Could these be the reasons our pace to embracing technology is so slow? Case for Developing Nations like Tanzania?

By Apollo Temu and  Emmanuel D Tayari

I once attended a Government Office in Moshi – Tanzania, trying to get a particular document following my Father’s untimely death in the early part of this year 2010.

I for one I always try and make sure I never jump lines when I am to attend for a service. During this visit, I was shocked to have seen such a long queue. I started counting how many where in the queue and they were about 76 people in the line! Phew! I thought, was I about to throw all my principles and jump the queue? I felt I could not do that!

 I then went and try to ask whether I was actually waiting on the right line. This was confirmed to be the case by one Secretary of an office next to the one we were all waiting. Suddenly I saw a friend of a friend passing by on a motorbike. I then recalled I had seen this chap somewhere. I called my friend and asked him if his friend worked at the place I was. He confirmed to me that, he did but at a different location. I then shared my utter shock on the length of the queue I came across and that I had less than 1hr to be around there and I had travel plans etc. He decided to phone his friend and told him to come and see me at that office.

 All over sadden this chap who had passed while on a motorbike, phoned me and asked I go and meet him, just near the same offices, literally the same compound. What happened next taught me another lesson – that it is who you know and not what you know! He was a member of staff in a way, so he went to a different office and spoke to some of his colleagues; that office turned out had to be a next step after the window all were queuing up for. This office asked just one question and my answer proved to them that even if I was to wait in the queue, I was never going to be served with what I wanted as the documents I was asking for had to wait for a minimum of 30 days but normally it would be 90 days – or something ridiculous like that! There no even flyers or printed sheets to explain these procedures, all you are told is to wait and meet the officer behind the window!

 Those documents were such type that would come from one organization, then to them as paper files being held by hand, and someone will have to go through them, filing etc.

 This then reminded me of a similar story from other government department; where I had to walk along with one official from one building to another, move with physical files, held by hand! These are important documents that affect people’s lives directly! Its 21st century , let me just remind you!

 What came to mind, with my techno background was a massive and serious gap we have in our processes and systems. There is still that mind-set that technology is expensive and can make people jobless and that it is for the rich people, rich countries. But when you calculate the amount of productive time wasted with all those standing in the queues, plus missed opportunities due to delayed decisions, multiplied by the factor of number of occurrences these situations happens day in day out, and multiply by the factors for number of decisions made, pending and wasted time across all these processes and systems across all government departments, it is ASTONOSHING the amount of waste our nations are enduring year in year out. I am writing and talking in non-technical language here! Those people standing in those queues, had they had that time back to do something else, something productive – just think of that; those having to walk around with physical files, had that energy and time been deployed to other service pressing issues – imagine that; simply by investing in such small yet powerful and revolutionary ways of doing things, our developing nations can move much faster.

The investment required for such initiatives, when compared with the decisions for “investments” put in increasing “salaries” and “pension pots” for our legislators, administrators plus other waste through dubious means – it leaves one to think there must have been a mistake somewhere – though most than not, these are actually preferred choices by the decision makers – believe it or not!

In today’s world, a country like Tanzania can leap frog using technology. These days, “e-solutions” to ensure the entire government operations are “e-effected” are widely available and easily commissioned with appropriate training provided and benefits realization is almost instant! There is no need for people to wait for 30 days for manual file movement from one place to another – even within the same walking distance, same region! The “e-effects” operations can move files from Bukoba to Dar Es Salaam or Mtwara to Arusha just with a click of a mouse, hastening decision making and more can be done within the same working time allocated!

 With ‘e-effects” within government systems, here is an interesting one: government memos can all (in their entirety) be archived and even referenced in future in case of any investigation (e.g. http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/002809.php – where people from the public were invited to go through archive of documents and flow of information that led to certain decisions) .

 “Talking Points Memo Muckraker had success with this approach by having its readers help sort through thousands of documents pertaining to the investigation of the U.S. Department of Justice’s controversial firing of seven United States attorneys in 2006. TPM provided clear instructions to its readers to cite specific documents that included something interesting or “damning.””

 So you see, the very first step is “e-effecting” government or public operations and this is not as expensive as they will make you believe! They will make you think those are for other nations with extra cash to spare! It is the opposite I would argue. These are the means to ensure efficiency so that the meager small resources are used effectively and efficiently. “E-Effect” is the way!

 If you think of it, this “e-effect” thing is one EXTREMLY powerful tool. Anyone in a government job – or any other for that matter – ought to be doing nothing but the job they are paid for, and not only that, they ought to use the facilities for government business (with acceptable level of personal use – not abused though), hence these types of communications one would expect they must be open to scrutiny by the public who are effectively their employers!

 Ah ha… not here…. I still hear people shouting, you MUST be dreaming not in Tanzania! But why? And by the way, this is not something that can or should only happen in the developed world. Believe you me!

Technology is now within our nation’s reach and there is not a single reason that stands that can defend the sluggish pace our nation is taking in embracing the application of technology to the maximum use. If we can buy and drive cars made outside Tanzania, why can we not commission in Tanzania, world class proven systems and processes that are working in other parts of the World?

 I think I have somehow highlighted a GAP and for those with attention to details and sharp minds, there are massive opportunities here, usually quickly snatched by Entrepreneurs or people with problem solving attitudes! True Enterprising people need other people’s input for them to succeed, and for the good ones, they don’t abuse, they collaborate.

Justice, Social Enterprising, Wealth Creation, Freedom, Knowledge, Action – these are all parts of the same body, PROGRESS for Humanity. You cannot take one and leave others. All must go together. They can be delivered by many in collaboration, but the values are constant and must be fulfilled as part of whole! We all know so well the consequences of hand picking