Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Tume ya TEHAMA, Dkt. Nkundwe Mwasaga akichangia mada wakati wa Kongamano la Kwanza la Kuhusu Maandalizi ya Dira ya Taifa ya Maendeleo 2050 lililofanyika Ukumbi wa Nkrumah wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam. Kongamano hilo lililoandaliwa na Ofisi ya Rais, Tume ya Mipango limezinduliwa na Makamu wa Rais, Dkt. Philip Mpango. (Picha kwa hisani ya Tume ya TEHAMA).

Dkt.Mwasaga ameyasema hayo Juni 8,2024 wakati akichangia mada katika Kongamano la Kwanza la Kitaifa kuhusu Maandalizi ya Dira ya Taifa ya Maendeleo 2050 lililofanyika katika Ukumbi wa Nkurumah uliopo Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam.

"Ningependa kuanza na takwimu ya miaka sifuri mpaka 35 ambayo inasema ni asilimia 37 ya populations yetu.

"Hii ina maana gani baada ya mwaka 2050, ina maana kwamba yule wa sifuri mwaka 2050 atakuwa na miaka 25 na watakuwa wana-interact na mifumo yote tunayoitumia.

"Ni watu wa kidigitali kabisa, yule wa 35 atakuwa na miaka 60, sasa ni wazi kwamba Tanzania ya mwaka 2050, itakuwa ni Tanzania ambayo ina demands kubwa ya vitu vya kidigitali.

"Tukiangalia takwimu za Afrika, TEHAMA inatoa mchango gani kwa uchumi mkubwa wa Afrika ni asilimia saba, sasa sisi tukifikia 2050 iwe saba au zaidi ya saba kwa sababu tuna namba na namba zinaonesha wazi namna ambavyo tunakuwa.

Mheshiwa Mgeni Rasmi, Mheshimiwa Jerry William Slaa, Waziri wa Wiza ya Habari, Mawasiliano na Teknolojia ya Habari na Mawasiliano (TEHAMA); hitifaki imezingatiwa.

Ningependa kuanza kwa kutoa utambulisho wa wageni mbalimbali waliohudhuria kongamano letu hili la nane, kongamano ambalo linajikita katika masuala yote yanayohusiana na akili mnemba na teknolojia ya roboti.

Wageni waalikwa walioko kwenye meza yetu kuu ni pamoja na Waziri wetu ambaye ametenga muda wake kuwa mgeni rasmi na kuja kufungua kongamano hili. Kama mnavyofahamu, kongamano hili linachukua siku tano, na Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, kuna wageni mbalimbali waliofika kushiriki. Ningependa kuwatambulisha kwa makundi yao.

