DODOMA: THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) pavilion at the 31st Annual Farmers’ Week Exhibition (Nanenane) at Nzuguni in Dodoma has become a crowd puller, with communications services prospective investors and consumers, faced with challenges, flocking to and have their problems instantly resolved.
TCRA is among over 320 institutions showcasing their services and products at Nanenane grounds, where the 2024 Farmers’ Exhibition is commemorated at the national level.
The celebrations climax on Wednesday.
Themed “Embracing Visionary Leadership for Agricultural Transformation”, the exhibition was officially opened by the Prime Minister Mr Kassim Majaliwa, on August 1st, this year with a call to agricultural research institutions to be more innovative, so as to promote productivity and efficiency of agricultural products.
Telecommunication and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs)- Digital Services regulated by TCRA have been proven to be key enablers of various agricultural activities, like knowing weather conditions, sourcing potential markets for the agricultural products through online systems and receiving payments through mobile money and online systems.
TCRA’s senior officers in Central Zone, Dodoma and others from Dar es Salaam have been engaging a steady stream of consumers thronging the pavilion, with issues ranging from quality of services and tariffs for mobile voice and data services to safety against online fraudulent acts.
The pavilion is designed as a one-stop centre with the presence of representatives from the Union of Mobile Phone Technicians in Dodoma and Sign Language Translators.
Telecommunication services providers are also in active participation in the colourful annual event. They include the Tanzania Telecommunication Corporation (TTCL), Airtel, Halotel, Tigo and Vodacom.
There is currently great growth in the telecommunication sector, with more than 76.6 million registered mobile phone SIM cards, more than 55.7 million mobile money accounts – which facilitate money transactions and 39.3 million internet users by June 2024, according to the Telecommunication Sector Performance Statistical information, which the TCRA Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari released in Dar es Salaam recently.
Innovators in ICT who create solutions to various ICTs related social challenges are offered free of charge, Valuable Communication Resources of Frequency Spectrum, Numbering and Domain Names, Dot TZ (.TZ).
The Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH) has to approve the viability of the innovative project before TCRA gives the resources, says Dr Bakari.
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Telecommunications services reach more than 90 per cent of Tanzanians, according to the statistics. A recent Global Safety Survey Index by the Geneva based Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that Tanzania’s Online Systems are second best on safety, hence most secure among the continent’s 54 African Countries.
Besides fielding questions, the officers have been providing education on online safety and tips on effective and responsible usage of on line, digital services.
Addressing visitors at the pavilion yesterday, the TCRA Manager for Central Zone-Dodoma Eng Asajile John urged consumers to go for Online economic opportunities and cautioned them consumers to be vigilant while using communications services for their safety so as to void thefts and fraudulent through mobile phone and internet networks.
Eng Asajile advised the visitors at the pavilion not respond to any unsolicited messages on mobile phones and instead forward through short massage the suspicious phone numbers to toll-free code number “15040”.
