This discussion centred on Tanzania's digital transformation efforts, focusing on how artificial intelligence and e-government initiatives are being leveraged to improve citizen-centric public service delivery. Benjamin Dotto, Director of Infrastructure and Operations at Tanzania's E-Government Authority, outlined the country's AI governance framework, noting that Tanzania's approach is aligned with global frameworks including the Global Digital Compact 2025 and the UNESCO AI recommendation. He highlighted key infrastructure achievements, including 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity, 95% mobile coverage, and 82.6% internet penetration. Tanzania has deployed 14 AI systems across sectors including health, education, and agriculture, with tools such as an AI-powered e-board used by 134 public institutions and a chatbot for real-time government service responses.
A UNESCO AI readiness assessment conducted in 2025 scored Tanzania at 35 out of 100, identifying skill gaps and insufficient local-language datasets as key challenges, while recognising strong government commitment and infrastructure development. To address language barriers, the government has been developing a Swahili AI corpus since 2015, now exceeding 61 million words. Dr. Jaha Mvulla emphasised the central role of Tanzanian youth in driving innovation, noting that over 1,000 young people have been involved through the research and innovation centre, and that plans exist to establish up to 80 innovation centres nationwide.
Dr. Angelina Misso highlighted Tanzania's 10-year Digital Economy Strategic Framework, launched in July 2024, which encompasses six pillars including infrastructure, digital skills, innovation, and inclusion, and involves close collaboration with the private sector.
Denis Souza from UN DESA noted that a study assessing 54 cities across Tanzania, conducted in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania, would be published in the coming weeks. Overall, the discussion underscored Tanzania's significant progress in AI-driven public service delivery whilst acknowledging persistent challenges around compute capacity, skills, and digital inclusion, with panellists calling for greater international collaboration to accelerate responsible innovation.
Overall Purpose
- The session aimed to showcase Tanzania's progress in digital transformation and AI-driven e-government services, demonstrating how the country is leveraging artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve public service delivery, promote digital inclusion, and accelerate socioeconomic development.
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Major Discussion Points
- Tanzania's AI governance framework and legal foundations: Tanzania has established a multi-layered governance structure for AI, anchored by the Personal Data Protection Act (enacted 2022), the Personal Data Protection Commission (launched 2024), and a Data Governance Strategy. Additional instruments, including the National ICT Act and AI guidelines for public institutions, are in the final stages of approval. The governance ecosystem involves the Ministry, the E-Government Authority, regulatory bodies, and development partners working in a coordinated "whole-of-government" approach. - AI infrastructure development and deployed solutions: Tanzania has made significant infrastructure investments, including 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity, 95% mobile coverage, and 82.6% internet penetration. Fourteen AI systems have been deployed or are in development, including the AI-powered e-board used by 134 public institutions, the e-Mrejesho platform, and sectoral tools in health, education, and agriculture. A Swahili AI national corpus of over 61 million words has been developed to ensure AI tools are accessible in the local language. - Challenges, lessons learnt, and calls for international collaboration: Tanzania's 2025 UNESCO AI readiness assessment returned a score of 35 out of 100, highlighting persistent skill gaps, insufficient local-language datasets, high GPU and cloud computing costs, and a trust gap among citizens who still prefer in-person services. Three key lessons were identified: national AI strategy should precede sectoral guidelines; multi-stakeholder engagement is vital; and building systems in parallel with policy development is feasible and beneficial. Tanzania called for technical partnerships, shared governance frameworks, peer learning, and support for Swahili and indigenous language datasets. - Youth innovation and private sector involvement in digital transformation: Young Tanzanians are described as the developers, innovators, and "think tank" behind many of the AI initiatives, with over 1,000 youth engaged through the e-government research and innovation centre via internships, academic linkages, and the diaspora. The Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework (2024-2034) provides a ten-pillar structure for digital transformation, with the private sector playing a central role, including collaboration on communication towers and investment in data centres.
- Digital inclusion for marginalised groups: Audience contributions highlighted efforts to extend digital inclusion beyond financial access to people with disabilities, including ICT tools for the deaf using sign language and tools for the blind, with one initiative reportedly enabling a visually impaired person to be employed as an accountant. The government acknowledged these efforts within its strategic framework, noting that Pillar 4 (innovation) and Pillar 5 (inclusion) of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework specifically address scaling such innovations. ---
Overall Tone
- The overall tone of the discussion was positive, collaborative, and aspirational, with a consistent undercurrent of candid self-assessment. Presenters spoke with evident pride about Tanzania's achievements in AI and digital infrastructure , while openly acknowledging significant challenges such as skill gaps, high technology costs, and insufficient local-language data. The tone remained constructive throughout, with speakers framing challenges as opportunities for partnership rather than obstacles. Audience contributions added a warm and participatory quality to the session, particularly around the topics of Swahili AI tools and disability inclusion. The closing remarks maintained an optimistic and outward-looking tone, with all panellists emphasising openness to bilateral collaboration and international engagement.
Expanded Summary: Tanzania's AI-Driven Digital Transformation and Citizen-Centric E-Government Services
#Session Overview and Purpose
The session was convened to showcase Tanzania's progress in digital transformation and AI-driven e-government services, with a focus on how the country is leveraging artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve public service delivery, promote digital inclusion, and accelerate socioeconomic development. The moderator, Tora Galway, outlined a format comprising a presentation, a five-minute documentary video, a panel discussion, and an interactive audience engagement segment. The session brought together senior government officials, a UN representative, and audience participants from civil society and the public, creating a forum that moved progressively from formal presentation towards open dialogue. --- #Tanzania's AI Governance and Legal Framework
Benjamin Dotto, Director of Infrastructure and Operations at Tanzania's E-Government Authority, opened the substantive discussion by situating Tanzania's AI agenda within a global context, noting that the country's approach is aligned with the Global Digital Compact 2025, UNESCO AI recommendations, and the Africa Digital Transformation and AI Declaration. He emphasised that multi-stakeholder engagement spanning government, civil society, the private sector, academia, and industry has been essential to establishing the national AI strategy. Tanzania's data governance architecture rests on three principal foundations. The Personal Data Protection Act, enacted in 2022, governs data protection and the automated processing of personal data. The Personal Data Protection Commission, launched in 2024, was established to oversee data governance and enforce compliance with the Act. A Data Governance Strategy provides what Dotto described as a landmark for digital data sovereignty. Of particular relevance to AI, he highlighted Section 36 of the Personal Data Protection Act, which governs automated data processing and is directly applicable to AI initiatives. On the broader governance framework, Dotto described three instruments underpinning responsible AI in Tanzania: the National ICT Act, currently in the final stages of enactment; the E-Government Imaging Technology Governance Framework (a phrase that may be a transcription artefact for "Emerging Technology Governance Framework"); and guidelines for the responsible use of AI in public institutions, both of which are also awaiting final approval. The governance ecosystem operates on a whole-of-government basis, with the Ministry providing national-level coordination and policy guidance, the E-Government Authority coordinating at the government level, and regulatory bodies such as the Communications Authority and the Personal Data Protection Commission fulfilling their respective regulatory functions. Development partners, academia, and research institutions are also recognised as integral components of this ecosystem. --- #Digital Infrastructure and AI Systems Deployed
