CHALLENGING THE CONSTRAINTS TO ICTS IN Bunda and Serengeti Districts by Ophelia Mascarenhas

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CHALLENGING THE CONSTRAINTS TO ICTS IN Bunda and
Serengeti Districts byOphelia Mascarenhas

• BASELINE STUDY OF BUNDA AND SERENGETI DISTRICTS
• Prepared for COSTECH
• January 2007

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Baseline Study of Bunda and Serengeti Districts

• Background to the Study
• ICT4RD objective
• Opportunity to achieve the objective
• Links with the KTH study
• National ICT Framework
• Good developments in cellular telephones
• Less spectacular in Internet

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The Opportunity Provided by the Rural
Electrification Project in Bunda and Serengeti
Districts

• The famous optic fibre empty at the moment and
  waiting for the promised broad band

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Let Us Start With Images
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Some Recent Studies

• Many studies on ICTs and poverty and the use of
  ICTs RIA, DFID
• For Mara Region study involving the use of ICTs
  in 150 SMEs in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza,
  Zanzibar, and Mara found that in Mara, there was
  virtual inexistence of any cell phone or
  internet services. (2001)
• Most assessments not based on pre-ICT
  intervention situations

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Bungalows Herds-boys in Jeans
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Objectives of the Study

• To provide a pre-project situation analysis of
  the socio-economic conditions of the 12 villages
  in the 2 districts, Bunda and Serengeti with
  special emphasis on (but not limited to)
  education, health and local administration and
  small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• To obtain an understanding of the level of
  current use of communication systems including
  ICTs in the two districts. ,

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Methodology

• Villages
• Bunda District Manyamanyama, Ligamba A
  Kisangwa Bukama Kiroleli Mugeta Salama A
  Kyandege 54 km.
• Serengeti District Fort Ikhoma Natta Nyichoka
  Nyeberekera Nyamsingisi
• Plus 2 district headquarters

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Persons Interviewed

• District Council Staff 8 ( 1 each DPLO
  DEO DMO District Trades Officer)
• Heads of Private and Public Educational
  institutions 8
• Heads of Health institutions 3
• Other institutions (Head of Fort Ikhoma) 1
• Villagers 104 in 11 villages
• Business people 71 (47 in Bunda Town and Mgumu
  Town 24 in the villages)
• Total number of persons interviewed individually
  or in groups 195.

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Socio-economic conditions

• The Economic Conditions
• The FDI for Mara has declined between 1999 and
  2001
• Total revenue for Serengeti District in 2005 was
  Tanzanian shillings 4.4 billion, of which 95 per
  cent came from the central government.
• Produce cess on exports was only 1. 2 per cent
  while mining and tourism were not even mentioned.
  
• Yet one of the most famous national game reserves
  in the world is in Serengeti District and the
  District is said to be rich in a variety of
  minerals.

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Socio-economic conditions II

• As a result of these anomalies, the last
  Household Budget Survey, 2000/01, ranked Bunda
  district as the poorest district in Tanzania,
  119th out of 119 districts, a fact that was
  commented on by the President just recently.
  Serengeti is a close second at 116th out of 119
  districts.

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Socio-economic conditions

• This ranking is both disturbing and surprising.
  The research team made several observations that
  somehow do not match the poverty ranking status.
  (i) there was a vibrant small business
  activity
• (ii) Large herds of cattle were observed,
  particularly in Serengeti District
• (iii) The majority of the villages had more than
  3 maize mills and some even as many as 6 maize
  mills all operating on diesel.

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The Largest Lake in Africa but Bunda has little
water there is even some History

• Less than half the population of Bunda has
  protected water supplies
• With the right investment and policies this
  historical site can be an asset for Serengeti
  District

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Indicators of Poverty or Wealth
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Business Women Fantastic Sunsets

• Females play a significant role in the informal
  economy in Serengeti district
• The beauty of the landscapes of Mara are
  reflected in the sunsets

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PLASTICS Vibrant Local Markets

• There is a demand for basic consumer goods
• but even more interesting
• Is the VIBRANT weekly traditional market in Mgumu
  Township there is a surplus

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Information and Communications

• Increasing use of the mobile telephone
• No internet ISPs in either district and no
  internet cafes
• Internet being used in the district at own
  premises or in cybercafes outside the districts
• On Premises
• District Council offices
• Some big businesses
• Institutions (e.g. DDH in Bunda district)

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Information and communication

• Off premises
• Businesses
• Institutions
• Individuals
• Sector use
• LGA
• Education
• Health
• SMEs

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Public Access to IT in the Urban Area and a Rural
ICT

• Public access to telephony in Bunda Town
• BUT
• Even rural HHs do invest in improved housing and
  ICT

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Satellite Dishes Cross Country Buses in the
Rural Areas

• Village Shop Bar/ RestaurantICT the hidden
  persuader
• Links with neighbours in Arusha, Mwanza, Nairobi

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Count the Dishes Pampering the Staff or
Globalization?

• A good comfortable life for TANAPA Staff ..
• Given the resources of Mara this type of comfort
  zone is possible for many, many more.
• Impossible if people are excluded from rights to
  their resources and development

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Where do Tanzanians invest?

• Good Private Schools are an indication of unequal
  growth!
• However, they are potential users of the
  broadband

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Mara is the playground of Billionaires in US
More and more land is for National Parks and
Foreign Gold Mining Interests

• Getting out of poverty, means investing in
  education and schools
• Joining hands with the private sectors
• Taking Advantage of technological development
• Transparent enough to encourage people
• Development with evictions and oblivious to the
  needs of people leads to illusive development

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Implications of the Findings

• There is a demand for cheaper and more effective
  ICTs.
• Currently large sums of money are being used on
  mobiles and on travel to do business
• The indications of the demand seem to indicate
  that internet services can be operated on a
  self-sustaining business basis
• The initial clients are the district council, the
  better off business people and the private
  educational, health and financial institutions,
  financial institutions like Pride and NGOs

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• The mobiles will continue to be popular so
  interventions will need to take into account the
  need for voice as well as other uses of the
  broadband

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Challenges

• The survey has raised peoples expectations how
  will these expectations be met? Who will lead the
  process? Who will participate?
• There is need to consider ICTs within the current
  national policy of enhancing SMEs. Can some of
  the 1 billion shillings be used to start at least
  one public access internet café in each district?
  
• At least two persons in Serengeti District are
  currently involved in such business in Musoma.
  How can they be persuaded to open similar
  businesses in Bunda and Mgumu?

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The Way Forward

• For the baseline study the way forward to
  complete the analysis, fill in any gaps and
  finish and disseminate the report
• For Bunda and Serengeti the first priority is to
  use the optic fibre for providing voice and non
  voice ICT services
• THANK YOU FOR LISTENING