Information and Communication Technology Implications to Development in Tanzania

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Information and Communication Technology
Implications to Development in Tanzania
University of Dar es Salaam
PUBLIC POLICY DIALOGUE 24th November
2000 Karimjee Hall
ByProf. B. Mutagahywa
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This Presentation

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Information Technology Issues
• 3. Implications of IT to Development
• 4. Conclusions

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Introduction

• ICT is Changing the way we live our lives
• ICT Definition
• Equipment like computer, TV sets telephones etc.
• Information
• Application software/OS software
• Net standards/Protocols
• The people

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Information and Communication Technology Issues

• Technology
• Evolve at rapid rate
• There plenty of innovations
• The greatest growth today is in networked
  technologies
• Economics
• Information Technology challenges current
  economic thinking
• The economics of information overturns the
  traditional theory of assuming perfect
  information and examining changes in supply,
  demand, and price

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Information Technology Issues (Cont...)

• Regulation
• Our Government is moving from the role of owner
  and operator of services to a referee
• The IT industry is free-wheeling,
  entrepreneurial, global and unregulated
• Policymakers in Tanzania need to create new
  policy principles for convergent services that
  mix computers - unregulated and highly
  competitive and content - governed by regulated
  notions of what is right and proper in our
  society.

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Information Technology Issues (Cont...)

• International Framework
• The role of international organisations is
  crucial especially in IT, because of the
  requirement to have compatible standards between
  producers and consumers of IT products in the
  liberalised global economy.

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Implications of ICT to Development

• ICT and Governance
• We are in an Information Age
• The Key idea of the Information Age is
  information knowledge
• ICT is the driving force, the enabler and
  facilitator of Information Age
• ICT create conducive environment for a knowledge
  society
• ICT can influence every dimension of human life -
  social, economic and political

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Implications of ICT to Development

• ICT and Governance (cont...)
• Social dimension
• Within the social dimension there are many
  opportunities for development. Three important
  ones are
• The democratisation of knowledge
• Some individuals or members of the society are
  empowered with knowledge while the marginalised
  part of the society is disempowered.
• Promotion of learning and literacy
• IT facilitates creation of learning or
  knowledge-based society
• The rise of borderless communities.

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Implications of ICT to Development

• ICT and Governance (cont...)
• Economic Dimension
• Numerous exciting opportunities
• Addition of intellectual capital
• Quantum jumps in economic growth
• Increased global and regional trading
  opportunities using e-commerce

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Implications of ICT to Development

• ICT and Governance (cont...)
• Political Dimension
• Liberalisation of minority groups
• Threat to the status quo

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Implications of ICT to Development

• ICT and Economy

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ICT in Teaching and Learning

• Teaching methods have been static
• stand and deliver
• even in distance education underlying model
  remained
• Motivation
• extend good teaching/learning practices
• preparing students for future jobs

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Benefits of applying ICT in teaching and Learning

• Communication
• students/students/teachers
• e-mails, discussion lists, computer conferencing
  Access to Information Resources
• electronic databases, search engines, www,
  CD-ROMS
• Discussion
• Information sharing and dissemination at any
  level
• Easy access of course materials

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ICT in Teaching and Learning

• Publication
• Reduce the cost of publication of quality
  materials
• Easy access of information
• E-learning
• Extension of learning process beyond campus
  environment
• Internet Searches
• electronic databases, library search engines,
  digital educational materials, resources on the
  www. and on CD ROMS.
• Collaborative Work
• Group-Ware and electronic learning environments

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Other advantages

• Effective resources sharing,
• Increased access to wide variety of
  services available globally and locally,
• Flexibility,
• Reliability,
• Fast speed,
• Much reduced operational costs,
• Partnership between institutions, academicians
  and students.

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Conclusions

• Information and Communication Technology
  represents a turning point in Tanzania
  development, offering our country the potential
  to reduce the development gap and alleviate
  poverty among its population. IT can enable less
  advanced countries like Tanzania to make a big
  leap forward, by helping them to streamline
  public services and expand educational and
  investment opportunities.
• Policy makers should focus on creating an
  information-friendly environment, which includes
  proper telecommunication policies, reducing state
  monopolies, increasing private initiatives, and
  protecting intellectual property.