Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 04 Jul 2012:
IBM (NYSE: IBM) IBM) today signed
a collaboration agreement with the Tanzanian Ministry of
Communication, Science and Technology to help accelerate the
adoption of technology as part of Tanzania’s ongoing development
and strategy to increase its competitiveness in East Africa.
IBM will work with the Tanzanian Government to help achieve its
vision of becoming a hub for trade in the wider East Africa region
and to enhance sustainable economic development as outlined in the
Tanzania National ICT Policy.About IBM
Photo: Mark Dean, IBM Fellow and CTO for Africa (center
left) shakes hands with His Excellency Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete,
President of Tanzania
“This agreement supports the goals of the National ICT
Commission to use innovative technologies and approaches to
transform our infrastructures, build national data centers,
increase cyber-security and invest in IT talent development,” said
Honourable Prof. Makame M. Mbarawa, the Minister for Communication,
Science and Technology. “Working with IBM will help to ensure that
our initiatives are in line with international standards while
positioning us to become competitive regionally and
internationally.”
IBM and the Government of Tanzania will co-operate to support
the country’s National ICT agenda developing simplified and more
effective social and administrative systems for e-Government,
e-Health and e-Education among other areas.
“IBM is a long-standing partner to the Tanzanian government and
we are committed to supporting the country’s economic growth and
technical advancement,” said Dr. Mark Dean, Chief Technology
Officer and IBM Fellow, IBM Middle East and Africa. “A key part of
our strategy in Africa is to build skills and a culture of
innovation across the continent.”
One of the focus areas of the agreement will be the port of Dar
es Salaam which is the main point for Tanzania’s imports and
exports. The port also serves the neighboring landlocked countries
of Zambia, Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic
Republic of Congo. By working with IBM, the Tanzanian government
will explore the use of innovative technologies and approaches to
help the port to operate more efficiently, transform revenue
collection processes and strengthen regional trade links.
The agreement underscores IBM’s commitment to Africa and builds
on a similar agreement signed in March 2010 between IBM and the
Tanzania Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to support
the adoption of IT in the areas of education, research and
development.
Significant progress has been made since that earlier agreement,
including the provision of international guest lecturers, three
academic awards, the donation of 37,000 technical reference books
and journals to the University of Dodoma and the Dar es Salaam
Institute of Technology, as well as international co-operation with
Tanzanian academics.
IBM has also been actively engaged in Tanzania through its
Corporate Service Corps program. Since 2009, 88 talented emerging
leaders from more than 25 different countries have worked on one
month assignments to Tanzania in projects aimed at social and
economic development. Through this program IBM has dedicated over
10,000 hours of pro bono information technology and business
consulting to Tanzania.
Beneficiaries of IBM’s citizenship work in Tanzania include the
Tanzania Traffic Police; Tanzania Library Services; Tanzania Postal
Corporation; the Tanzania Education and Research Network; the
Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency; the University of
Dodoma, the Africa Wildlife Foundation; the Tanzanian Association
of Tour Operators and the Arusha Institute of Accountancy.
In June 2011, IBM opened a subsidiary office in Dar es Salaam as
part a broad program of investment in Africa covering the creation
of new facilities, offices, training, staffing and recruitment,
skills development, sales & marketing and corporate
citizenship. IBM has a direct presence in over 20 African countries
including South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius,
Angola, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.
About IBM
To find out more about IBM’s African growth story visit:
http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/34710.wss
For up to date information on IBM Growth Markets please follow: https://twitter.com/#IBMGrowthMkts.About
IBM
