Minister of State in the President's Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), George Simbachawene, has called on public officers to refrain from avoiding use of Government’s information and communication technology (ICT) systems that are meant to enhance efficiency in serving wananchi, TPJ can report.

The minister’s call was in the remarks he made today in Arusha during the opening of the 4^th e-Government Annual Meeting organized by the e-Government Authority (eGA).

Simbachawene said he was concerned that some government officials appear bent on resisting the government's desire of utilizing ICT systems to improve accountability and transparency in public service delivery by dubiously citing network or system malfunctions which can easily be corrected.

Minister Simbachawene acknowledged that there were some instances when officials, especially those stationed in remote areas, did experience internet blackout at times but directed his frustration towards those who maliciously seemed to take delight at the slightest failure as if to belittle the significant investment the Government has made in the technology.

"Some public servants simply refuse to use the systems. So, even if there is a minor internet failure, they gleefully go about proclaiming that the system is not functioning.” said Simbachawene.

The minister said as the Government has done much by building infrastructure such as the National ICT Broadband Backbone, which is operated by the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd, to ensure that ICT systems can be put to use throughout the country, there was a need to take legal action against those deliberately avoiding to use established systems.

 Additionally, he highlighted President Samia Suluhu Hassan's commitment to ensuring effective utilization of information and communications technology as per the 2016 National ICT Policy, saying public institutions should capitalize on ICT opportunities to improve performance in service delivery.

"Colleagues, we have no option but to embrace technology in public institutions and to collaborate effectively in enforcing the relevant laws, including the e-Government Act, to make this possible," stated Simbachawene.

He also urged leaders of government institutions to actively support President Samia's directives to ensure the integration of government systems and cautioned against those who hinder the integration of their systems with others.

Simbachawene's directives echo instructions regarding use of NeST, where government institutions are instructed to ensure that every public tender is processed through the system, with fines and jail terms awaiting those who will not adhere to the requirement.

The four-day meeting was attended by staff from various government institutions, including the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority which also provided customer service on NeST.