DOT receives $573k grant for innovation, ICT training, outreach programme

By Milad Mosapoor (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Tanzania’s Digital Opportunities Trust (DOT) has received a grant in excess of GBP390,000 (US$573,000) from the UK’s Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) for the launch of a combined innovation, technology training and community outreach pilot programme.

The grant supports the launch of DOT’s “Fusion – Technology and Innovation in Formal and Informal Learning” pilot project – to be run in collaboration with Tanzania’s Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) – which combines promoting technical skills and innovation in education institutes with youth outreach in local communities.

The project will combine two of DOT’s core programmes – ReachUp! and TeachUp!; ReachUp! focusing on training local college and university graduates to coach community members in technology and real skills, while the TeachUp! programme places graduates into VETA facilities to support teachers with their use of ICT in classrooms.

DOT said the new combined programme hopes to impact 2,000 Tanzanian students and out-of-school youth, as well as 120 teachers and instructors over the two year pilot.

“DOT Tanzania is very excited to be recognized as an innovative social enterprise, contributing to the country’s Big Results Now (BRN) initiative,” said Eliguard Dawson, DOT Tanzania’s country programme manager.

“Through this programme, DOT Tanzania and VETA will work together to improve the technology skills of VETA trainers and will learn new methodologies to improve both the formal and informal learning of their students.”

The pilot project will transform three VETA vocational training centres in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro into community learning hubs serving students enrolled at VETA, and out-of-school youth in the surrounding communities.

“In addition to the institutional benefits that VETA will receive in this partnership, VETA graduates will be equipped with the skills that are necessary to empower them to be job creators, not employment seekers,” said Zebadiah Moshi, Director General of VETA.

“The spill-over effect to youth-out-of-school around each VETA centre is huge.”

Dar port to become nation’s biggest revenue contributor

The Minister Of East African Cooperation Dr Harrison Mwakyembe.

THE Dar es Salaam Port will in three year time lead in contributing to the national income if the ongoing improvements to enhance efficiency at the port are timely implemented.

The Minister of East African Cooperation Dr Harrison Mwakyembe said this in Dar es Salaam after inaugurating the first 2015 Economic Freedom of Tanzania Conference organised by Uhuru Initiative for Policy and Education.

“The government commitments to remove all red tapes at the Dar es Salaam port and adoption of latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are progressively changing the port performance to international standards,” he said.

Dr Mwakyembe cited among others, the introduction of the Single Customs Territory (SCT) and the recent launching of the three freight wagon train routes to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.

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TPA services set to improve after TTCL’s fibre connectivity

TANZANIA Ports Authority’s (TPA) services are set to improve following completion of a major Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project connecting the headquarter’s office and its 13 branches throughout the country.

The project connects TPA with the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) with Fibre Optic Cable through a system called Multiprotocal Label Switching Virtual Private Network (MPLS VPN).

Through MPLS VPN system, TPA’s voice, data and internet services are set to be efficient and facilitate in improving services. “This project implemented by TTCL will help us improve ports’ services and those for our clients,” the TPA Acting Director for ICT, Mr Killian Chale, said during the official project handover ceremony held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

TPA’s branches connected with the system include headquarter office, Mwanza Port, Kigoma Port, Mtwara Port, Tanga port, Dar es Salaam Port, Mafia Port, Lindi Port, Kilwa, Pemba, Bukoba, Nansio and Musoma Ports.

According to Mr Chale, communication between one port and another will now use CISCO extension that is less expensive and efficient. “Paper works have tremendously dropped, hence increasing efficiency,” he noted.

He explained that the project was part of the ongoing efforts to improve Tanzania’s ports and make them competitive. He urged TTCL to continue with such a healthy relations with TPA to make the country’s ports modern in terms of ICT.

TTCL’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Senzige Kisenge hailed TPA for the decision to upgrade ICT infrastructure. “Your decision conforms to the government’s mission to use technology in attaining sustainable development,” he said.

He noted that the project was a major step for TPA’s digital transformation that will help the authority to improve quality of services and increase in trade.

So far, over 200 offices under the Prime Minister’s Office, Local Government and Regional Administration have been connected with TTCL’s optic fibre. Also connected include hospitals, various government’s institutions, banks, telecommunication companies among others

Tanzania: Cyber Crime - ICT Experts Grapple With Thefts, Online Piracy

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ADVANCEMENTS in modern technology have helped countries develop and expand their communication networks, enabling faster and easier networking and information exchange.
Currently, there are nearly 2 billion internet users and over 5 billion mobile phone connections worldwide. Every day, 294 billion emails and 5 billion phone messages are exchanged.

Most people around the world now depend on consistent access and accuracy of these communication channels. The growing popularity and convenience of digital networks, however, comes at a cost.
As businesses and societies in general increasingly rely on computers and internet- based networking, cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy have increased around the world.
A report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), shows more than US $445 billion gets lost annually with the damage for businesses nearly double than for individuals, through series of cyber crime, electronic theft, and online piracy.