Dotto presented Tanzania's infrastructure achievements as a strong foundation for AI deployment. The country has achieved 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity linking all regions and districts, 95% mobile coverage, 82.6% internet penetration, and multiple national and government data centres. Dotto also referenced the Jamistack platform as supplementing the country's digital infrastructure. These figures were corroborated by Dr. Angelina Misso, Assistant Director in the Ministry of ICT, who confirmed optic fibre coverage throughout the country in all districts and noted that earlier in 2025 the President launched 558 communication towers developed through a public-private collaboration involving operators including TTCL and Vodacom. Tier three data centres operated by EGA, EGA-NIC, NIDC, and NIDA, with additional private sector involvement, support data governance and systems interoperability - though Misso acknowledged that achieving full interoperability and moving away from siloed architectures remains an ongoing process. Misso also noted that EGA and the country's procurement institution have received international awards, further demonstrating Tanzania's growing recognition on the global digital governance stage. Fourteen AI systems have been deployed or are in development across the Tanzanian government. These include the AI-powered e-board, used for board management with summarisation and analytics capabilities, currently deployed across 134 public institutions. The IMREGESHO version 2 platform, a two-time winner of UN awards for citizen engagement, has also been built with a range of AI tools. In addition, the IMSADA AI chatbot provides real-time responses on government services. Sectoral applications extend across health, education, and agriculture: the Ministry of Health developed a Health AI framework in 2022, with startups such as Salatani AI implementing preliminary cancer diagnosis tools. In 2025, the Ministry of Education enacted national guidelines for AI in education, with Shuley Direct cited as one of the AI tools expanding AI-supported digital learning. In agriculture, the AgriPoA AI tool supports crop monitoring, yield prediction, and advisory services to assist farmers in decision-making. Dotto noted that these are largely homegrown solutions, publicly accessible through published URLs, alongside some licensed off-the-shelf products used in sectors such as the judiciary. --- #The Swahili AI Corpus and Language Inclusion
A recurring theme throughout the session was the importance of language accessibility as a prerequisite for mass AI adoption. Dotto noted that for AI to be deployed at scale, it must be available in local languages, and that Swahili - Tanzania's national language, also spoken across East and Central Africa - is central to this effort. Since 2015, the government, through the Council for Swahili Development and Standardisation, has been developing a Swahili AI national corpus, which now exceeds 61 million words. The aim is to integrate this corpus with AI tools, specifically for natural language processing, to ensure that AI services are accessible in Swahili and do not hinder deployment. Despite this progress, insufficient local-language datasets were identified as one of Tanzania's most significant remaining challenges. This point prompted a notable intervention from Clara Wiest of Wikimedia Switzerland, who proposed that the Tanzanian Wikimedia user group's contributions to Swahili Wikipedia could serve as a valuable data source for Swahili-language AI tools, and suggested that Wikipedia projects could also be established for other Tanzanian languages beyond Swahili. Dotto responded positively, confirming awareness of Wikimedia's presence in Tanzania and expressing willingness to engage further and collaborate. This exchange represented one of the session's most practically significant moments, connecting a stated government challenge with a concrete civil society resource that had not previously been formally explored. --- #Capacity Building and the UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment
Tanzania's capacity building efforts have centred on a government training programme for ICT professionals. Dotto reported that 500 ICT professionals have been trained, with 50 completing master's degrees in AI and related disciplines and 450 undertaking professional short courses. Misso also confirmed these figures, noting that the 50 who pursued master's training did so at institutions in the UK, China, and elsewhere. Beyond formal training, Tanzania has an AI community comprising more than 600 startups focused on AI, supported by hubs and incubators such as Costec, Ubuntu, and DTBI, as well as a research and innovation framework that emphasises AI. In 2025, a UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment was conducted to benchmark Tanzania's progress. Tanzania scored 35 out of 100, performing well on government readiness and infrastructure but with the assessment flagging a persistent skills gap, while recognising the country's strong commitment and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure as a foundation for responsible AI. From this assessment, Dotto drew three key transferable lessons. First, a national AI strategy must precede sectoral guidelines - a lesson Tanzania learned in reverse, having started with sectoral frameworks before developing the national strategy. Second, multi-stakeholder engagement is vital, with Tanzania's UNESCO consultation cited as producing a richer and more implementable strategy through inclusive engagement. Third, building and shaping in parallel is feasible and beneficial: Tanzania was able to develop 14 AI systems while policy and strategy were still being formulated, ensuring that implementation capacity existed when strategies were finalised, and allowing real-world experience to feed back into policy development. --- #Challenges and Partnership Needs
The following remarks were made by Dotto during the panel discussion that followed the documentary video. High GPU compute costs and high cloud costs constitute significant barriers to scaling AI deployment, with substantial energy requirements for data centre operations. A persistent skills gap continues to affect the public sector's capacity to deploy and manage AI systems. Trust and awareness gaps among citizens also present a challenge, with many still preferring in-person access to government services over digital alternatives. Insufficient local-language datasets, particularly for Swahili and other indigenous languages, further constrain the reach of AI tools. In response to these challenges, Tanzania is pursuing a mix of policy reforms and digital public infrastructure investment, including plans to construct a dedicated AI data centre to provide compute capacity to public institutions. Efforts to connect unconnected populations are ongoing through USCAF and related initiatives. Dotto closed with a call for technical partnerships for AI capacity building and GPU infrastructure, shared governance frameworks, peer learning from countries that have succeeded with regulatory sandboxes, and support for Swahili and indigenous language dataset development. He also posed a closing question for collective reflection: how to optimise AI to enable responsible innovation in public service delivery while protecting data and maintaining citizen trust. --- #Youth Innovation and the Domestic Ecosystem
Dr. Jaha Mvulla, representing the E-Government Research and Innovation Centre, emphasised that Tanzanian youth are not merely consumers or users of digital services but are the developers, innovators, and intellectual driving force behind many of the AI initiatives presented. More than 1,000 young people have been engaged through the centre via academic-industrial linkages, internships, volunteering, and memoranda of understanding with higher learning institutions. Additional platforms for youth engagement include ACATHONS and the Cyber Champions initiative run through TCRA. The Bonif platform extends this engagement to Tanzanian youth in the diaspora through a Diaspora Innovation Centre, enabling contributions from abroad.Dr. Mvulla also noted that leading banks and telecommunication operators in Tanzania have been part of the investment in innovation centres. The DIGITO Tanzania project, led by the Ministry of ICT, plans to establish at least 80 innovation centres nationwide to provide youth with platforms, mentorship, and infrastructure for digital innovation. Mvulla also noted that Tanzania ranks among the top three countries in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index across multiple reporting years - including the 2024, 2025, and 2026 reports - signalling a strong and credible environment for bilateral and institutional collaboration. --- #
Tanzania's Digital Economy Strategic Framework
