DODOMA — MINISTER for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Mr Nape Nnauye has assured Tanzanians and public institutions that they will get an opportunity to listen to and better understand all ministries' budgets through the media, so that they can participate in implementation.
Mr Nape said that soon after the conclusion of the government budget in the National Assembly, the ministry will continue with the process of giving every ministry a chance to explain to the media what they got in the budget process and what they expect to implement.
He made the statement during an exclusive interview with Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) yesterday morning towards the conclusion of the central government budget 2024/2025.
"The 90-day budget process discussion is too long for citizens to monitor and know everything that is going on in the government budget. The ministry will ensure that citizens and various institutions listen to each Ministry through the media to better understand what has been passed so that they can participate in the implementation" Mr Nape said.
Speaking about the decrease of the ministry's budget from 212.5bn/- in 2023/2024 to 181bn/- in 2024/2025 financial year, Mr Nape said the government has created a good environment for the private sector to participate in development projects implemented by the ministry.
"For example, in the plan to connect internet to all schools in the country, the ministry involved the private sector, including Airtel which pledged to implement the project in more than 3000 schools.
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Moreover, the Minister said that the ministry expects to establish a special fund for journalists training, including journalists who specialise in the reporting of parliamentary information to avoid reporting incorrect information.
Mr Nape added that even information officers who are sent to various institutions and ministries should also be given training in the sector they work in so that they can be confident in providing information to the public regarding their areas.
However, Minister Nape said the government plans to enable citizens to use more digital systems in their daily activities, including buying products through money transactions without using cash, adding that the use of digital money will increase the scope of taxpayers and facilitate the implementation of many development projects.
"Based on the assessment made by the World Bank regarding countries that are ready to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the service provision revolution, Tanzania is one of the countries that has been given grade A," he said.
On the other hand, Minister Nape assured Tanzanians that the cost of communication services in the country will continue to decrease until every Tanzanian can afford it because communication services are part of human right that everyone should have.
He said that the government sends electricity to communication towers to reduce the cost of using a generator and increases the number of users by constructing towers in different places to reduce operation costs.
He added that in strengthening communication services, the government has set five pillars in the country's communication sector, including availability, affordability, quality, safety and impact.
