DAR ES SALAAM: MINISTER for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Mr Nape Nnauye, has said the government is in the process of improving its IT policy to meet the environmental and technological advancements of the world.
He remarked this on Monday in Dar es Salaam during the Seeds for the Future Awarding Ceremony to award Tanzanian students participating in Huawei's Seeds for the Future (SFTF) programme in Tanzania's commercial hub.
He said the improvement was after noticing some loopholes as well as some of the policy's articles being outdated.
"The government has recognized that artificial intelligence (AI) is the direction the world is going. In order to ensure that the IT policy complies with current legal requirements and that there is legislation in place to regulate any unfavorable effects of A, we have initiated a review process," he said.
Mr Nnauye also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Huawei and his Ministry that seeks to leverage cutting-edge technologies and international best practices to enhance the nation's digital ecosystem and propel it toward becoming a smart nation where technology and innovation empower the growth of the digital economy.
Furthermore, he stated that the government must embrace AI in spite of some negativity because it is currently unavoidable in all areas of development.
In a similar vein, Minister Nape has urged the nation's youth to keep up with technological advancements and not fall behind.
He also used the podium to urge academic institutions to host a number of initiatives in an effort to boost the proportion of female students studying technology-related subjects.
He further lauded Huawei's support for nurturing youth talents in information, communication, and technology, saying these are the main drivers for the country's digital transformation and knowledge-based economy.
"As you can see, I advised them to empower female students in technology-related areas. Considering that worldwide data indicates that girls' participation is insufficient, I have advised them to make investments in empowering female children in the field of technology," he noted.
UDOM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lughano Kusiluka, commended the government and Huawei for their efforts to promote information technology at the nation's institutions and noted that more work needs to be done to inspire the next generation of tech-savvy individuals.
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"Technology is inevitable as we head toward the fifth industrial revolution, so we want the next generation of young people to advance in this area so they can support themselves financially," he said.
In line with it, he also praised the UDOM students who won the competition prizes.
For his part, the managing director of Huawei Tanzania, Mr. Damon Zhang, said the program continuously empowers the youth and has had extensive influence among universities in Tanzania.
The SFTF program is one of Huawei's global flagship programs dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students.
In Tanzania, the program was launched in 2016 with the support of the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, contributing to the development of ICT talent and aligning with the vision of a digital economy as a strategic framework for the country.