Dr. Angelina Misso provided an overview of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework, launched in July 2024 by Her Excellency the President of Tanzania. The ten-year framework (2024-2034) encompasses six pillars: enabling infrastructure, enabling environment, digital skills, innovation, inclusion, and digital financial transactions. Misso highlighted the Tanzania Technology Stack - a framework for digital transformation - as a notable achievement, noting that Tanzania is among the first countries to be nominated for a WSIS prize in this category, with Tanzania receiving its WSIS certificate at the event itself. Misso also noted that while the ICT policy of 2016 remains in force, revisions are ongoing with a new policy potentially to be launched in 2026. The private sector is described as central to digital transformation, with collaboration on infrastructure, data centres, and innovation forming a core part of the government's approach.Misso also referenced the Jamistak platform as part of the country's digital infrastructure landscape. Looking ahead, Tanzania's TDV 2050 vision sets targets of 80% of services delivered digitally and 70% of citizens able to use digital services, with the current strategic framework providing the roadmap to achieve this. --- #
Digital Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities
An important dimension of digital inclusion was raised by an online participant, Cosmos Mayana, who highlighted Tanzania's efforts to extend digital access to people with disabilities. ICT tools have been developed for the deaf, using sign language as the medium for foundational digital skills learning, and for the blind, with one initiative reportedly enabling a visually impaired person to be employed as an accountant in the Ministry of Health. Mayana noted that for deaf communities, the challenge is compounded by the need for specialised sign language interfaces, but that progress is being made. Misso responded by situating these innovations within the government's formal strategic framework, noting that Pillar 4 (innovation) and Pillar 5 (inclusion) of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework specifically address scaling such innovations to reach a large population. This exchange revealed that disability-inclusive digital development is more embedded in Tanzania's formal policy commitments than the main presentations had indicated. --- #UN e-Government Survey and International Benchmarking
Denis Souza from UN DESA provided context on the UN e-Government Survey, which assesses the national portals of all 193 UN member states across three components: online services, human capital, and telecommunications infrastructure. He noted that the survey's knowledge base allows countries to learn from peers facing similar challenges, with country-level data including information on AI initiatives, data protection legislation, and other governance dimensions. Souza announced that, in response to requests to apply the survey methodology beyond a single city per country, UN DESA is conducting an assessment of 54 cities across Tanzania in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania, with results to be published in the coming weeks. This forthcoming study represents an important source of independent, sub-national benchmarking data for Tanzania's digital governance progress. --- #Closing Remarks and Calls for Collaboration
In their closing remarks, all three panellists emphasised openness to international collaboration. Dotto issued a broad call for suggestions and recommendations on how to improve Tanzania's services and initiatives. Misso reiterated that Tanzania has established a conducive environment for investors and partners, framing collaboration as essential to reaching the country's digital transformation goals. Mvulla echoed these sentiments, highlighting Tanzania's readiness for bilateral and institutional collaboration at both the national and institutional levels. The session concluded with the moderator thanking panellists and the audience, and inviting continued engagement through contact information displayed on screen. Overall, the session presented a coherent and candid account of Tanzania's significant progress in AI-driven public service delivery, while openly acknowledging persistent challenges around compute capacity, skills, language data, and citizen trust. The discussion underscored that responsible AI governance requires not only technical infrastructure and legal frameworks, but sustained multi-stakeholder engagement, inclusive design, and international partnership - themes that resonated across every contribution to the session.Lessons from reversed sequencing
Arg. 1Benjamin Dotto argues that a national AI strategy should be established first, with sectoral guidelines following afterwards. He acknowledges that Tanzania did the opposite, starting with sectoral strategies before developing the national AI strategy, and presents this as a lesson learned for other countries.
Dotto explicitly states that the national AI strategy must come first and sectoral guidelines must follow, but that Tanzania's experience was the reverse - sectoral strategies came before the national AI strategy . He also notes that building 14 AI systems while policy and strategy were still being developed allowed implementation capacity to exist when strategies were finalised, and that this process fed back into strategy development .
Data governance foundations
Arg. 2Dotto outlines Tanzania's data governance framework, which is built on three pillars: the Personal Data Protection Act enacted in 2022, rules governing the processing of collective data, and the Personal Data Protection Commission launched in 2024 to oversee compliance. He also highlights the Data Governance Strategy as a landmark for digital data sovereignty.
The Personal Data Protection Act was enacted in 2022 to govern data protection , and the Personal Data Protection Commission was launched in 2024 to oversee data governance and enforce compliance . The Data Governance Strategy is described as a landmark for digital data sovereignty , and Section 36 of the Personal Data Protection Act specifically governs automated data processing, making it directly relevant to AI initiatives .
on: Tanzania's legal and policy frameworks for AI and data governance are progressing but require further development
Governance instruments overview
Arg. 3Dotto describes Tanzania's AI governance instruments, which are divided into three thematic areas: the National ICT Act currently in the final process of enactment, the e-Government Imaging Technology Governance Framework, and responsible AI guidelines for public institutions. These instruments are designed to ensure responsible AI use across government.
The National ICT Act is in the final process of enactment through the ministry , and the e-Government Imaging Technology Governance Framework along with responsible AI guidelines for public institutions are also in the final process of approval . Tanzania's AI initiatives are guided by the Tanzania AI stack .
on: Tanzania's legal and policy frameworks for AI and data governance are progressing but require further development
Alignment with global frameworks
Arg. 4Dotto emphasises that Tanzania's AI approach is not developed in isolation but is aligned with a range of international frameworks and standards. This alignment ensures that Tanzania's national efforts are consistent with global norms for responsible and inclusive AI development.
Tanzania's approach is aligned with the Global Digital Compact 2025, UNESCO AI recommendations, the Africa Digital Transformation and AI Declaration, and other international and national standards .
Digital infrastructure achievements
Arg. 5Dotto presents Tanzania's significant progress in building digital infrastructure as a foundation for AI deployment. The country has achieved extensive fibre optic coverage, near-universal mobile coverage, high internet penetration, and multiple data centres.
Tanzania has achieved 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity covering all regions and districts, 95% mobile coverage, multiple national and government data centres, and an internet penetration rate of 82.6% . This is supplemented by platforms such as the Jamistack platform .
on: Digital infrastructure is a foundational prerequisite for AI deployment and e-government services
Compute and cloud cost barriers
Arg. 6Dotto identifies high GPU compute costs and high cloud costs as significant barriers to scaling AI deployment in Tanzania. These costs are compounded by the need for substantial electrical energy to power data centres for AI processing.
Dotto lists insufficient AI datasets, high cost of technology including the need for large numbers of GPUs, and the electrical energy required to power data centres as key challenges flagged by the 2025 UNESCO AI readiness assessment . He also lists limited GPU compute and high cloud costs among Tanzania's biggest challenges .
Planned AI data centre
Arg. 7Dotto explains that Tanzania plans to construct a dedicated AI data centre to provide compute capacity to public institutions. This is presented as a key policy response to the challenge of high GPU and cloud costs.
Dotto states that the responsible ministry expects to construct an AI data centre to provide compute capacity to at least some institutions .
Deployed AI systems portfolio
Arg. 8Dotto highlights that Tanzania has deployed or is developing 14 AI systems, including tools for board management and citizen engagement. These systems are described as homegrown solutions available publicly, with some in pilot use and others in full production.
The AI-powered e-board is used for board management by 134 public institutions and is built with AI tools for summarisation and analytics . The IMREGESHO version 2 chatbot is a two-time UN award winner for citizen engagement . Other solutions such as IMSADA AI provide real-time responses on government services , and all homegrown solutions are publicly available .
