Tanzania shines in cybersecurity index

TANZANIA: TANZANIA has been named the 2nd country in the cybersecurity index for African countries and the first in the provision of high-speed internet service to homes and buildings on the continent.

Speaking recently during a special interview, Information and Communication Technologies Commission (ICTC) Director-General Dr Nkundwe Mwasaga said that the cybersecurity index is based on information provided by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI).

Dr Mwasaga said that the information about the country having high-speed internet is based on network readiness tests (global Network Readiness Index 2023) prepared by Portulans institutions and the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, England.

He added that the success is due to ICTC’s efforts in designing, promoting, and developing innovative technology work and programs.

“We provide opportunities for young people to design various Information Technology (IT) works and programmes to develop technology and make it a digital Tanzania,” Dr Mwasaga said.

However, the ICTC DG said that in stimulating the development of the digital economy, the government through ICTC is continuing with the plan to build eight IT centres in the country, adding that the main objective of establishing centres is to ensure that it manages five pillars, including promoting innovative talents in IT and expanding the scope for youth to be creative and develop it.

According to him, the Centres are expected to be built in various regions including Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Lindi, Tanga, Mwanza, Mbeya, and Zanzibar.

“This is an initial plan, but the current strategy is to build centres in all regions and districts so that citizens can use them and learn the whole issue of technology,” he said.

He said the centres, which will accommodate 200 people at a time, will be built in school areas that will help the youth in the country to continue to develop various things related to technology.

“I am asking various stakeholders to cooperate in establishing these centres, the aim is to promote different talents and protect innovative technological works,” he added Dr Mwasaga also said that many people have been afraid of artificial intelligence believing it can make them unemployed, which is not true because it helps people gain new knowledge about the technology.

He said that ICTC will also build an Artificial Intelligence centre, which is expected to facilitate special training for 500 IT experts to promote and develop IT skills in the country.

“We expect to establish ICT Refurbishment and Assembly Centre and District ICT Start-up Innovation Hubs in 10 districts,” he said.

He said the commission will conduct studies on the development of IT in the country and conduct a national evaluation of the implementation steps of various IT strategies, adding that it will coordinate and organise events to attract investment and promote IT product markets in the country and abroad.

“We will cooperate with development partners and international companies in developing innovative technologies, including facilitating the production of technological products in this country,” he said.

On the other hand, he said due to the efforts of ICTC and the government in general, ITU intends to collaborate with the government to build an IT innovation center that will serve the East African Region. ICTC also intends to coordinate and develop a management system for the implementation of the IT Policy and conduct studies to be able to make policy improvements based on technology changes.

Other strategies include building a Metaverse Studio for creating metaverse content and also improving the content of the networks, including conducting IT development studies for each district and establishing a Resilience Academy Centre in this country.

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