For several years now, the Tanzanian government has been implementing initiatives to transform the country digitally. To accelerate the process, authorities are working with specialized partners with proven expertise.  

The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) and its partners - namely the Finnish Institute of Public Management (HAUS), the German Agency for International Cooperation, and the German Ministry of Digital Transport - recently launched the Digital4Tanzania (D4T) project in Tanzania.

The project, funded to the tune of €2 million by the European Union, aims to support Tanzania's digital transformation by cooperating on e-government reform and connectivity.

"Interest in Estonia’s digitization experience is also great in those African countries that are not Estonia’s priority countries. Of course, we are ready to share our experience of building a digital state and e-governance with all countries. Estonia has a large network of experts, and both we and Tanzania have a lot to learn from this twinning," said Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s Programme Manager for Digital Transformation.

As part of the project, the D4T consortium partners and the Tanzanian Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology will implement activities in line with D4T objectives.

The activities include capacity building and skills development in government cybersecurity, developing privacy and data protection frameworks, and strengthening data management and governance skills. It also includes the improvement of “skills and capacity in the private sector, particularly within the cybersecurity and privacy and data protection research communities, while addressing the digital gender divide.”

According to the ESTDEV press release, the project contract was signed, last summer, by the Finnish Institute of Public Management and the European Commission delegation in Tanzania. The project is scheduled to run until spring 2026.

Samira Njoya