Sectoral AI applications
Arg. 9Dotto describes how AI is being applied across priority sectors including health, education, and agriculture. These sectoral applications demonstrate the breadth of Tanzania's AI deployment beyond central government services.
In health, the Ministry of Health developed a Health AI framework in 2022, and the startup Salatani AI implements preliminary cancer diagnosis . In education, the Ministry enacted the National Guideline for AI in Education in 2025, with Shuley Direct as an AI tool for digital learning . In agriculture, the AgriPoA AI tool supports crop monitoring, yield production, and advisory services for farmers .
Swahili AI corpus development
Arg. 10Dotto explains that Tanzania has been developing a Swahili AI national corpus since 2015 to enable AI tools to function in the local language. This corpus is intended to be integrated with natural language processing tools so that AI services are accessible to Swahili speakers across East and Central Africa.
The Council for Swahili Development and Standardisation has been developing the Swahili AI national corpus since 2015, which now contains over 61 million words . The aim is to integrate this corpus with AI tools, specifically natural language processing, to make AI services available in Swahili and not hinder deployment .
on: Sufficiency of existing Swahili language data resources
ICT professional training programme
Arg. 11Dotto describes Tanzania's capacity building efforts, which have resulted in 500 ICT professionals being trained in AI and related disciplines. The training is split between advanced academic qualifications and shorter professional courses.
The government has trained 500 ICT professionals, with 50 completing master's degrees in artificial intelligence and related disciplines, and 450 undertaking professional short courses in AI and related fields .
on: Capacity building and upskilling in AI and digital technologies is a critical priority and ongoing challenge
UNESCO AI readiness assessment findings
Arg. 12Dotto presents the results of the 2025 UNESCO AI readiness assessment, which scored Tanzania 35 out of 100. While the assessment recognised strong government readiness and infrastructure, it flagged a persistent skills gap as a key area requiring attention.
The 2025 UNESCO AI readiness assessment scored Tanzania 35 out of 100, with good performance on government readiness and infrastructure data, but flagged a persistent skill gap while recognising strong commitment and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure .
on: Capacity building and upskilling in AI and digital technologies is a critical priority and ongoing challenge
Employee AI upskilling need
Arg. 13Dotto identifies the upskilling of government employees in AI as a key ongoing challenge. This is listed among Tanzania's biggest challenges alongside compute costs and insufficient local language datasets.
Dotto lists the need for employee upskilling in AI as one of Tanzania's biggest challenges , and notes that the skill gap is something the government is working tirelessly to address .
on: Capacity building and upskilling in AI and digital technologies is a critical priority and ongoing challenge
Multi-stakeholder strategy development
Arg. 14Dotto argues that multi-stakeholder engagement across government, civil society, the private sector, and academia has been essential to developing Tanzania's national AI strategy. He presents inclusive engagement as producing a richer and more implementable strategy.
Dotto states that stakeholder efforts spanning government, civil society, private sector, academia, and industry have been essential and have helped establish the national AI strategy . He cites the UNESCO engagement and consultation as an example of inclusive engagement that produced a richer, more implementable strategy .
on: Multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for successful digital transformation and AI governance
Partnership needs identified
Arg. 15Dotto outlines Tanzania's key partnership needs to advance its AI agenda, including technical partnerships for capacity building, shared GPU infrastructure, peer learning on regulatory sandboxes, and support for Swahili and indigenous language datasets. These needs reflect the gaps identified through the UNESCO AI readiness assessment.
Dotto identifies the need for technical partnerships for AI capacity building, GPU infrastructure, shared governance frameworks, peer learning from countries that have succeeded with regulatory sandboxes, and support for Swahili language and indigenous language datasets .
on: Tanzania is open to and actively seeking international collaboration and partnerships
AI startup and hub ecosystem
Arg. 16Dotto highlights that Tanzania has a vibrant AI innovation ecosystem comprising over 600 AI-focused startups and several hubs and incubators. This ecosystem is supported by a research and innovation framework that emphasises AI.
Tanzania has more than 600 startups dealing with AI, and a number of hubs and incubators such as Costec, Ubuntu, and DTBI that emphasise AI . A research and innovation framework is also in place that emphasises AI .
Digital Economy Strategic Framework pillars
Arg. 1Dr. Angelina Misso describes Tanzania's Digital Economy Strategic Framework, a 10-year plan launched in July 2024 covering six pillars. These pillars address the full spectrum of digital transformation from infrastructure to inclusion and financial transactions.
The Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework was launched in July 2024 by President Sonia Sluhassan and is a 10-year strategic plan with six pillars covering enabling infrastructure, enabling environment, digital skills, innovation, inclusion, and digital financial transactions .
on: Tanzania's legal and policy frameworks for AI and data governance are progressing but require further development
Tanzania Technology Stack recognition
Arg. 2Dr. Misso highlights the development of the Tanzania Technology Stack as a framework for digital transformation, which has earned Tanzania international recognition. She notes that Tanzania is one of the first countries to be nominated for a WSIS prize for this initiative.
The Tanzania Technology Stack was developed as a framework for digital transformation, and Tanzania is one of the first countries to be nominated for the WSIS prizes, with a certificate received at the time of the session .
Communication tower expansion
Arg. 3Dr. Misso describes the launch of 558 communication towers as a joint initiative between the government and private sector operators. This expansion is presented as a key step in extending digital connectivity across Tanzania.
The President launched 558 communication towers early in the year, in a collaboration between the government and private sector operators including TTCL and Vodacom, led by the ministry .
on: Digital infrastructure is a foundational prerequisite for AI deployment and e-government services
Data centre ecosystem
Arg. 4Dr. Misso explains that Tanzania operates tier three data centres through institutions including EGA, NIDC, and NIDA, with private sector involvement. These data centres are essential for supporting data governance and systems interoperability.
Tier three data centres are operated throughout the country by EGA, NIDC, and NIDA, with private sector engagement also involved in the data centre story . This infrastructure supports data governance and systems interoperability, which is an ongoing area of progress .
on: Digital infrastructure is a foundational prerequisite for AI deployment and e-government services
Government support for inclusive innovation
Arg. 5Dr. Misso affirms that the government is working to commercialise innovations for people with disabilities so they can reach a larger audience. She situates this within the Digital Economy Strategic Framework, specifically under Pillar 4 (innovation) and Pillar 5 (inclusion).
Dr. Misso states that the government is working hand-in-hand with innovators and startups to ensure their innovations can scale and be commercialised to reach a large population . She notes that innovation is addressed under Pillar 4 and inclusion under Pillar 5 of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework .
on: Digital inclusion must extend to all citizens, including marginalised and disadvantaged groups
TDV 2050 digital service targets
Arg. 6Dr. Misso outlines Tanzania's long-term vision under TDV 2050, which sets ambitious targets for digital service delivery and citizen uptake. She presents Tanzania as offering a conducive environment for investors to collaborate with government and the private sector.
Tanzania's TDV 2050 vision targets 80% of services delivered digitally and 70% of citizens able to use digital services, with a conducive environment for investors to work together with government and the private sector .
on: Tanzania is open to and actively seeking international collaboration and partnerships
Youth involvement in innovation
Arg. 1Dr. Jaha Mvulla explains that Tanzanian youth are at the centre of the country's digital innovation initiatives, serving as developers, innovators, and strategic thinkers. More than 1,000 youth have been engaged through the e-government research and innovation centre via academic-industrial linkages, internships, and MOUs with higher learning institutions.