The 2014 cyber security index from IBM Security Services shows that 23.1 per cent of cyber security incidents are targeted at finance and insurance industry.
Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) report of 2012 shows that the country has about 26,978,436 mobile phone subscribers. This situation extends the cyber crime challenge.
Tanzania, being the leading country as far as electronic money transfer through mobile phone is concerned, is a very vulnerable to cyber-crime and fraud. Mobile money transfer and others provide opportunities for the crime.

Reports show that Internet Security and Cyber Crimes have cost this country nearly 10 billion shilling (equivalent to USD $ 6 million) through cyberrelated fraud crimes, involving mostly card skimming and ATM thefts.
Records from the Ministry of Home Affairs shows that there are more than 300 cyber crime cases being investigated, some of which are about to be benched in courts of law.
Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Pereira Silima sees cyber criminals as technology-savvy individuals who are always miles ahead in digital competency compared to the people who try to track or pursue them.
"In most cases they can transcend territorial borders, hacking computers and stealing data thousands of miles away while remaining anonymous,"he explained saying that the government also tries to be miles ahead in technological advancement to fight against cyber crime, theft and online piracy.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology Prof Patrick Makungu says the government is ready to face challenges brought by cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy.
He gave the remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the Fourth Internet Security Workshop conducted recently at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) in Dar es Salaam.
Prof Makungu declares that the government has developed various measures to face those challenges, one of them being development of cyber law (Electronic and Postal Communications Act (EPOCA), No. 3 2010).
The permanent Secretary says the Cyber Crime Unit in the Police Force is one of the Government strategies to combat the crime, theft and online piracy.

"There is also establishment of computer emergency response team (CERT) which comprises a wide range of experts from government ministries, departments, and agencies; academia, banks, telecom service providers, police, military, and media," Prof Makungu said.
He called on local ICT experts to make sure they also learn different Internet security programmes to curb online piracy. Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Director General Dr Hassan Mshinda, says cyber crime, theft and online piracy poses a great challenge to the country and urges ICT experts to spend their time exploring about this problem.

"Cyber crime, theft and online Piracy are a big problem in Tanzania now days. I believe We can reduce these problems through science, technology and innovation as they are best solutions to those challenges," he notes adding that his commission (COSTECH) is a stakeholder in addressing technological problems.
Meanwhile, President of the Inter Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) Dr Junaid Zaidi advises local ICT experts to secure the data and applications on networks to the optimum level in order to counter the everchanging and technically advancing sophistications of cyber attacks.
Dr Aicha Bammoun from ISESCO states that Internet Security training is very important in any country as it enhances sensitisation on the problems of cyber crime and cyber security.
"Training in Internet Security can encourage the preparation and adoption of a harmonised framework of cyber security and legal and regulatory environment so as to reduce threats in cyber security in Tanzania," she noted.
It is reported that implementing cyber security measures requires skilled manpower. Tanzania still faces a shortage of skilled people to counter such cyber attacks. An effective cyber attack does not require an army; it takes just one individual. It is therefore advised to train more people to face cyber crime, electronic theft and online piracy challenge.

The 4th COMSATSISESCO- INIT Workshop on "Internet Security:Enhancing Information Exchange Safeguards" was conducted at headquarters of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) Kijitonyama Dar es Salaam from October 19-23, 2014.

It brought together 60 participants from Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal, Jordan, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to add knowledge on internet security.
The five-day Workshop was organised jointly by COSTECH in collaboration with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO); the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS); the Inter Islamic Network on Information Technology (INIT) and the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).

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Tanzania: Minister - New Houses to Be Optic Cable Network Compliant

PLANS are underway to introduce guidelines for land developers to install facilities of the National Fibre Optic Cable Network while constructing houses in order to facilitate telecommunication and computer networking.

Minister for Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, said in Dar es Salaam that the infrastructure, which is the National ICT Broadband Backbone, would boost usage of ICT applications for social and economic development.

"This will help members of the public to enjoy ICT services including e-learning, e-health and e-commerce anywhere," said the minister while opening Tanzania Homes Expo in the city.

Prof Mbarawa hailed the organizers, EAG Group Limited, as the annual event would help the public to get significant information on house construction. Mr Imani Kajula, who is the EAG Group Chief Executive Officer, said contrary to the past two years, turnout this year has been great, saying the number of pavilions had also increased from 25 to 70.

"We have helped to fill the vacuum of information on construction between house construction companies and its customers," he said.

Mr Kajula called upon the public to turn up in big numbers to get important information on house construction because the expo was an ideal platform for house construction companies and its customers.

Mr Suleiman Amour, whose Camel Oil Company took part in the event, said the expo had helped expose different building materials to the public, thus promoting business.

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