Kuna Menejimenti ya Wizara ya Habari, Mawasiliano na TEHAMA, Bodi ya Tume ya TEHAMA, wakuu mbalimbali wa taasisi za umma na binafsi hapa Tanzania, pamoja na Menejimenti ya Tume ya TEHAMA.
Pia, kuna mabalozi mbalimbali waliofika kwenye kongamano hili, na naomba Waheshimiwa Mabalozi msimame. Vilevile, ningependa kuwaomba wadhamini wote waliodhamini kongamano hili msimame, ili Mgeni Rasmi aweze kuwaona.
Aidha, watoa mada waliopo katika kongamano letu, nawaomba msimame. Na ningependa pia Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi aweze kuwaona.
Wataalamu wetu wa TEHAMA ambao, haswa, ndio wenye kongamano hili, wote waliopo hapa, naomba msimame.
Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, ni wazi kabisa kwamba tuna jeshi kubwa la wataalamu wenye uwezo na utaalamu mbalimbali katika sekta ya TEHAMA. Hawa ni baadhi ya wataalamu waliohudhuria hapa, lakini tunao zaidi ya elfu tano ambao ni wataalamu wa TEHAMA kote nchini. Baada ya utambulisho huu, ningependa kueleza kwa ufupi kuhusu kongamano hili.
Kongamano hili ni la nane kama nilivyosema awali, na tumeshafanya makongamano mengine saba huko nyuma. Tulianza kongamano la kwanza mwaka 2017, na tumekuwa tukijadili mada mbalimbali. Tumekuwa tukichambua masuala ya uchumi wa kidijitali na mengine mengi, lakini safari hii tumeamua kujikita katika eneo la akili mnemba na teknolojia ya roboti, kwa kuwa haya ndiyo masuala yanayojadiliwa kwa kina duniani sasa.
Ningependa kufafanua jinsi tulivyoanza siku ya kwanza, ambayo ilikuwa ni Jumapili, siku iliyotengwa maalum kwa ajili ya kujadili mafanikio na changamoto ambazo wanawake wanakutana nazo kwenye sekta ya TEHAMA. Katika siku hiyo, tulichambua mambo mengi, na kuangalia hali halisi ya wanawake katika ulimwengu wa sasa wa akili mnemba, ambapo tulikuwa na mhadhara maalum kuhusu State of Play of Women in AI Era.
Tuliendelea na majadiliano juu ya mada kuu ya kongamano hili inayohusiana na jinsi ya kutumia akili bandia na roboti katika kuleta maendeleo ya kijamii na kiuchumi, majadiliano ambayo yaliongozwa na mwenzetu Dr. George Mulamula. Pia tulijadili mada inayohusisha wanawake viongozi katika eneo hili la uchumi wa kidijitali na akili mnemba, iliyoongozwa na Dada Asha Abinallah.
Tulikuwa na mada kuhusu mitaji kwa kampuni za startups zinazoendeshwa na wanawake na tathmini ya maendeleo tangu mwaka jana, ambapo Dada Khalila Mbowe aliongoza majadiliano hayo. Aidha, tulipata wasilisho maalum juu ya akili bandia, teknolojia ya roboti, na masuala ya Haki Miliki, mada iliyotolewa na mtaalamu Vicensia Marie kutoka taasisi yetu ya Brela.
Pia tulikuwa na wasilisho lililohusu namna ya kukuza haraka kampuni zinazoendeshwa na wanawake katika sekta ya akili bandia, lililoongozwa na Engineer Clarence Ichwekeleza. Siku hiyo tulihitimisha na paneli iliyohusu uwekezaji katika kampuni changa zinazoendeshwa na wanawake kwenye sekta ya akili bandia, paneli ambayo ilisimamiwa na Ikunyigulila Mwanjisi.
Mwisho kabisa, tuliangalia mada kuhusu teknolojia ya akili mnemba na umuhimu wake wa kuwajumuisha watu wa jinsia zote, ambapo mada hiyo iliongozwa na Necta Mwitori.
Kwa hiyo, siku ya kwanza ilikuwa maalum kwa watoa mada wanawake, ambapo wasimamizi wa mada pia walikuwa wanawake. Tumepokea mrejesho mkubwa sana ambao utatufaa sana katika mipango yetu ya baadaye.
Siku ya pili, ambayo ilikuwa jana, ilikuwa siku maalum ya kumbukumbu ya Hayati Mwalimu Nyerere. Tulijadili nafasi ya vijana katika maono ya Mwalimu Nyerere na kile wanachofanya katika sekta ya teknolojia. Mada ya kwanza maalum ilikuwa ikichambua mchango wa akili mnemba na roboti katika Pato la Taifa—namna ya kufanya makadirio ili kujua mchango wake katika uchumi wa nchi. Mada ya pili ilihusiana na kauli mbiu ya kongamano, ambayo ilijadiliwa na vijana, ikiongozwa na kijana Zephania Reuben.
Pia, tulichambua jinsi akili bandia inavyoweza kuwa na faida kwa jamii nzima. Katika hili, tulikuwa na mawasilisho mawili: la kwanza lilihusu jinsi taarifa kutoka kwenye satelaiti zinavyoweza kutumika katika kupanga mambo ya kiserikali kama bajeti na usimamizi wa rasilimali za maji. La pili lilikuwa kuhusu jinsi ya kuunda mifumo ya akili bandia inayoaminika, na msimamizi wa mada hiyo alikuwa Bw. Dennis Karugaba.
Pia, tulikuwa na workshop ya roboti ambayo iliwavutia watu wengi, Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi. Kinyume na fikra kuwa teknolojia ya roboti ni ya vyuo vikuu pekee, jana tuliona vijana wa sekondari wakionyesha uwezo wao mkubwa, na walitutia moyo sana. Tunapomaliza kutengeneza video ya warsha hii, tutakuletea, Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, ili uone jinsi vijana wetu wanavyoonyesha kuwa na uwezo mkubwa na kuashiria mustakabali mzuri wa taifa letu.
Tulikuwa pia na wasilisho kuhusu jinsi ya kutafuta mitaji kwa kampuni za vijana zinazoshughulika na akili bandia hapa Tanzania, na namna ya kukuza kampuni hizi ili ziweze kustawi vizuri. Mada hiyo iliongozwa na Catherinerise Barreto, mtaalamu mashuhuri katika sekta hii, hasa katika masuala ya ubunifu.
Leo, siku ya tatu ya kongamano letu, tuna mawasilisho mengi yaliyogawanywa katika makundi mbalimbali. Kundi la kwanza linaangazia jinsi ya kujenga jamii inayotumia maarifa yanayozalishwa na TEHAMA na kuendeleza akili mnemba ili ziweze kusaidia jamii. Katika kikao hiki, tuna wachokoza mada kama Dr. George Mulamula, na pia tunao wataalamu kutoka UNESCO ambao watazindua utafiti unaotarajiwa kufanywa hapa Tanzania.