More than 1,000 youth have been involved in different ways through the e-government research and innovation centre, including through academic and industrial linkage, internship, and volunteer programmes . The centre has a number of MOUs with higher learning institutions to connect with youth from colleges and universities .
on: Digital inclusion must extend to all citizens, including marginalised and disadvantaged groups
Diaspora innovation engagement
Arg. 2Dr. Mvulla describes the Bonif platform as a mechanism to connect Tanzanian youth living abroad with the domestic innovation ecosystem through a Diaspora Innovation Centre. This extends the reach of Tanzania's innovation community beyond national borders.
The Bonif platform was recently launched to connect youth living outside Tanzania through a Diaspora Innovation Centre, allowing diaspora youth to contribute to digital transformation . Any youth in Tanzania or abroad can join through the Bonif portal and be part of the digital transformation .
on: Tanzania is open to and actively seeking international collaboration and partnerships
DIGITO innovation centres
Arg. 3Dr. Mvulla outlines the DIGITO Tanzania project, which plans to establish between 70 and 80 innovation centres across the country. These centres are intended to provide youth with platforms, mentorship, and infrastructure to develop and exercise their digital innovation skills.
Through the DIGITO Tanzania project under the Ministry of ICT, 70 to 80 innovation centres are planned to be established, providing a platform for youth to exercise their innovations and be part of the digital transformation . The government has been investing in infrastructure and mentorship to support youth innovators .
GovTech Maturity Index ranking
Arg. 4Dr. Mvulla highlights that Tanzania ranks among the top three countries in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index, signalling the country's readiness for bilateral and institutional collaboration. This ranking is cited as evidence of Tanzania's conducive environment for digital partnerships.
Tanzania is one of the top three countries in Africa according to the GovTech Maturity Index, as reported in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 reports, demonstrating the environment and readiness for large-scale digital transformations and collaboration .
on: Tanzania is open to and actively seeking international collaboration and partnerships
Wikimedia collaboration proposal
Arg. 1An audience member from Wikimedia Switzerland proposes that Tanzania consider collaborating with Wikimedia to address the challenge of insufficient Swahili-language data for AI tools. She suggests that Swahili Wikipedia contributions could serve as a valuable data source, and that Wikipedia projects could also be established in other Tanzanian languages.
The audience member, Clara Wiest from Wikimedia Switzerland, notes that there is a Wikimedia user group in Tanzania contributing to Wikipedia in Swahili, which could serve as a basis for AI tools requiring Swahili-language data . She also suggests that Wikipedia projects could be established in other Tanzanian languages beyond Swahili .
on: Sufficiency of existing Swahili language data resources
Digital inclusion for persons with disabilities
Arg. 2An online audience member highlights Tanzania's efforts to extend digital inclusion to people with disabilities, including ICT tools for the deaf using sign language and tools for the blind. These initiatives have produced notable outcomes, including the employment of a blind person as an accountant in the Ministry of Health.
The audience member describes ICT tools for the deaf that use sign language to teach foundational digital skills, and tools for the blind, both of which have received recognition including prizes . A notable outcome cited is that the President of Tanzania employed a blind person as an accountant in the Ministry of Health . The audience member also notes that the deaf face a particular challenge as they require a special language, and sign language is being used to enable their participation in ICT .
on: Digital inclusion must extend to all citizens, including marginalised and disadvantaged groups
UN e-Government Survey and Tanzania city study
Arg. 1Denis Souza describes the UN e-Government Survey, which assesses 193 national portals across three components: online services, human capital, and telecommunications infrastructure. He also announces an upcoming study assessing 54 cities in Tanzania in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania.
The UN e-Government Survey assesses all 193 UN member state national portals, looking at online services, human capital (drawing on UNESCO data), and telecommunications infrastructure (drawing on ITU data) . A study of 54 cities in Tanzania is being conducted in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania, with results to be published in the coming weeks .
Session framing and purpose
Arg. 1Tora Galway opens the session by articulating its overarching purpose: to showcase digital transformation efforts for citizen-centric e-services and demonstrate how digital technologies and AI are being used to improve service delivery, strengthen governments, promote digital inclusion, and accelerate socioeconomic development.
Galway states that participants will share impressive digital transformation for citizen-centric e-services and demonstrate how digital technologies and AI are being leveraged to improve service delivery, strengthen governments, promote digital inclusion, and accelerate socioeconomic development .
Youth innovation as a key theme
Arg. 2Galway directs a specific question to Dr. Jaha about the role of young Tanzanian innovators in government AI adoption and e-services, framing youth engagement as a vital dimension of Tanzania's digital transformation story.
Galway notes that the e-government research and innovation centre played a vital role in government AI adoption and empowering e-services with AI, and asks specifically about the contributions and involvement of young Tanzanian innovators in these initiatives .
Private sector involvement in digital economy framework
Arg. 3Galway raises the question of private sector involvement in Tanzania's Digital Economy Strategic Framework, signalling that public-private collaboration is a key area of interest in understanding the framework's implementation progress.
Galway asks Dr. Angelina about the success stories from the second year of implementation of Tanzania's 10-year digital economy strategic framework and specifically how the private sector is involved .
on: Multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for successful digital transformation and AI governance
UN DESA data governance collaboration and e-government survey
Arg. 4Galway highlights Tanzania's participation in a UN DESA data governance workshop in 2024 and invites Denis Souza to share lessons learned, while also drawing attention to Tanzania's strong performance in the UN e-government survey.
Galway notes that Denis Souza worked with Tanzania in a data governance workshop conducted in Dodoma City in 2024, and asks him to share lessons learned and to briefly discuss the UN e-government survey in which Tanzania has been performing well .
Session Knowledge Graph
Speakers · Topics · Arguments · Relationships
All panellists consistently emphasised that collaboration across government, private sector, academia, civil society, and international partners is fundamental to Tanzania's digital transformation. Dotto stated that 'stakeholder efforts spanning government, civil society, private sector, academia and industry is essential and has helped us to establish the national AI strategy' . Misso confirmed that 'we're working hand-in-hand with the private sector because they are at the core of digital transformation actually globally' . Mvulla noted that the government keeps 'engaging, not only working as a government alone, but also working with the different stakeholders, including the leading banks and telecommunication operators in Tanzania' . In closing remarks, all three panellists echoed calls for collaboration and openness to bilateral partnerships .
Multi-stakeholder strategy development
Government support for inclusive innovation
Youth involvement in innovation
Private sector involvement in digital economy framework
Both Dotto and Misso independently highlighted Tanzania's significant infrastructure achievements as the foundation for digital transformation and AI. Dotto cited 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity, 95% mobile coverage, and 82.6% internet penetration . Misso corroborated this, noting optic fibre coverage throughout the country in all districts and the launch of 558 communication towers in a public-private collaboration . Both also referenced tier three data centres as critical infrastructure . The 2025 UNESCO AI readiness assessment recognised 'strong commitment in rapidly expanding digital infrastructure as a foundation for responsible AI' .
