Tanzania to begin producing laptops

DODOMA: TANZANIA is on the verge of establishing a major factory to produce laptops branded as “Tanzanite.” Most of these laptops will be directed towards enhancing the ICT sector, focusing on primary and secondary schools.

This was revealed in Dodoma yesterday when the Director General of the ICT Commission, Dr Nkundwe Mwasaga, made a presentation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Moshi Kakoso.

Dr Mwasaga stated that this achievement is the result of government efforts through the ICT Commission to attract investment and establish ICT manufacturing facilities in the country.

“We are making good progress. The Commission has already visited the company QuadGen Wireless Solutions Pvt. Ltd in Bangalore, India, to assess their capacity after the company expressed willingness to invest in a factory to produce laptops and smart boards for school use.

“The Commission is continuing discussions with this company to facilitate joint venture investments in SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) factories in Tanzania. This aligns with the African Union’s vision for the continent to have its own ICT product manufacturing industries,” said Dr Mwasaga.

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The Committee praised the initiative, urging the ICT Commission to accelerate the implementation of its responsibilities, noting that the nation is now focused on building a digital economy through its large youth population.

The Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee, Moshi Kakoso, commended the efforts and stressed that such opportunities should not be missed but rather fully exploited to benefit the country.

He added that mistakes were made in the past when investors expressed interest in producing goods locally but ended up relocating to neighbouring countries.