Dar es Salaam. The Minister of Information, Information Technology and Communication, Jerry Silla has said that digital creativity is the only way that will enable young people to be self-employed and solve the challenges facing society.
He said this today September 19, 2024 at the technology innovation competition conference (US-Tanzania Tech Challenge 2024) organized by the American Embassy held in Dar es Salaam.
“We would like young people to be self-employed, when they study IT, computer science, or computer engineering. The goal is to develop technology that can be used to solve problems, for example there are people who discovered this M-Pesa that is used by the whole community to send and receive money,” he said.
He has said that apart from technology enabling young people to be self-employed, it will facilitate the provision of community and business services.
“We are a facilitating ministry, for example today the provision of health services, it is understood that it is the patient who meets the doctor, but through Tehama, the doctor can be in Dar es Salaa and provide services in Kagera or Mtwara. Today a coffee farmer in Kagera or a cashew farmer in Mtwara can use Tehama to find a buyer inside and outside the country,” he said.
The US Deputy Ambassador in the country, Andrew Lentz said the large number of applicants shows that Tanzania has an awareness of digital creativity.
“It is a historic competition because we have been running these competitions in various places in the world, but in Tanzania it has given a large number of applications for digital creativity. Most of them are young people under 45 years old, women and men. Tanzania has a great awareness of technological innovation,” he said.
Among the competitors who sent applications are the CEO of Hamasa Media Group, Baraka Kiranga who said that their company is in line with the growth of the media sector.
“In the last 10 years, we have witnessed an increase in the media, for example there are 60 television stations, more than 300 newspapers and more than 200 radio stations. Now that there are many media outlets, there is a need to process that information to enable the Government and various stakeholders to get the information they can work with evidence.
“We have the ability to process information from 100 news sources at the same time and provide intelligence information to stakeholders who use the information to make their decisions. We have started here in Tanzania and later we will move to Kenya and Zimbabwe,” he said.
And the Content Director from The Launchpad Tanzania, Warda Mansour has said that they have participated in the competition to promote the participation of young people and women in the use of social networks.
“We are happy to participate in this competition, because we have had the opportunity to show our ability in matters of public participation. There is a Sauti Zao program that we started that allows young people to comment on the problems they face in society,” he said.
