Tanzania: Zambia Speaks Highly On Tanzania Technologies, Achievements
Daily News
SOME world leaders have explained how important the Global Smart Partnership was to the region.
Daily News
SOME world leaders have explained how important the Global Smart Partnership was to the region.
When the Zambian Vice-President spoke to the "Sunday News" in an exclusive interview recently in city, he said that Zambia had already started benefiting from the technologies that are already developed in Tanzania.
"It was only the last rainy season that Zambia had an invasion of army worms which were destroying our maize in some parts of Zambia, and we had to call you (Tanzanians) to come and show us how to kill these pests," the Zambian Vice President, Dr Scott Guy exclaimed.
He said that: "I think we accept the need for the technology that was developed by Tanzania, which we don't have until now." Dr Scott also said that Zambia accepts the need to exchange more and more information through Global Smart Partnership, something that is integral in this regard.
When asked to describe the level of cooperation between Zambia and Tanzania, he said that the fact that Zambia had contracted a Tanzanian firm to come and fight the pests, it tells it all. "We are indeed expecting the cooperation to extend to some other important areas, which I have witnessed some of the outstanding technologies which are already in place in the country," he explained.
He further said that Tanzania has put up a very good challenge for the continent by demonstrating the latest technologies that were home grown during the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue that concluded last week. "It is amazing to see how the country has made strides in terms of research.
He said he had seen some technologies exhibited during the Dialogue that he didn't know that the country had already attained. "I think the country has put up a very good challenge for herself, they showed technologies that I did not know it had," said the Vice President.
Dr Scott also commended the country for its generosity of sharing research that she is undertaking. "Actually it makes me determined to go back to Zambia and see that science and technology moves faster, than it is at the moment," he exclaimed.
He also said that the Smart Partnership Dialogue, which the country has played host was organized efficiently and interestingly. "Tanzania has hosted this Dialogue efficiently and interestingly," he said. He further said that: "I think we have identified some needs for people like yourself (journalists) to acquire and obtain more technical knowledge."
Recently, after the Smart Partnership Dialogue had concluded Minister for Communication, Science and Technology. Prof. Makame Mbarawa described the Dialogue as very successful, because it was able to demonstrate the country's achievements in terms of home grown scientific technologies and apply them both in the country and in neighbouring countries.
He said that the fact that the architect and founder of Global Smart Partnership Dialogue, Dr Mahathir Mohamed had also attended the meeting as well as other global leaders it shows how the country's leadership is taken seriously.
Prof. Mbarawa described the country as having made strides in advancement of technologies, citing how the country was benefitting from M-Pesa: which is a banking system based on new technology that allows people from all corners of the country to make money transaction, even where there are no banks.
"It has brought such services to people's threshold, defeating the limitations of reaching remote areas of our country," he said. He also said that right now the farmers can access the market prices without travelling and make informed decisions in selling their produce using their mobile phones. The Professor also praised the telemedicine as another area of success.
"Today doctors in remote areas can hold teleconference using the fibre optics which is already connected in all the regions and districts of our country," he said. For example assistant medical officers operating in some villages can seek consultation specialists to carry out surgery and other forms of treatment using mobile phones.
Another achievement he said was the recent migration from analogy to digital in the countries broadcasting systems. When opening the Global Smart Partnership dialogues recently in Dar es Salaam, President Jakaya Kikwete has urged African leaders to invest in science education and training of indigenous mass that can eventually assist in finding home grown practical solutions to challenges that the continent confronts on daily basis.
The president said societies that have anchored science and technology into development programmes have succeeded in finding solutions to their challenges, including fast tracking development in various areas.
In view of these developments, the country's leadership has demonstrated its commitment to take the nation to another level in this 21 century, where everything is determined by your technology capacity. It means you either take the challenge and adapt to the technological changes or you are doomed for ever.
