PLANNING officers and Information Communication Technology (ICT) head of departments in ministries of Zanzibar government have been asked to cooperate in the implementation of their daily duties in order to enable the government to achieve the goal of digital and ICT integration transformation.
The Executive Director of the Zanzibar e-Government Agency Mr Said Seif Said issued the plea recently, when opening a meeting to discuss the ‘e-Government Policy’ and Strategic Planning, which involved the directors of Planning and ICT from public institutions held in Shekh Idrissa Abdulwakili Kikwajuni.
He said that it is necessary for those executives to work closely because digitalisation and moving forward in technology requires stronger ICT operation services.
“Evaluate your position to bring changes in the way we operate in the government.
In addition, he underlined that planners and ICT, could help to transform Zanzibar into a digital country if they work together.
“The aim of e-government is to ensure that we work together to see that we go places, and this policy is not only for the agency but for the whole government to achieve its goals of becoming a digital government,” he said.
He informed the executives that they must understand the direction of the government.
“Last month, we launched the digital economy strategy plan from 2023 to 2027, followed by President Mwinyi launching of a digital government strategy. All these advancements show that ICT cannot be avoided,” he said.
He promised that the government through the e-Government Agency will ensure that it continues to protect the systems to achieve economic growth for the nation and individuals.
The Board Chairperson of the e-Government Advisory Board, Dr Mzee Suleiman Mndewa, said that changes in the government have started, so there must be guidelines in place that will help in bringing ICT changes in the country.
He said there are 800 ICT officers in Zanzibar government, but their level of education is not satisfactory among them only 25 have degrees and the rest all have certificates and diplomas.
Dr Mndewa advised the agency to work with the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) to have a curricula that will be able to raise the level of education for ICT workers.
The ICT Services Management Department manager, Ms Fatma Masrour Saad, said the agency has decided to move forward as par directives from President Mwinyi and the Union President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Source : Daily News
