TANZANIA READY TO EMBRACE SMART CITIES TECHNOLOGIES

 

BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA

Tanzania is ready to embrace smart technologies in order to improve service delivery for its growing cities.

The drive will also promote the digital economy and the development of the urban centres already overwhelmed by the rising population.

"We need modern technologies to deliver smart services," affirmed the deputy minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology Mr. Kundo Mathew.

He told journalists that modern technologies were needed to manage the cities for delivery of "smart services," to their respective dwellers.

He was briefing the media on the plan on Wednesday last after opening a gathering of experts from all over the world who met to discuss technological advancements.

Through smart technologies, the urban authorities would be able to better manage their infrastructure such as the parking lots and community services.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and Metaverse are expected to drive the agenda in the hope that they would transform the cities and communities. 

Mr.Mathew said the government is currently putting in place policy and legal frameworks to successfully achieve the same for improved livelihoods.

The ten-day conference at an Arusha hotel has been organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the local partners.

Bringing together technology and communication experts from across the world, it would deliberate on progress and challenges related to ICTs. 

The gathering, dubbed ITU-T Study Group 20, is discussing how IoT can transform "the way we live and work in our cities and communities". 

Mr.Mathew said the conference offered an opportunity for Tanzania to showcase its capabilities in ICTs, noting that smart technologies would improve efficiency in government services.

He pledged Tanzania's willingness to collaborate with other nations in exchanging knowledge and sharing best practices in the technological field. 

The director general of Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Jabiri Bakari said the smart cities project would strengthen the country's digital economy. 

"The ITU meeting will provide an opportunity to learn from other countries and share its expertise in the IoT and smart cities field", he pointed out. 

The Dodoma Mayor Prof Davis Mwamfupe said a smart city programme was needed to address fast urbanization in the developing countries.

He said besides improved service delivery through application of ICT, it would increase productivity and quality of livelihoods of people.

Prof Mwamfupe,who doubles as an urban planning expert, said Dodoma city was contemplating to embrace smart  technologies to boost its growth.

He added that ITU has been roped in the programme because smart sustainable cities depended much on telecommunication infrastructure that is stable,secure and reliable.