for design and implementation of culturally adapted information systems, create a greater interest in professionals from industrialized countries to focus on issues of special relevance to developing countries through joint activities with other Technical Committees.

According to facts, increase of ICT related projects to support development, southern countries are now emerging as important innovators and actors in the global development and adoption of ICT for the community and economic growth. A good example can be seen with how Kenya has been leading the world with mobile payment for several years.

The mobile payment such as Mpesa and Airtel money has supported micro financing services and transformed economic activities and lives within the local communities. Such effect offers an exciting setting for reverse innovation whereby lessons learned in ICT4D could offer rich insights for research in general.

Earlier, the Deputy Permanent Secretary Minister for Works, Transport and Communications (Communication portfolio), Dr Jim Yonazi, hailed the ICT Commission for a good job in developing the sector through the organization of meetings and symposiums.

In another development, Dr Yonazi called on ICT stakeholders in the country to collaborate and work hard to help the government achieve its objectives of industrialization and middle income economy by 2025.

“This commission was formed by the government to recognize experts in the sector and ease technological supply in the country.

Therefore, if you are united and hardworking you will help the government achieve its objective of building an industrial country and become a middle income nation by 2025 because ICT is like the heart in as far as economic growth is concerned,” Dr Yonazi stressed.