The Fourth Innovation and Tech Forum; The Digital Tanzania We Need – What will it take to realize it?
It has been a very interesting journey of the Innovation and Tech Forum. August 19th saw the fourth Innovation and Tech forum. The last three forums have seen physical participation growing at each convening, from 52 participants at Buni Innovation Hub to 95 participants at the 3rd Convening right here at Coral Beach Hotel. The last forum gave us a digital engagement with an immediate reach of 7 million and an impression of over 70 million across digital platforms in five days. Of the identified challenges required to be submitted to respective mentioned bodies (such as respective authorities or cooperates), the most successful so far has been that which we submitted to Vodacom as a result of the 2nd Innovation Forum. Further information can be accessed in our previous reports. The forum is under the custodianship of COSTECH and the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Funguo Program, with the theme “The Digital Tanzania We Need – What will it take to realize it?” and coordinated by Tech & Media Convergency (TMC).
These brilliant minds will add on to the overall objective of the forum – which is to create solution-oriented conversations in the ecosystem to identify the best approaches and not only understanding the challenges that are there – but also perceiving how to tackle them, the right and willing players to approach for collaborative solution-based results and how to create a lasting thriving environment of all ventures created in the ecosystem.
The fourth Innovation and Tech Forum event is here once again graced by the Chief guest Dr. Jim Yonazi – the Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology, Ms. Neema Lugangira – the Member of Parliament and Chair of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance, Mr. Mulembwa Munaku – the Director of ICT Sector, Dr Amos Nungu – the Director General of Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), Dr. Nkundwe Moses Mwasaga Director General of ICT Commission and the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative – Sergio Valdini.
Championed by the World bank’s Digital Tanzania project and the European Union’s Tanzania Digital project, the Digital technologies have advanced rapidly in the last five years and have transformed societies from organizational levels to individuals by enhancing connectivity in rural and urban areas. Tech & Media Convergency (TMC), an advocate of Digital Transformation and Absolute digitization, has been working towards ensuring that Tanzania is fully digitized and each individual can explore the available opportunities while understanding the challenges that digitization has come with. We hope that the choice of topic for the 4th forum adds value to the national agenda, crucial in this forth industrial revolution.
The forum will bring together great minds on the stage as they share their digital experiences and knowledge. A hot panel discussion session will explore what complete digitization entices from the challenges and opportunities; it will explore what and how different sectors from public, private and international development partners through different initiatives can contribute towards building a digitized Tanzania. These brilliant minds will include:
- Jones Mrusha – Technology Executive and Founder, Innovation Hub255
- Peter Baziwe – Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
- Flora Ismail – Board Member, DIGILOGIC, Former Programme Director, Southern African Innovation
- Risha Chande – Director of Advocacy and Engagement TWAWEZA
- Nguvu Kamando – Director of Digital Services Vodacom
The forum will also have a Fireside chat that will be led by Joseph E. Manirakiza, the Programme Manager, UNDP Funguo Innovation Programme; other members include
- Nkundwe Moses Mwasaga – Director General, ICT Commission
- Justina Mashiba – CEO, Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF)
- Neema Lugangira – Member of Parliament and Chair of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance,
The Forum pursues a better understanding of the current Tanzania digital landscape. As speakers will reconnoiter the challenges and opportunities to understand the ongoing initiatives to drive the digital transformation, it will enable participants to contribute productively towards enhancing the ongoing initiatives and propose solutions to the existing challenges for the policymakers, implementers, and other stakeholders to consider while shaping their interventions and be able to explore the untapped opportunities.
The digital transformation journey is a multi-sectoral intervention. With the #InnoTechForum, we seek to bring all those responsible for this journey to share and explore together how this forum can not only be a part of the discussion but also be an influencing chatter towards several changes in building the Digital Tanzania we need. We put our hands together with the government through its different initiatives to achieve a digitized Tanzania.
See prior reports of the Innovation and Tech Forum