President Samia Suluhu Hassan speaks during the commemoration of the Law Day at the Chinangali Grounds in Dodoma yesterday. PHOTO | EDWIN MJWAHUZI .
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday urged the judiciary to
execute its mandate in line with the fourth industrial revolution’s pace that embraces the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT).The Head of State assured Tanzanians of the government’s readiness to use modern avenues to build capacity and a vibrant economy that will strongly compete locally, regionally and globally.
She said Tanzania cannot distance itself from the fourth industrial revolution that transforms competition in industrial activities in the investment and business environment.
President Hassan said the legal sector and those mandated to dispense justice should be transformed in order to resolve business disputes and provide legal clarification on investment and business matters.
“An investor facing a challenge at midnight or 2am should be able to get legal solutions and answers from the judiciary online platforms,” she said.
She challenged the ministries of Education, Science and Technology and that of Information, Communications and Information Technology to ensure students are given prerequisite knowledge and skills aligned with technological changes from the grassroots to higher learning institution levels.
According to her, in the third industrial revolution, Tanzania invested in constructing the National Fibre Optic Cable network named as National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB).
Furthermore, she said the government also built an enabling environment for efficient use of ICT including establishing the e-government authority, enacting laws and regulations encouraging government institutions to align with the use of the constructed important infrastructures.
“The fourth industrial revolution has forced Tanzania to maintain and strengthen ICT activities as among important development stimulants. Therefore, apart from investing in the broadband backbone, we also strongly invest in improving technology for the country’s development agenda,” she said.
She commended the Judiciary for the introduction of the JSDS2 launched in 2019 that aimed at increasing efficiency through cases registration and allocation to judges and magistrates, progress monitoring and providing access to remote stakeholders.
The President expressed her satisfaction with the introduction of an application that provides room for High Court and Court of Appeal to publish their judgements online.
“In the past, it was difficult to get copies of judgement made by the High Court and the Court of Appeal. But, stakeholders and citizens are now simply required to download the judgements from Judicial online platforms,” she said.
The Head of State said available statistics showed that e-Systems enabled the Judiciary to listen to 17,979 cases in 2021, saving Sh2.750 billion that would have been spent by the Prisons, lawyers and others.
She said enacted systems were also helpful during calamities and hazardous incidents that prevent physical interaction such as when Covid-19 was at the peak in 2020.
According to her, cost cutting measures were among important issues for the Judiciary in order to attract investment in other areas as requested by the Chief Justice (CJ), Prof Ibrahim Juma.
The Head of State outlined some of the challenges facing the Judiciary as complaints of delayed provision of justice especially those facing widows as well as citizens’ objections on land disputes’ decisions submitted to the government for intervention.
“However, the government lacks powers because it is the Judiciary mandated to dispense justice without limitations of technical and legal matters. Judges and magistrates should listen to voices inside them and properly use their own personalities in decision making,” she said.
She listed other challenges as shortage of manpower, working equipment, vehicles and persisting complaints of corruption,
She said her government would work on requests submitted by the CJ, Prof Juma including increasing investment in the E-Judiciary; electricity connectivity to Judiciary facilities countrywide through the ongoing projects executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (Rea).
“Others are fast-tracking the residential addresses and post code project and collaborating its activities with that of other government institutions,” she said.
During the event, Prof Juma said the use of technological systems has enabled the Judiciary to respond to different cases within a short period and low costs.
He said ICT in-house training enabled the Judiciary to produce its experts who are currently capable of developing system that can identify lawyers, judges and plans were underway to translate judgements to ki-Swahili Language from the English Language.
“Systems have enabled courts to link with institutions like the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the National Identification Authority (Nida) among others. The linkage helps to facilitate service delivery to citizens,” he said.
He said through video conferences, many cases were heard at the peak of Covid-19 without physical appearance of prosecutors, defendants and witnesses.
However, Prof Juma advised colleges to review their respective curriculums in order to provide the youth with prerequisite skills that meet demands of the market in the rapidly changing world.
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