Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Head of Corporate Communications Mr Innocent Mungy
TANZANIA is among few nations in Africa that have made exemplary strides in mobile financial services, currently with 4.5tri/- being transacted using mobiles phones each month.
Briefing journalists yesterday during
the fourth Annual Mobile360 Africa in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Tanzania
Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Head of Corporate
Communications Mr Innocent Mungy said currently mobile finance services
covers the whole country.
The three day fourth Annual Mobile360
Africa conference which ends today, seeks to discuss barriers and find
solutions that will enable the underserved population access to the
services.
Mr Mungy said through mobile money
services provided by all telecommunication companies in the country, has
been instrumental in bringing financial services closer to the public,
especially those living in rural areas and do not have access to banking
services.
“A greater number of people are
benefitting from the mobile money services, including in purchasing,
accessing money in their bank accounts and sending money to loved ones
from the comforts of their homes,” he explained.
He said using mobile money services also
reduces theft, saves time from having to visit and access one bank
physically as well as carrying a lot of paper money. The TCRA head of
Corporate Communications said the country is also making positive
strides in incorporating Information Communication Technology (ICT) to
providing various services such as e-education, e-health, egovernment
and e-commerce.
Citing an example he said in the health
sector patients can now receive important information including when to
attend clinic, reminders to take medicines or the type of medicine to
take through their mobile phones without having to physically visit the
doctor.
He added that the mobile phone is also
used by patients to store important information, “for instance patients
with high blood pressure can send their readings to their doctor who can
then advice on what medicine to take.”
Due to the major strides the country is
making in ICT, Mr Mungy said Tanzania is now leading in the East Africa
region and the world for having the cheapest internet costs. He said
whereas in Tanzania one can buy GB 40 at 50,000/- in the United Kingdom
GB 3 is nearly US 1000 dollars, noting that even in Nairobi, Kenya it is
expensive.
“These achievement that Tanzania has
recorded is also another reason this meeting is taking place here
because as much as we want to learn from them, they also want to learn
from us, to understand how we got where we are.”
On his part, Tigo Tanzania General
Manager Mr Diego Gutierrez the telecommunication company has been
working round the clock to find different ways to bring services closer
to all Tanzanian, especially in rural areas.
Mr Gutierrez who said Tigo Tanzania has
different plans rolling which makes it easier for consumer access the
company’s services as well as use the service to bring positive change
in their lives.
The plans according to Mr Gutierrez
includes bringing low cost smart phones to rural people who cannot
afford to buy one at current costs. Meanwhile Ericsson is looking to
partner with governments to use ICT to bring positive industrial
transformation including increase effectiveness and efficiency.
Speaking to Daily News yesterday Head of
Government and Industry Relations, Mr Shiletsi Makhofane said ICT is
one industry that will be a game changer in all industries.
“Today majority of the focus has always
been on one to one connect...however the world is moving fast, past
that... we are going further and looking at what can we with this ICT in
making other industries more efficient,” he explained.
Areas being targeted by Ericson for
transformation using ICT include transport, public safety and security,
financial inclusion and energy sectors.
The fourth Annual Mobile360 Africa
conference brings together more than 500 telecommunication companies and
stakeholders from around the world.
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