Digital infrastructure achievements
Communication tower expansion
Data centre ecosystem
Both Dotto and Misso described the same government training programme for ICT professionals, confirming a shared understanding of capacity building as both an achievement and an ongoing challenge. Dotto noted that 500 ICT professionals had been trained, with 50 completing master's degrees in AI and 450 undertaking professional short courses . Misso confirmed these same figures, stating 'we have trained more than 500 staff in the public sector, especially in the area of new and emerging technologies' with 50 going for master's training globally and 450 trained for short courses . Dotto also identified the persistent skill gap flagged by the UNESCO AI readiness assessment and listed employee AI upskilling as one of Tanzania's biggest challenges .
ICT professional training programme
UNESCO AI readiness assessment findings
Employee AI upskilling need
There was broad consensus that digital transformation must be inclusive. An online audience member highlighted Tanzania's efforts to extend digital inclusion to people with disabilities, including ICT tools for the deaf using sign language and tools for the blind, noting that 'the marginalized population including the deaf and the blind are also included' . Misso affirmed the government's commitment, noting that innovation is addressed under Pillar 4 and inclusion under Pillar 5 of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework, and that the government is working to commercialise innovations 'so that they can reach a large audience and be useful to a large population' . Mvulla emphasised that youth innovations should 'be ethical but have values, and they also attend the public values' .
Government support for inclusive innovation
Digital inclusion for persons with disabilities
Youth involvement in innovation
Both Dotto and Misso acknowledged that Tanzania has established foundational legal and policy frameworks while recognising that further work is needed. Dotto outlined the Personal Data Protection Act enacted in 2022, the Personal Data Protection Commission launched in 2024, and the Data Governance Strategy , while noting that the National ICT Act and AI guidelines are still in the final process of approval . Misso referenced the ICT policy of 2016 with revisions ongoing and a possible new launch in 2026, as well as the AI strategic framework that 'tries to balance issues of innovations but also safeguards so we have safe and responsible development in AI' .
Data governance foundations
Governance instruments overview
Digital Economy Strategic Framework pillars
All three panellists concluded with explicit calls for international collaboration. Dotto identified specific partnership needs including 'technical partnership for AI capacity building and GPU infrastructure, shared ESCO governance framework, peer learning from others who have succeeded on literature sandboxes and support for Swahili language and also indigenous languages' . Misso stated that 'Tanzania has set a conducive environment for investors to work together with the government but also the private sector' . Mvulla highlighted Tanzania's top-three ranking in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index as evidence of readiness for collaboration and described the Bonif platform for connecting diaspora youth .
Partnership needs identified
TDV 2050 digital service targets
GovTech Maturity Index ranking
Diaspora innovation engagement
Both Dotto and Mvulla emphasised the vibrancy of Tanzania's domestic innovation ecosystem and the central role of youth within it. Dotto noted that Tanzania has 'more than 600 startups dealing with AI' and a number of hubs and incubators emphasising AI . Mvulla confirmed that youth are 'the developers, innovators, and also they are ones who are the think tank behind it' , with more than 1,000 youth engaged through the e-government research and innovation centre . Mvulla also described the DIGITO Tanzania project planning 70 to 80 innovation centres to provide platforms for youth innovation . Both speakers presented the innovation ecosystem as a key asset for Tanzania's digital transformation. All three panellists expressed pride in Tanzania's international recognition and alignment with global frameworks. Dotto noted alignment with the Global Digital Compact 2025, UNESCO AI recommendations, and the Africa Digital Transformation and AI Declaration . Misso highlighted that the Tanzania Technology Stack made Tanzania 'one of the first countries to be one of the nominees for the WSIS prizes' . Mvulla cited Tanzania's top-three ranking in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index across multiple years . This shared viewpoint reflects a consistent narrative of Tanzania positioning itself as a regional leader in digital governance. Both Dotto and the Wikimedia Switzerland audience member identified insufficient Swahili-language data as a key challenge for AI deployment, and both pointed towards collaborative solutions. Dotto described the Swahili AI national corpus of over 61 million words being developed since 2015 to enable natural language processing in Swahili , and listed 'insufficient local language dataset' as a key challenge . The audience member, Clara Wiest, proposed that Wikimedia's Swahili Wikipedia contributions 'could be a great basis for any AI tools that want to provide information in Swahili language' , and suggested extending this to other Tanzanian languages . Dotto responded positively, confirming willingness to engage and collaborate . Both Misso and Souza highlighted the importance of evidence-based assessment and international benchmarking for Tanzania's digital progress. Misso referenced Tanzania's data centre infrastructure and systems interoperability as ongoing areas of progress , and noted international recognition through WSIS awards . Souza described the UN e-Government Survey's methodology for assessing 193 national portals across online services, human capital, and telecommunications infrastructure , and announced an upcoming study of 54 cities in Tanzania in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania . Both speakers framed international assessment as a tool for learning and improvement. Both Dotto and Misso presented Tanzania's homegrown AI solutions and sectoral applications as evidence of tangible progress in digital transformation. Dotto described 14 deployed or in-development AI systems including the AI-powered e-board used by 134 public institutions , IMREGESHO version 2 , and sectoral tools in health, education, and agriculture . Misso corroborated this by referencing institutions that received WSIS awards and other global recognition , and affirmed the government's commitment to scaling innovations to reach a large population . Both presented these achievements as evidence of Tanzania's growing AI implementation capacity.
It was somewhat unexpected that Dotto openly acknowledged Tanzania's reversed sequencing - developing sectoral AI strategies before the national AI strategy - as a key lesson to share with peers, rather than presenting it as a problem to be concealed. He stated explicitly that 'a national AI strategy must come first' and 'sectoral guidelines must come after that', but acknowledged 'for our case, it's so different. We started in secular, then came the national AI strategy' . More surprisingly, he framed the parallel development of 14 AI systems while policy was still being developed as a positive outcome, noting it 'ensured implementation capacity exists when the strategies are finalized' and 'can also feed back into the development of strategies' . Misso's description of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework as a comprehensive six-pillar plan implicitly supports this pragmatic, iterative approach to policy development, suggesting both speakers share a view that implementation and policy development can proceed in parallel rather than sequentially.
The convergence between Dotto's identified challenge of insufficient Swahili-language datasets and the Wikimedia Switzerland audience member's proposal to collaborate on Swahili Wikipedia as a data source represented an unexpected moment of consensus between a government official and a civil society representative from outside Tanzania. It was not anticipated that a specific, actionable solution to one of Tanzania's stated AI challenges would emerge from the audience during the session. Dotto's immediate and positive response - confirming awareness of Wikimedia's presence in Tanzania and willingness to 'engage further and collaborate on the development of this' - suggests genuine alignment between the government's needs and the civil society offer, which had not been pre-arranged as part of the session.
The online audience member's detailed account of ICT tools for the deaf and blind in Tanzania - including the notable outcome of a blind person being employed as an accountant in the Ministry of Health - was not anticipated as a topic within the formal panel discussion. However, Misso's immediate and substantive response, situating these innovations within the government's formal framework under Pillar 4 (innovation) and Pillar 5 (inclusion) of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework , revealed an unexpected depth of consensus between the government's stated policy commitments and grassroots innovation for persons with disabilities. This suggests that disability-inclusive digital development is more embedded in Tanzania's formal strategy than the main presentations had indicated.
