Tanzania is targeting 80% internet access by 2025
DAR ES SALAAM, May 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The government is inviting investors to establish mobile phone assembly lines in Tanzania to tap into a huge market of those not served, with a goal to reach 80 percent of internet users by 2025.
The country has so far 43.7 million mobile phone subscribers but only 23.1 million of them get internet, with up to 86 per cent locked out in rural areas compared to 44.6 per cent in urban areas.
According to the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) director general, Amos Nungu, the availability of affordable smartphones would revolutionise the internet use and help spur economic growth.
Nungu spoke during a media symposium ahead of Innovation Week that starts Monday across the country themed: “Innovation for a Resilience and Inclusive Digital Economy.”
Innovation Week is curated by the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and COSTECH, with support from UKAid and other partners and sponsors. The purpose of Innovation Week is to inspire current and future leaders in the country to take risks on new ideas, collaborate across sectors and transform Tanzania through the impact of innovation.
In Dar es Salaam, stakeholders will be meeting at the LAPF towers in Makumbusho area for the week-long show casing and knowledge sharing event.
At the media workshop, Nungu said the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) was working closely with stakeholders to ensure a majority of Tanzanians afford smartphones to access internet. “The government wants an inclusive digital economy that will ensure all people from all walks of life including the marginalised have access to the internet,” he said.
The government, he noted, aimed to ensure the optic fibre is in both rural and urban areas.
Meanwhile, UNDP, Head of Inclusive Growth Pillar, Emmanuel Nnko said innovation has created employment of Tanzanians in many fields including agriculture, education among many more. — NNN-AGENCIES
