GROWTH IN DIGITAL LANDSCAPE IS IMPORTANT FOR TANZANIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH

Across the world, the digital landscape is developing at a significant pace, driven in part by people’s use of mobile data.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (CTAD), global data traffic is set to increase and reach 150,700 GB per second in 2022. This is a notable increase from just a few years ago in 2017 when there was only 46,600 GB per second.

Part of this growth can be attributed to an increase in data consumption in Africa. For example, across one network the usage of data rose by 52 per cent in 2019.

These recent figures represent positive news for the Tanzanian economy.

Indeed, according to a report by the World Bank, Tanzania’s digital landscape represents an important driver for the future growth of the economy. In addition, the convergence of increasing mobile internet penetration and innovative technologies also serves as one of the best ways of helping to drive Tanzania’s social development forward in years to come.

For example, Tanzania’s telecom sector has worked closely with the Tanzanian health providers to develop new and innovative ways to make it easier for parents to register their child’s birth. Services such as these are helping lay the foundation for parents to access a range of services such as medical care and immunisation programmes.

In the longer term, birth registration also provides people with what is known as digital identity, helping to people get jobs and pay their taxes.

Tigo Tanzania – one of the country’s best known telecom providers – has played a key role in providing this service. Tigo’s application allows parents to register the birth of a child simply by using their mobile phone. As well as being a quick and convenient service to their customers, this application will also help to ensure that people are able to benefit from all of society’s offerings in years to come.

To help the country’s telecom providers to continue making innovative solutions, now is an important time to work closely with the sector. By listening carefully to their needs and supporting them where appropriate, we can help them plan for the coming years so they can continue delivering value added services.

Anna Ezekwiseli, 

DIT