Last month, we introduced you to the 10 TED Translators selected to attend TEDGlobal 2017 in Tanzania this August. As the conference approaches, we’ll get to know these translators more in depth through a series of posts in which each of them answers the question What is one significant aspect of, or recent development in, your country that you think people (and not only TED Translators) should be aware of?
Nelson Simfukwe, a native Tanzanian and technology entrepreneur, provides in his response below an incisive and revealing look at how new technology is changing his country.
In recent years, Tanzania has experienced a rapid influx of technology previously absent or critically lacking in the nation—from smartphones to enhanced healthcare systems. Smartphones especially have digitized much of our communications, particularly since folks here can now easily access the internet in the palms of their hands. However, many Tanzanian users of smartphones and other technology remain unaware of how our country’s burgeoning digital revolution can benefit them, both individually and collectively, in deeper and broader ways than just everyday connectivity.
We see a clear example of this in our agricultural sector, where communications and other technological advances haven’t penetrated nearly as far as they have in, say, the public sector, leaving farmers to continue relying on obsolete methods for large-scale production. (I should add that similar disparities are evident in lots of other Tanzanian sectors, too—not only in agriculture.) It’s my belief, then, that those of us here with the knowledge and ability to do so must begin spreading awareness of this problem, in all of its manifestations, across all sectors of Tanzanian life. But again, it’s not just about increasing access and connectivity; our society needs as many of us as possible to figure out how to leverage new technology so that we can take larger leaps forward, namely into industrialization.
Realizing this transition is, of course, a complex, detailed endeavor that involves capital, investments, enhanced infrastructure and so on—but most importantly, I’d argue, technology. And those of us in Tanzania with technological expertise, inventiveness, etc. must—beyond spreading awareness—collaborate, share and merge our ideas and insights. Then, and only then, do I believe that we Tanzanians can take full advantage of the new technology at our disposal to create a better country, a better society, better lives for ourselves.
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