Tanzania: IT Experts Now to Be Licensed

Dodoma — PLANS are underway to register Information Technology (IT) experts and be issued with licences to ...

encourage them to be innovative.

Minister for Works, Transport and Communications Isack Kamwelwe said this at the weekend, pointing out that the licences would be lasting for a particular period.

"We'll register all IT experts and offer them licences to encourage them to be innovative. They will renew their licences after a particular period.

Within that period, they should be innovative otherwise the licences will be confiscated," said the minister while closing the 4th conference community networks.

The conference was organised by the University of Dodoma (Udom) following a research project implemented by the tertiary institution which resulted in the establishment of Kondoa Community Networks.

Mr Kamwelwe commanded Udom don and founder of Kondoa Community Networks Jabhera Matogoro for coming up with a project to use TV White Space (TWS) technology to improve internet access in rural areas.

"I wish to commend researchers who focus on seeking solutions to problems facing members of the public, including researchers who carried out a research project to use TV White Space technology to improve internet access in rural areas. Congratulations Mr Jabhera Matogoro," he said.

Tanzania is the second African country after South Africa to use TV White Space technology to improve internet access in rural areas.

Mr Kamwelwe noted that the government would continue supporting local IT experts when implementing projects geared towards seeking solutions to problems facing the people.

On TWS, the minister said the government would address challenges facing the new technology such as lack of a national policy on community networks and low level of public awareness on TWS.

"Let me assure you that my office is ready to receive recommendations from various stakeholders to address the challenges," he said.

He explained that recent statistics showed that the country had 43.75 million mobile phone users as of June, 2019, saying the figures indicated that only 23.14 mobile users got access to internet service.

"This means that those who do not get access to internet service will not take part in the digital economy," he noted.

Mr Kamwelwe explained that the digital economy was vital to promote e-health, e-library and elearning.

He informed that the fifth phase government was committed to ensuring all secondary schools and a good number of primary schools got access to information technology so that members of the public enjoyed e-health, e-library and e-education.

For his part, the Udom don and Kondoa Community Networks founder noted that the pilot project started in 2014 after acquiring a permit from Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

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