DIGISCOPE; Tanzania Digital Transformation and Readiness
Written by Nice Charles Msangi
During the Sahara Sparks, 2022 Potential Unleashed season, Sahara Ventures and Tanzania Data Lab launched a report titled "Digiscope Tanzania Digital Transformation and Readiness Report."
The report is premised on the proposition that notwithstanding the recent and ongoing surge in digitalization, little is documented and put in the public domain regarding the country's digital transformation and readiness. While there are notable developments in the digital space in Tanzania, more needs to be documented and made public regarding the current state and future direction of digital transformation and readiness in Tanzania. As such, the report's core is to provide a snapshot of Tanzania's digital transformation and readiness.
The report provides insights that provoke critical discussions and a quest for resolutions toward digital transformation in the country. The report relies heavily on the existing local and international literature (academic literature, reports, and working papers), focusing on digital transformation and readiness.
The report provides a point of departure in showing key stakeholders, such as the government and its agencies and institutions, as well as the private sector, where the country is and which direction it should take in the digital transformation journey.
From the synthesis of the report, several takeaways have been highlighted: Some of them are outlined below:
- The future of Tanzania's economic and social services provision hinges on its capacity to adopt and integrate digital technologies.
- Investing in digital infrastructure is critical for effective and inclusive digital transformation.
- Investment in Sciences, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, digital skills in education institutions, and vocational training are essential for digital readiness and transformation.
- Digital skills awareness programs and community interventions are critical for digital transformation and readiness. These should consider elements of gender inequality in digital access and usage.
- Investing in digital communication and technologies for effective governance, economic transformation, service delivery, and jobs and employment creation should be a priority.
- The involvement of various stakeholders and public-private partnerships (PPP) is central to digital transformation and readiness.
- Intentional programs and support structures that nurture tech experts and unleash potential are needed nationwide.
- Investing in Digital Technology Institutes (DTI), Zonal Soft Centers, and Fab Labs across the country can unlock the potential of digital technologies coupled with research, innovation and development investment, and competent human capital (experts).
- Digital governance, techno-rationality, and an interplay of technological, economic, affective, and sociocultural forces should get prioritized in digital transformation processes.
- Generating and having accurate data is critical for making informed decisions regarding digital transformation, readiness, and strategies in the country.
Apart from the above highlights, the report covered a wide range of other issues, such as e background to digital transformation and Tanzania's socio-economic and political contexts, which are fundamental in enabling or inhibiting the digitization process and outcomes.
You can download and read the report below.
