Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Can Tanzania participate better in the Knowledge Economy?

Presented on 14th November, 2007Paradise Resort Hotel, BagamoyoSimbo Ntiro – ICT Advisor, COSTECH

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

We shall cover:

The opportunities ICT offers Tanzania’s Vision 2025 What is the knowledge economy? Tanzania’s policy context in this regard Alternative approaches to policy formulation Who leads change? What are the big questions for Tanzania?

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

The opportunities ICT offers

Opportunities to “leap-frog” traditional technology stages taken by developed countries (e.g. mobiles, Wi-Max, free-to-air satellite radio/TV)

Be world-class – some of our companies compete with the best in the world (e.g. DStv, Thawte & VeriSign, Celtel, Kenya Airways, First National)

Enhance our national development efforts (e.g. MoEVT, e-Government, TGDLC)

Open Source can set us free (e.g. MobiPawa, Baobab Health Partnership, Ubuntu)

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Tanzania’s Vision 2025

Vision 2025 envisages that Tanzania is a country imbued with the following attributes: High quality livelihood Peace, stability and unity Good governance A well educated and learning society A strong and competitive economy

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Tanzania’s Vision 2025

But what is “a strong and competitive economy?”

And what was in the minds of those who crafted our National Vision 2025? An industrialised economy A middle-income country Exploiting our natural resources better Turning our backs on our largely agrarian society

But are we aiming at the correct target?

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

What is the knowledge economy?Overview Some describe today's global economy as one in transition to a

“knowledge-based economy”, as an extension of the “information society”

The transition requires that the rules and practices that determined success in the industrial economy need rewriting in an interconnected, globalised economy where knowledge resources such as know-how, expertise, and intellectual property are more critical than other economic resources such as land, natural resources, or even manpower

There is also the “web” economy in which Google, Skype and eBay have created wealth based more on services that depend on mass interconnectivity rather than knowledge-based skills

ICT is fundamental to knowledge-based economies

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

What is the knowledge economy?Key Concepts A key concept of this sector of economic activity is

that knowledge and education (often referred to as "human capital") can be treated as: A business product, as educational and innovative

intellectual products and services can be exported for a high value return.

A productive asset In 1966 in his book The Effective Executive Peter

Drucker differentiated workers thus: A manual worker works with his hands and produces

“stuff” A knowledge worker works with his/her head not hands,

and produces ideas, knowledge, and information

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

What is the knowledge economy?Prerequisites

Human capitalEducationIncentives Knowledge

Business support servicesBusiness formationEntrepreneurship supportBusiness advisory servicesAccess to finance

Clusters of excellenceUniversitiesResearch centresKnowledge parks

A level playing fieldProgressive policiesConsumer rightsGood governance & rule of lawProactive regulation

The Knowledge Economy requires fundamentally different approaches from policy makers and regulators

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Tanzania’s policy context

Tanzania’s National ICT Policy was promulgated in 2003, but remains largely unimplemented (institutional arrangements, sector-specific ICT policies)

The National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty of 2005 (also known as MKUKUTA) tackles the three key development enemies ignorance, disease and poverty, but does not specifically take ICT into account

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Tanzania’s policy formulation methodology ICT is a sector in itself, but is also inherently

cross-cutting Vision 2025 and MKUKUTA are the umbrellas But policy formulation is largely sector-specific

in its outlook Implementation of policy is equally sector

specific

And is largely aiming at the wrong target!

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Tanzania’s policy formulation methodology

At the national policy level we are not taking ICT into accountNor are we specifically addressing the requirements

characteristics and challenges of the knowledge economy

Vision 2025MKUKUTA

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Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

An alternative approach (others exist)

Take an holistic view and implement

Vision 2025MKUKUTA

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Knowledge economy span Revised National ICT Policy

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

The big questions for Tanzania What can be done to prepare Tanzania for

the transition to a knowledge economy in an information society?

Who should lead this process? Who should drive this change?

We know what needs to be done.The issue is LEADERSHIP

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Who leads change?

Top-down Bottom-up Clusters

Networks/Interest Groups

Implementers/Actors

Political Leaders andTechnocrats

We can all be leaders of change

Non– systemic change

Systemic change

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Systemic & non-systemic change Systemic change (top-down) takes a long time and

requires “political will” Policy, regulatory, legal frameworks Whole country/sector benefits “Big change”

Non-systemic change (bottom-up & cluster) can be lead by anybody, can be difficult, but can eventually spur systemic change Action-oriented Driven by immediate perceived benefits Can be scaled up to “big change” as benefits are clear

once implemented

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

To recap

ICT affords incredible opportunities Our development Vision and sectoral policies

do not aim at the Knowledge Economy Alternative policy formulation methods exist

for ICT and the KE Leadership is key Top-down change can be driven from the

bottom or by clustersWhat will YOU do after this Conference?

Open Access 2007 – Tanzania

Thank you for your attentionAny questions?

Simbo NtiroICT Advisor075 678 0665sntiro@costech.or.tz