The session demonstrated a high degree of consensus among all speakers on the core pillars of Tanzania's digital transformation agenda. Key areas of agreement included: the necessity of multi-stakeholder collaboration ; the foundational role of digital infrastructure ; the importance of capacity building and upskilling ; the need for inclusive digital development extending to all citizens ; and Tanzania's openness to international partnerships . The panellists presented a coherent and mutually reinforcing narrative of Tanzania's AI and digital governance progress, with Dotto, Misso, and Mvulla each contributing complementary perspectives from infrastructure, policy, and innovation respectively. The session also produced unexpected moments of consensus, particularly around the Swahili language data challenge and disability-inclusive innovation , which enriched the discussion beyond the prepared presentations.
Benjamin Dotto explicitly argues that a national AI strategy must come first, with sectoral guidelines following afterwards . However, he acknowledges that Tanzania did the opposite, starting with sectoral strategies before developing the national AI strategy . This creates an internal disagreement between the recommended best practice and Tanzania's actual implementation path. He presents this as a lesson learned, noting that building 14 AI systems while policy and strategy were still being developed allowed implementation capacity to exist when strategies were finalised, suggesting some retrospective justification for the reversed sequencing even while critiquing it.
Lessons from reversed sequencing
Dotto presents a tension between two approaches: the ideal of having a national AI strategy anchor all other strategies , and the pragmatic reality of building 14 AI systems while policy and strategy were still being developed . He frames the parallel approach positively, noting it ensured implementation capacity existed when strategies were finalised and that it fed back into strategy development . This represents an implicit disagreement about whether policy should precede implementation or whether the two can and should proceed simultaneously.
Lessons from reversed sequencing
Deployed AI systems portfolio
Benjamin Dotto identifies insufficient local language datasets as a key challenge, noting that the government has been developing a Swahili AI national corpus since 2015, now containing over 61 million words , and lists insufficient local language datasets among Tanzania's biggest challenges . The audience member Clara Wiest from Wikimedia Switzerland implicitly challenges this framing by suggesting that an existing and potentially valuable resource - Swahili Wikipedia contributions from the Tanzanian Wikimedia user group - may not have been fully considered or utilised . This implies a disagreement about whether Tanzania has fully explored available collaborative data sources before identifying the problem as a gap requiring new technical partnerships.
Swahili AI corpus development
Wikimedia collaboration proposal
In a session focused on showcasing Tanzania's achievements, it was unexpected for an audience member to implicitly highlight a potential gap in Tanzania's approach to building Swahili language AI resources. Dotto presents the government-developed Swahili AI national corpus of over 61 million words as a key initiative and lists insufficient local language datasets as a major challenge requiring external technical partnerships . Clara Wiest from Wikimedia Switzerland then points out that the Tanzanian Wikimedia user group has already been contributing to Wikipedia in Swahili , and that this existing resource could serve as a basis for AI tools - implying that Tanzania may not have fully explored or engaged with available open collaborative resources before identifying the problem as a gap. Dotto's response acknowledges awareness of Wikimedia's presence in Tanzania and expresses willingness to engage further , suggesting the collaboration had not previously been pursued, which is an unexpected omission given the stated challenge.
Dotto unexpectedly raises the issue of trust and awareness gaps among citizens, noting that most citizens still prefer in-person help or access to services . This is a significant challenge that sits in tension with the optimistic framing of Tanzania's digital transformation presented by Dr. Misso and Dr. Mvulla. Dr. Misso sets ambitious targets of 80% of services delivered digitally and 70% of citizens able to use digital services under TDV 2050 , while Dr. Mvulla emphasises youth as drivers of the digital economy . Neither Dr. Misso nor Dr. Mvulla addresses the citizen trust and preference gap that Dotto identifies, creating an unexpected implicit disagreement about the readiness of the general population to adopt AI-powered digital services, as opposed to the readiness of the government and youth innovators.
The session is primarily a collaborative showcase of Tanzania's digital transformation and AI initiatives, with minimal direct disagreement between speakers. The main tensions are: (1) an internal contradiction within Dotto's presentation between the recommended sequencing of national AI strategy before sectoral guidelines and Tanzania's actual reversed approach; (2) an implicit tension between the optimistic framing of infrastructure achievements and the acknowledged barriers of high GPU costs, skills gaps, and citizen trust deficits; (3) an unexpected challenge from an audience member regarding Tanzania's approach to Swahili language data, suggesting an underutilised collaborative resource; and (4) a subtle divergence between Dotto's acknowledgement of citizen preference for in-person services and the ambitious digital service targets set by Dr. Misso.
All three speakers agree on the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and inclusive engagement in Tanzania's digital transformation. However, they emphasise different dimensions of this collaboration. Dotto focuses on the role of multi-stakeholder engagement in developing the national AI strategy, citing UNESCO consultation as producing a richer, more implementable strategy . Dr. Misso emphasises public-private partnership in infrastructure deployment, such as the joint launch of 558 communication towers with private operators , and the conducive environment for investors . Dr. Mvulla focuses on youth and diaspora engagement through platforms like Bonif and the DIGITO innovation centres . They share the goal of inclusive collaboration but differ in which stakeholders and mechanisms they prioritise.
Multi-stakeholder strategy development Digital Economy Strategic Framework pillars Youth involvement in innovation
Both Dotto and Dr. Misso agree that digital infrastructure is a strong foundation for Tanzania's AI and digital transformation agenda. Dotto highlights 15,000 kilometres of fibre optic connectivity, 95% mobile coverage, and 82.6% internet penetration , while Dr. Misso highlights the launch of 558 communication towers and tier three data centres . However, Dotto also identifies high GPU compute costs and high cloud costs as significant barriers , implying that the existing infrastructure, while strong for connectivity, is insufficient for advanced AI workloads. Dr. Misso does not address this gap, focusing instead on the achievements. They thus agree on the strength of the connectivity infrastructure but implicitly differ on whether it is adequate for AI deployment at scale.
Digital infrastructure achievements Communication tower expansion Data centre ecosystem
All parties agree that digital inclusion is a priority, but they approach it differently. Dotto focuses on language inclusion through the Swahili AI corpus to ensure AI tools are accessible to Swahili speakers . Dr. Misso situates inclusion within the Digital Economy Strategic Framework under Pillar 5 and commits to commercialising innovations to reach a large population . The online audience member highlights inclusion for persons with disabilities, noting ICT tools for the deaf and blind , which is acknowledged by Dr. Misso as part of the government's framework . They share the goal of digital inclusion but differ in which marginalised groups and mechanisms they prioritise.
Sectoral AI applications Government support for inclusive innovation Digital inclusion for persons with disabilities
All three speakers agree that international and bilateral collaboration is essential for Tanzania's digital transformation. Dotto identifies specific partnership needs including technical partnerships for AI capacity building, GPU infrastructure, shared governance frameworks, and support for Swahili language datasets . Dr. Mvulla cites Tanzania's top-three ranking in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index as evidence of readiness for collaboration . Dr. Misso frames Tanzania as offering a conducive environment for investors and partners . They agree on the need for collaboration but differ in emphasis: Dotto focuses on what Tanzania needs from partners, while Mvulla and Misso focus on what Tanzania can offer to attract partners.
