Govt tasks experts on digital innovation
INFORMATION Technology (IT) professionals have been challenged to continue being innovative by bringing in new ideas to enable them penetrate the digital market.
The Deputy Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Engineer Kundo Mathew, made the remarks recently during the Innovation Tech Forum held in Dar es Salaam.
The Fifth Forum carried a theme ‘A Forward-Looking and Integrated Approach to Policy Making in the Digital Age’ summoned by the Media Convergency Company Limited together with Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) aimed at encouraging innovations so as to penetrate the digital world.
He said technology is vital in today’s world, where every day new ideas are being brought up to simplify human activities that the government saw it is important to support followed by at least 400bn/- that was put aside two years ago.
“The government has set aside that amount of money to strengthen the innovations department including the development of our online systems to operate with no barriers,” said Eng Mathew.
He added that the government has also established departments in different regions including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Dodoma; and Zanzibar to enable digital innovation, especially the startups being able to develop their ideas.
Media Convergency’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms Asha Abdullah, said the purpose of the platform is to empower both experts and young innovators to unveil their capabilities and be able to attract investors that will be funding their ideas.
“Tanzania has many young people who have many productive ideas, so through this platform we will be able to reach the government to get ideas that they will work on to help young people, especially creative people,” said Ms Abdullah.
The Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC), Executive Secretary, Dr George Wanga, speaking about the country’s policy-making on technology, said that they should be focusing on promoting development of the technology to enable the innovators to develop from being a regular startup to another professional level so that could contribute to the growth of the national income.
“We want policies that will be able to raise the designer from the startup level to the professional where we would see our innovators get the chance to be able to sell their products in the world market to attract more investors,” Dr Mwanga said.
