Tanzania: Yonazi Touts Proper Use of Digital Technology

By Mugini Jacob

Musoma — DEPUTY Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Dr Jim Yonazi yesterday opened a crucial training and 2021 general meeting for

Tanzania Library Association (TLA) in Musoma and called for proper use of digital technology for the country's development.

TLA picked digital repositories as their biggest agenda during their three-day gathering taking place in Mara region this year. He said the use of digital repositories is essential at this time of the digital world in fostering national development.

"Let us help the government to develop digital technology, and let us also share the skills that we get from other people. Once you acquire skills, share it with people when you can still do so," Dr Yonazi told members of TLA from all over the country.

He welcomed this year's TLA initiative to encourage the use of digital repositories in the country. Dr Yonazi said digital repositories are also going to be important in spearheading industrial development in the country.

"Digital repositories are also going to be helpful in many areas, including in industrial economy, thus institutions will need to have digital repositories," Dr Yonazi, who officially opened the training that will also involve 2021 TLA general meeting on behalf of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr Faustine Ndugulile said.

He also used the opportunity to remind Tanzanians on proper use of social media for development.

"Let us be role models in using social media properly, and there are best solutions on how to tackle the emerging challenges," Dr Yonazi said.

He challenged scholars, including members of TLA, to see the possibility of archiving social media information.

He reassured participants that the ministry of communication and information technology will be working closely with them on various development related matters.

"You are the people collecting information for the development of our nation, thus we will be close to you," he said. Earlier, the chairperson of TLA, Dr Juliana Manyerere said the use of digital repositories is very efficient in fast dissemination of information. "We believe that through digital repositories we can make change, and we would like to ask those institutions that do not have digital repositories to have them," Dr Manyerere said.

She said besides the training and the annual general meeting, TLA members will have an opportunity to visit two secondary schools in Mara and Mwisenge as well as Mwisenge Primary School where the founding father of the nation, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere studied.

"We will visit the school libraries, and during such visits, we will donate books, because last year we did the same in Kigoma," Dr Manyerere said. TLA, according to her, is a member of regional and international library associations, she said.