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Unlocking Tanzania’s future: STEM education as a catalyst

TANZANIA is at a turning point regarding its economic competitiveness and developing technological capabilities.

TANZANIA is at a turning point regarding its economic competitiveness and developing technological capabilities.

Reading the book “Digital Government, The Power of Homegrown ICT Solutions”, authored by Dr Jabiri Kuwe Bakari, the current Director General of Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Tanzania possesses every element required for a substantial shift in the socio-economic landscape.

Unquestionably, Tanzania offers tremendous promise due to its landmass size, young and vibrant population and educated diaspora operating globally in industries like tech, entrepreneurship, research, medicine and so forth.

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Yet, the country lags and has not exploited its full potential, not because of a lack of resources or talent but because of deeply entrenched systemic issues in Tanzania and across Africa.

To unlock this potential, we must strategically confront internal and external factors that have held back progress for decades.

The historical and ongoing exploitation of Africa’s natural and human resources by foreign governments and companies is one of the most significant issues affecting most countries. Western businesses must still make tax payments to plunder the continent for money.

Multinational firms’ tax avoidance is estimated to cost African nations 50 billion US dollars in lost income each year, which could be used to fund infrastructure, healthcare and education. Some African leaders enable corrupt practices that continue this exploitation in exchange for their benefit.

As a result, the continent’s wealth benefits a small elite and foreign powers while most of its citizens continue to live in poverty.

This is a dismal reality. Tom Burgis, the author of The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth, vividly illustrates how foreign powers pillage Africa’s resources with the collaboration of the continent’s political elite.

Many African countries are not exempt from this. Significant national resources have been wasted or syphoned off unprocessed with no value addition due to a lack of accountability and transparency in governance, leaving little for substantial development.

Despite their natural and human potential, many African countries’ future risks staying trapped in a cycle of underdevelopment without solid leadership, a nationalistic mindset and sound governance. From an economic perspective, a stable capacity to adjust to the changing global dynamic lies at the heart of any significant socioeconomic progress.

One of the main obstacles to development in Tanzania, like in many other countries of Africa, is the need for more confidence in homegrown solution technology. Without a clear investment climate, no prudent investor will commit a nation.

ALSO READ: Mkenda advocates for STEM education

For example, industry, technology, healthcare and education development depend on reliable energy. Tanzania is now working to secure a steady energy supply, hindering its economic potential and making it harder for enterprises to operate profitably and draw in foreign investment.

As it stands, with Mwalimu Julius Nyerere hydropower production, the country is on its journey to ensure a consistent electricity supply, which has stifled its economic potential, leaving businesses unable to function efficiently and limiting the ability to attract foreign investment.

Tanzania has abundant sunshine compared to most African countries, which presents an excellent opportunity to use solar energy as a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative.

If we plan strategically, the country might stay strong and gain a vital chance to advance into the future while nations everywhere else are racing to invest in attaining their full potential to benefit their people economically.

For instance, investing in clean and environmentally sourced energy would establish the nation as a leader in the global switch to green energy sources and ensure a steady energy supply.

If the country wants to achieve its development objectives, it must refrain from heavily and irregularly depending on energy imports. The country’s ability to stay up to date with technological advancements worldwide and its energy infrastructure will determine its destiny.

The potential for digital government was barely touched upon in Dr Bakari’s book; Tanzania will eventually need to commit substantial funds to STEM i.e. science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Why? The world is changing quickly, and those nations that need a workforce with the necessary STEM skills will stay caught up. To ensure that the next generation is ready to participate in the global economy and support innovation and growth, the Tanzanian educational system must be reorganised to prioritise these disciplines.

“Twenty years ago, was the best time to plant a tree,” goes the African saying. Right now, is the second-best time. Tanzania needs to find a way to put off laying the groundwork for an economy centred on information. STEM education must be at the top of the national agenda to ensure that young Tanzanians have the skills necessary to compete globally.

This is especially true as the country plans and continues to gather opinions that will serve as the basis for its vision for 2050. With outstanding visionary leadership, African nations’ growth potential can be achieved. However, as Dambisa Moyo describes in her well-known book Dead Aid, Africa’s economic progress is consistently hampered by lousy administration, corruption and leaders lacking vision and patriotism.

This persistent lack of leadership is a problem for many African countries. To advance African countries into a promising and economically competitive future, leaders with a clear vision for their countries’ future and a solid commitment to the welfare of their citizens are required.

To be precise, good governance involves more than eliminating corruption; it also entails developing public-benefit institutions. This entails making infrastructural investments, guaranteeing resource management responsibility and fostering an atmosphere that fosters corporate success. Visionary leaders are aware that their job is to create a nation where all citizens can prosper, not to profit themselves.

Therefore, the following critical steps to socioeconomic change could lead Tanzania into a future that is anticipated to benefit everyone. One is to make STEM education a priority. Investing in education, especially in STEM subjects, is essential to developing a workforce capable of innovation and economic success.

This will allow Tanzania to stay up to date with worldwide events. Two is to utilise the diaspora for development: The diaspora of Tanzanians is a rich source of information. If the government sets up the necessary frameworks to involve them in national development initiatives, their knowledge, remittances and contacts can support progress. The third is to strengthen anti-corruption and governance measures.

The nation must implement robust governance reforms to ensure that resource management is transparent and accountable. This will foster an atmosphere that is favourable to development and attract more foreign direct investment. Lastly, constructing infrastructure for sustainable growth: Developing infrastructure is essential to advancing the economy, especially transportation, IT and energy.

International assistance and public-private partnerships can help lay the groundwork required for sustained prosperity. Vision perpetually powers a future. Tanzania stands out from many other countries in Africa and our economic blocs, both within the SADC and the EAC economic region, in that it can capitalise on its youthful population, diaspora and natural riches.

However, this pot and a long terminal will be a vision for the tapped with sound governance in the future. The days of taking quick cuts and acting impulsively are gone. “We face forward; we face neither East nor West,” as Kwame Nkrumah renownedly stated in one of his speeches.

It’s time for Tanzania and African nations to advance purposefully, utilising the resources and people and unfolding potential already in place to create a bright, sustainable future for all.