The Tanzanian government has pledged to remove red tape as it looks to encourage investment in the country’s ICT sector, but has warned investors that ignore proper procedures that the government would take measures to ensure quality.
Deputy Minister of Education and Vocational Training Philip Mulugo used the graduation ceremony at the Learnit Institute of Business and Technology to call for investments from the private sector in the ICT sector.
He said investments were necessary if the country was to develop competition in the sector, promote educational quality and make Tanzania a middle income country. He said the sector offered great potential in job creation and poverty alleviation.
“As we are continually inviting investors in the ICT sector because of its vital role to the economy, the government is pledging to further improve investment climate by removing all red tapes,” he said.
But the deputy minister warned few bogus investors – who fail to follow the correct procedures as laid out by the National Council for Technical Education (NACTE) – that the government was prepared to act strongly in protecting the quality of projects.
The Tanzanian government is looking to capitalize on the common consensus that Africa is now one of the ICT investment opportunities of the decade. The recent GITEX Technology Week in Dubai prominently exhibited the opportunities available on the continent, and Tanzania sent a strong trade delegation.
The country has already seen solid economic growth, with the economy growing at an average rate of 6.9 percent in the second quarter of this year, mainly on the back of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Tanzania, which has totaled US$7.7 trillion.
The country’s ICT sector has been the subject of a sizeable proportion of this investment, boosted by the construction of the new submarine telecommunications cables, which as seen the cost of connectivity in the country drop High speed Internet access is now more affordable and accessible in the country, meaning it is available to impact on education and business in the East African country.