Utafiti huu utawasilishwa na wataalamu kutoka UNESCO, jambo ambalo linafurahisha sana kwa Tanzania kwani litatusaidia kutathmini hatua tuliyofikia katika sekta hii. Baada ya kuona mchango wa vijana wetu wa sekondari, wataalamu hawa walisema wazi kwamba Tanzania imepiga hatua kubwa kwa kuwa sekta hii imeweza kufika hadi katika ngazi ya sekondari.
Pia, tuna wachokoza mada kama Dennis Karugaba na Mr. Quentin Williams kutoka Afrika Kusini, ambao watajadili mada mbalimbali zinazohusiana na masuala haya. Kuna pia majadiliano juu ya Enabling AI Cybersecurity Networks, ambayo yataangazia mifumo ya ulinzi ya akili bandia na jinsi ya kuifanya kuwa salama. Kwa hili, tunao wataalamu maalum watakaochangia, akiwemo Sam Olsen kutoka Marekani na Steven Wangwe, kutoka hapa hapa Tanzania, ambao watachambua mbinu za kuunda mifumo salama.
Siku ya nne, tutajadili namna ya kutengeneza mazingira yatakayosaidia mifumo ya akili bandia kufanya kazi vizuri hapa Tanzania. Mada hizi zitaongozwa na wachokoza mada kama Dr. Nkundwe Moses Mwasaga, Mr. Essa Mohamedali, Dr. George Mulamula, Dr. Mafori, na Eng. Munaku. Pia kutakuwa na session maalumu itakayoendeshwa na taasisi ya FSDT, ambayo itatoa mawasilisho na kuandaa mashindano kwa vijana (hackathon) yatakayofanyika hapa. Hii ni innovation ya kipekee, ambayo tunaamini itaongeza msisimko na shauku kwa washiriki wa kongamano.
Vilevile, kuna mada kuhusu data centres na matumizi ya taarifa zinazotoka kwenye satelaiti. Wataalamu maalum waliohudhuria wataonyesha matumizi ya taarifa zinazopatikana kwenye satelaiti ya Copernicus, ambapo kijana wetu anayefanya vizuri katika matumizi ya applications hizi, Mr. Antidus Wamala, atafanya wasilisho lake. Pia tutakuwa na Dr. Lungo pamoja na wataalamu wengine kutoka Umoja wa Ulaya kama Mr. Kevin Ramirez na wengineo.
Siku ya tarehe 17, ambayo ni kilele cha kongamano hili, tutakuwa na mada chache kabla ya Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi kufunga rasmi kongamano. Mada hizo zitalenga kwenye kujenga intaneti inayochochea ukuaji wa uchumi na kuwa ya kuaminika. Katika wasilisho hilo, tunaye Engineer Ndagguzi, na pia kutakuwa na session muhimu inayohusu uwekezaji katika mifumo ya taarifa, itakayoongozwa na Dr. Barbara Barone kutoka ofisi ya Umoja wa Ulaya nchini Tanzania. Watoa mada wengine watakaoshiriki ni Ms. Paola Trevisan, Mr. Leo Magomba, Ms. Sara D’Attorre, na Mr. Mauro Draoli.

