Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Only 5 per cent of Tanzania’s NGOs have fully digitized their operations. A new project seeks to change that
A new project was launched here today with the aim of influencing Tanzania’s non-governmental organisations to undergo digital adaptation that would help spur conversations and action around the ‘absolute digitization’ movement in the East African nation.
The Digital NGO Project, jointly undertaken by a local digital transformation advocacy Media Convergency and the multinational technology conglomerate Meta, seeks to support NGOs in their efforts to put technology at the centre of their activities and programs.
The project comes almost a year since Media Convergency published its An Overview of Digital Ecosystem, Emerging and Applied Technologies of NGOs in Tanzania report that revealed that only five per cent of the NGOs that operate at the national level in Tanzania have been entirely digitized.
The project, which targets 35 NGOs, focuses on four areas of concern: incubation; collaborative engagements with strategic key stakeholders; capacity building; and the sharing of resources.
“We will apply a designed six-month incubation program for 35 NGOs focusing on applied digital communication strategy, an audit of digital information communication flow and introduction and training to social media tools for integrating technology/digital solutions for projects,” CEO of Media Convergency Asha D. Abinallah said during the launching of the project at Serena Hotel in Dar es Salaam.
Ms Abinallah explained that many NGOs operate through strategies, with many of them knowing what they will be doing in the coming one or five years.
“And we [Media Convergency] feel that if [NGOs] get to know what technology is [available], how important it is and why it should be applied it’d be considered in those strategies, in meetings and whatever their plans,” she said.
Throughout its implementation period of twelve months, the project will involve training of a total of 1,000 individuals who will be drawn from the NGO sector and taken through extensive digital capacity building.
“We promise, and I don’t make it lightly, that we are going to be of service to the best of our capability and capacity,” Ms Abinallah said. “Together, we can take Tanzania to the right digital economy in its fourth industrial revolution and Media Convergency intends to be one of the players to make sure that it happens.”
Ms Vickness Mayao, the Registrar of NGOs said digital adaptation is very important in furthering NGOs’ activities, sounding disappointed with the fact that very few NGOs in Tanzania have fully adopted digitization in their operations.
“It is very important to have an organisational mindset that plans ahead and considers technology in all necessary ways,” Ms Mayao said in her keynote speech.
The director of information and communication technologies from the Ministry of Information, Communications and Information Technology Mr Mulembwa Munaku stressed the need for NGOs to work together in developing digital systems that would facilitate their works without costing them a lot of money.
Munaku said that many NGOs in Tanzania do not use ICTs strategically and the excuse has always been that ICT infrastructures are expensive to build at an organisational level.
“I personally don’t believe that,” he said during his presentation. “I don’t believe that. It is the issue of working collectively and seeing what can be done. One NGO can develop a digital HR or financial system and share it with others. We don’t have to incur some costs by developing systems that others are using and are working.”
Speaking about how he thinks the project is going to benefit NGOs like his, Kiiya Joel, the CEO of C-Sema, an organisation that promotes and protects children’s rights in Tanzania, said: “Everything we do [as NGOs] is digital. But how are we safe in using these digital networks and devices as companies, as NGOs? We have zero investment into the security of these devices.”
Tanzania, Egypt discusses ways to improve relations
The Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat recently met and held talks with Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning Mr Emmanuel Tatuba to discuss strengthening joint economic cooperation between the two countries, Egyptian media reported Thursday.
According to reports, Al-Mashat noted the joint Multi-Stakeholder Platform on South-South Cooperation held with the United Nations Development Program.
She referred to the constructive relations between Egypt and the UN and its affiliated agencies and programmes, and joint work to enhance development cooperation efforts to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
Al-Mashat also emphasized the importance of hosting COP27, supporting the continent’s efforts in the green transformation.
For his part, Tutuba thanked Egypt for its constructive cooperation in implementing the Tanzania Dam with effective participation from the Egyptian private sector, which opens prospects for more opportunities for economic partnerships, investment and trade cooperation between both countries.
He noted that Tanzania is ready for cooperation and joint work within the framework of the COP27.
KOICA, UNOPS partner to improve science studies in Zanzibar
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has allocated a total of $3 million (about Sh6.9 billion) to the United Nations Office (UNOPS) for Project Services for the construction of science laboratories and supply equipment to 10 secondary schools in Zanzibar, a statement said Thursday.
The fund is part of KOICA’s Enhancing Quality of Secondary School Education (EQSSE) project in Zanzibar. UNOPS is working with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) in Zanzibar to help enhance secondary school education in Zanzibar.
UNOPS’s role is to support KOICA in the delivery of the EQSSE project to address inadequate science laboratories, in which the infrastructure or materials are insufficient for learning, one of the key challenges for Zanzibar secondary education, according to the statement.
With funding of US $3million, UNOPS is set to build four science laboratories in Bumboni Secondary School, Fukuchani Secondary School, Jendele Secondary School and Machui Secondary School in Unguja.
It will build five science laboratories in Chambani Secondary School, Chanjamiawiri Secondary School, Shumba Secondary School, Uondwe Secondary School and Wambaa Secondary School in Pemba and one science laboratory in Jongowe Secondary School in Tumbatu.
KOICA country director for Tanzania, Kyucheol Eo, said the Korean government will continue to support Tanzania in different sectors, especially in the education sector. Mr Eo hopes that the project will improve the quality of science classes and contribute to achieving the overall objectives of the EQSSE project.
John Fofanah, Project Manager and UNOPS Head of Office in Tanzania, expressed his gratitude towards the fruitful partnership with KOICA and underscored commitments to deliver the new science laboratories with equipment and reagents for physics, chemistry, and biology classes while assuring all the health, safety, social and environmental guidelines to take place during the construction.
Road accident kills four in Geita, including a terror suspect
Four people, including two terror suspects, died on Thursday in a head-on crash accident involving a police vehicle and a truck, Geita Regional Police Commander Henry Mwaibambe announced.
According to Mwaibambe, the two others are police officers.
The accident occurred at Ibanda village in Geita district on Geita – Mwanza highway on Wednesday evening after a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number PT.3798 owned by the Police force veered off its lane and rammed straight into the oncoming truck property of Nyanza Bottling Company.
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