FORUM REPORT
HELD AT NCU BOARD ROOM - 30TH SEPTEMBER, 03
Share with other people network (SWOPnet) forum took place on 30th September at Nyanza Cooperative Union's Boardroom, drawing stakeholders and members of the press.
Opening the Forum exactly at 9.30 a.m., centred on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) issue, Mwanza Press Club (MPC) Vice-Chairperson Nathan Lwehabura described it as an important place where Mwanza residents can now exchange opinions and ideas underlying that ICT is currently an important a Forum for development debate the world over.
The three-hour meeting, jointly organised by Mwanza Community Tele-Centre and MPC, first of all, was told the exact meaning of words, 'internet' and 'website'.
The Mwanza Community Website Master, Joseph Msaki, said while the internet means an international computer network through which computer users all over the world, are connected by telephones or cables or satelite can communicate, exchange information etc, the website was simply pages in an internet containing information about various issues of interest.
He, therefore, advised all stakeholders to visit the Mwanza Community Website www.mwanzacommunity.org regularly in order to keep themselves abreast of the latest news, ideas, Mwanza region's developments and current affairs.
Presenting his paper, "ICT for Speedy Development", to the Forum, Tubuhinda Ngonzi, a lecturer in Information Technology at St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), said the highest learning Institution's mission with regard to ICT was to position herself as a model user and hence a catalyst for ICT progress in the region.
He said currently, efforts were underway to attract sponsors of a big ICT Project at SAUT and her constituent colleges.
"When completed, the project will offer the University a modern computing centre that will be capable of acting as a base for database management, data mining, learning, research and on-line training", he elaborated.
Saying the University recognizes the gap that exists between ICT and user's know how, the Lecturer contented that SAUT, therefore, has let its resources to creating awareness, integrating ICT in the Academy's operations, bridging the skill gap and sustaining ICT.
On the other hand, however, he mentioned SAUT'S limitations as overall small-skilled capacity in the country, unreliable, slow and yet costly connectivity and lack of rural network infrastructure tying training and internet access to few urban centres.
Others are misuse of internet, particularly on the part of some youths whom, he said, use the gained knowledge on the facility to surf music, pornography sites and chatting instead of using it productively, language barrier and lack of local relevant information material on the web.
On challenges facing SAUT, Tibuhinda said there were three major ones including partnership in the education stream which can help Universities to produce competent users and professionals of ICT, computer integration, (i.e students need to perceive a computer as a tool for instruction and management in other words a curriculum supporter) and how to get ICT services into the Lake Zone rural population, main contributors to national economy.
In his paper titled 'How ICT has enhanced CRDB operations' the Bank's Branch Manager, Meseyeki disclosed that his bank has lately joined the Tembo Card or Electric Money payment System using Internet Technology (Automated Teller Machine) for safe, best and efficient payment of goods and services in all its 24 branches in the country. "A cheque which used to take 14 days to get processed in Dar few years ago, now can be transacted instantly through online communication", he said.
He acknowledged that through the application of the technology, his branch has yielded positive results because a significant number of business people had accepted Tembo Card (for the payment of goods and services) contrary to expectations.
On general functions of the Tembo card, the Manager elaborated that card holders who have a bank account will use the facility to withdraw money from the bank account and deposit it in the purse and dispense cash at an Automated Teller Machine's withdrawn from the bank account.
According to him, the card will also enable the holder to inquire the bank account balance at an Automated Teller machine, obtain a statement of the last ten transactions of the bank account, be used as an identity card, deposit money in the purse at the branches, pay for goods and services at an individuals point of sale that accepts the Tembo Card.
On account of the said functions, the Manager said if the Tembo Card was lost, stolen or misplaced, the card centre or nearest CRBD branch must be notified immediately of such loss, theft or misplacement and that verbal notification must be confirmed in writing immediately.
Later on discussing the papers, Leonard Masasa and Meshack Masanja both of who are disabled persons, besides appreciating the efforts so far manifested by the learning and financial institutions in progressing ICT industry in the country, they made an urgent request to the society not to marginalize the disabled to any more considerable extent.
In his closing remarks, Lwehabura echoed the duo's challenge saying it is really high time the disabled were also given an opportunity to learn more about this technological revolution which represents a fundamental change that can't be avoided.
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