Pia, tutakuwa na wasilisho kutoka kwa taasisi inayowaunganisha watoa huduma wote wa Intaneti hapa Tanzania, TISPA. Tutakuwa na wasilisho kutoka YUCSAF, pamoja na TAMNOA. Kutakuwa pia na presentation kutoka National Internet Data Centre ambapo watatuonyesha uwezo wao na maandalizi yao katika masuala ya akili bandia.
Baada ya mawasilisho haya, tutamkaribisha Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi kwa ajili ya kufunga rasmi kongamano hili. 
Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, hizi ndizo mada mbalimbali ambazo zitajadiliwa kuanzia leo hadi siku ya mwisho, tarehe 17.
Napenda kuwasilisha Mheshimiwa Mgeni Rasmi, asante sana!

Thank you so much, your Excellency, Honourable Jerry William Slaa, Minister of the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology, Honourable Mary Prisa Mundi, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology, Honourable Muhammed K. Abdullah, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, and of course, I would like to greet Professor Leonard Msele, Chairman of the ICT Commission, Dr. Nkundwe Mwasaga, Director General of the ICT Commission, and my colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps, Mr. Toto, as well as my colleagues from the EU member states and all distinguished guests here.

Thank you so much for being here at this conference. It's a real honour for us to be here today at this 8th Tanzanian Annual ICT Conference, celebrating the power of artificial intelligence and robotics for socioeconomic digital transformation. It was very interesting to hear already what has happened and been discussed in the last two days—quite impressive.

We are indeed standing on the edge of a new era, where emerging technologies are profoundly redefining industries, economies, and societies, and this all comes with responsibility, and I think we are all very much aware of that. The question before us is not whether artificial intelligence will transform our world but how we will use its potential for the best of our people, especially the next generations. We need to reflect together on how we can harness the opportunities while mitigating risks and addressing challenges.

We have already seen a number of inspiring examples of artificial intelligence applications across Africa. Specifically in Tanzania, AI is increasingly used across various fields, such as diagnostic support, health prediction, environmental conservation, and skills and education development.

However, if we are to truly unlock the opportunities AI presents, we must ensure that AI and digital transformation put people at the center. I think this is what we mean when we talk about responsibility—we need to keep people at the center. As the European Union, we strongly believe in a human-centric digital transformation and ethical use of artificial intelligence, which means prioritizing approaches that empower people, respect human rights, and promote transparency and fairness. It is about ensuring that technology is used to serve communities and enhance well-being.

Within the European Union, we have had extensive discussions on this, and we have also adopted several legislative frameworks in support of these values. Notably, we have the Artificial Intelligence Act, which represents a step in the right direction by providing a framework that balances innovation with safety and trust.

We are all moving towards data-driven economies and societies. In this context, the European Union and its member states, as Team Europe, are very eager to strengthen digital partnerships with Tanzania. We share the same vision, and I commend Tanzania for placing people at the center of its digital transformation agenda. Digitalization by 2030 is a key component of the European Union's Global Gateway strategy.

We have a broad set of tools that we can use to boost investments and leverage our expertise to meet the expectations of these digital partnerships. As has been noted already, beyond funding, we have a wealth of expertise, and I am very pleased that we have so many experts from the European Union present at this conference.

This partnership is not only about providing financial support but also about sharing the knowledge and expertise we have gathered over the years in establishing our digital single market. Our digital single market encompasses a wide range of elements, from policy and regulatory frameworks to critical assets like the Earth Observation Program Copernicus, which is being utilised here. The constellation of satellites from this program generates, collects, and processes a vast array of environmental data. This data is being used in Tanzania, for example, and by the East African Community Secretariat to track goods moving through the region’s strategic corridors.

To conclude, thank you again for the opportunity to speak here at the opening of TAIC 2024. I am very pleased to be here with all our experts, and I hope that we will learn from each other's experiences and chart our digital future together. I look forward to productive discussions between all of us.

Honourable Minister of the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology, Honourable Jerry William Slaa(M.P); Honourable Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology, Honourable Mary Priscus Maundi; esteemed leaders and officials present; Excellencies, Ambassadors, members of the Diplomatic Corps; ladies and gentlemen, Good Morning.

UNESCO is delighted to be here today with you. We are very happy to be involved and to participate in this ICT annual conference. Honourable guest of honour, ladies, and gentlemen, I now invite you to listen to a UNESCO special message that will be delivered by the Assistant Director-General for Human and Social Science, Mrs. Gabriela Ramos.