Partnership needs identified GovTech Maturity Index ranking TDV 2050 digital service targets
- Tanzania has made significant progress in AI and digital transformation, deploying 14 AI systems across government, with notable achievements in infrastructure (15,000 km of fibre optic, 95% mobile coverage, 82.6% internet penetration) and a strong legal foundation anchored by the Personal Data Protection Act (2022).
- A national AI strategy should precede sectoral guidelines; Tanzania learned this lesson in reverse, having built sectoral frameworks before the national strategy, but mitigated the risk by developing 14 AI systems in parallel with policy development, allowing implementation capacity and policy to inform each other.
- Multi-stakeholder engagement — spanning government, civil society, private sector, academia, and international partners — has been essential to establishing Tanzania's national AI strategy and digital transformation agenda.
- The 2025 UNESCO AI Readiness Assessment scored Tanzania 35 out of 100, recognising strong government readiness and infrastructure but flagging a persistent skills gap, insufficient local-language datasets, high compute costs, and trust and awareness gaps among citizens.
- Youth are central to Tanzania's digital innovation ecosystem, with over 1,000 young people engaged through academic-industrial linkages, internships, and the Bonif diaspora platform, supported by over 600 AI-focused startups and planned DIGITO innovation centres.
- Digital inclusion extends beyond connectivity to encompass people with disabilities, with ICT tools developed for the deaf (using sign language) and the blind, reflecting Pillars 4 and 5 of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework (innovation and inclusion).
- A Swahili AI national corpus of over 61 million words has been developed since 2015 to enable AI tools to function in Swahili, addressing a critical barrier to mass AI deployment across Tanzania and East and Central Africa.
- Tanzania's TDV 2050 vision targets 80% of services delivered digitally and 70% of citizens able to use digital services, with the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework (2024–2034) providing the six-pillar roadmap to achieve this.
- Tanzania ranks among the top three countries in Africa on the GovTech Maturity Index, signalling a conducive environment for bilateral and institutional collaboration with international partners.
- Key challenges remain, including high GPU compute and cloud costs, insufficient local-language AI datasets, a persistent skills gap, the digital divide, and low citizen trust in digital services relative to in-person service delivery.
“Build and shape in parallel. In our case, we were able to build 14 AI systems while policy and strategy was still being developed, ensuring implementation capacity exists when the strategies are finalized. It can also feed back into the development of strategies.”
“With all these challenges, how do we optimise AI to enable responsible innovation in public service delivery while protecting data and citizen trust?”
“A national AI strategy must come first, and sectoral guidelines must come after that. For our case, it's so different. We started in sectoral, then came the national AI strategy.”
“Have you considered collaborating with Wikimedia, because I know that there is a Wikimedia user group in Tanzania and they are contributing to Wikipedia in Swahili? And that could be a great basis for any AI tools that want to provide information in Swahili language. And then also it's possible to establish Wikipedia projects in other languages than Swahili.”
“Apart from the financial inclusivity in Tanzania, we have another digital inclusivity for people with disabilities... for the blind and for the deaf... the President of the National Republic of Tanzania has employed a person who is blind as an accountant in the Ministry of Health.”
“We are looking at 54 cities in Tanzania together with partnership with Open University of Tanzania. And we will also publish these results in the coming weeks.”
How can Tanzania optimise AI to enable responsible innovation in public service delivery while protecting data and citizen trust?
This was explicitly posed as a closing thought by Mr. Dotto and left open for broader reflection. It encapsulates the central tension between rapid AI deployment and the need for robust data protection and public trust, making it a critical area for ongoing policy and technical research.
How can Tanzania and similar developing nations address the persistent skill gap in AI, particularly given the high cost of GPU infrastructure and energy requirements?
Mr. Dotto identified the skill gap and high computational costs as major challenges flagged by the UNESCO AI readiness assessment. Addressing these is essential for sustainable AI deployment in public services and warrants further investigation into affordable solutions and international partnerships.
How can the insufficient Swahili (and other indigenous) language datasets be expanded to support effective natural language processing and AI tools for local populations?
Both Mr. Dotto and Clara Wiest from Wikimedia Switzerland highlighted the insufficiency of local language datasets as a barrier to AI deployment. This is a critical research area given that language accessibility is fundamental to digital inclusion across East and Central Africa.
Could Tanzania collaborate with Wikimedia and its Tanzanian user group to leverage Swahili Wikipedia contributions as a basis for building Swahili AI language datasets?
Clara Wiest raised this as a concrete collaboration opportunity, noting that Wikimedia's existing Swahili content and diaspora contributors could directly address the insufficient local language dataset challenge. Mr. Dotto expressed openness to this but no formal follow-up was established during the session.
Is it possible to establish Wikipedia projects in Tanzanian languages other than Swahili to support AI tools in those languages?
Clara Wiest suggested that Wikipedia projects could be created for other Tanzanian languages beyond Swahili, which could serve as training data for AI tools. This raises important questions about linguistic diversity and digital inclusion for minority language speakers in Tanzania.
How can AI and digital tools be further developed and scaled to support digital inclusion for people with disabilities, particularly the deaf and blind communities?
The online participant from Tanzania highlighted existing but nascent efforts for digital inclusion of people with disabilities, including sign language-based ICT learning. This area requires further research into accessible AI tools and scalable solutions to ensure marginalised populations are not left behind in digital transformation.
What shared AI governance frameworks and regulatory sandbox models can be developed through peer learning to support countries at similar stages of AI development?
Mr. Dotto explicitly called for shared AI governance frameworks and support for regulatory sandboxes as part of Tanzania's needs. This points to a broader research agenda around international cooperation models for responsible AI governance, particularly for developing nations.
How can systems interoperability be achieved across government institutions to move away from siloed digital infrastructure?
Dr. Misso noted that systems interoperability is an ongoing challenge and an area of work. Further research is needed into technical standards, governance models, and implementation strategies that enable different government systems to communicate effectively.
What are the results of the UN e-Government Survey methodology being applied to 54 cities in Tanzania, and what lessons can be drawn for sub-national digital governance?
Denis Souza announced that results from assessing 54 Tanzanian cities in partnership with the Open University of Tanzania would be published in the coming weeks. These results represent an important forthcoming area of research for understanding sub-national e-government performance and informing targeted improvements.
How should national AI strategies be sequenced relative to sectoral AI guidelines, and what are the implications of developing sectoral guidelines before a national strategy?
Mr. Dotto identified this as a key lesson learned from Tanzania's experience, where sectoral guidelines preceded the national AI strategy. This sequencing issue has significant implications for policy coherence and is an important area for comparative research across countries implementing AI governance frameworks.
How can the digital divide be effectively addressed to connect unconnected populations, particularly in rural and underserved areas of Tanzania?
Mr. Dotto raised the digital divide as a persistent challenge being addressed through USCAF and other initiatives. Further research is needed into the effectiveness of these programmes and what additional interventions are required to achieve meaningful universal connectivity.
How can Tanzania's homegrown AI innovations, particularly those supporting people with disabilities, be commercialised and scaled to reach a larger population?
Dr. Misso referenced Pillar 4 (innovation) and Pillar 5 (inclusion) of the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework as the basis for scaling such innovations. Further research is needed into commercialisation pathways, funding models, and policy mechanisms to bring these tools to a wider audience.