Orateur
Description
ICT development appears as a catalyst for a country's economic growth and UNSDG achievement. This secondary research data examined Burundi and Tanzania's digital connectivity and pathways to Africa's digital development. The relevance was to highlight differences in digital connectivity between the two countries, as there was no previous ICT sector study has compared the two countries before. The study collected and analyzed existing data from other scholars in academic journals; reports; online data; books, and government data. It analyzed content by synthesizing also information from different sources. The study examined connectivity in Tanzania and Burundi by analyzing data from the ITU Development Dashboard, GSMA, and World Bank data. The findings showed that Tanzania is more advanced than Burundi in terms of ICT development whereas Burundi still lacks internet connectivity in its different regions, leading to a national digital divide hampering internet connectivity to many rural households as many Burundians live in rural areas. The study examined secondly the digital development and SDG advancement in Burundi and Tanzania as ICT is an enabler of UNSDG achievement and Burundi still has ICT development gaps. Results showed that Tanzania has harnessed ICT benefits to advance UNSDG achievement, like SDGs 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, and 17 to increase their achievements. The third question was to examine digital development policies in Burundi and Tanzania. Findings showed an explicit difference between the two countries. Tanzania already invested in ICT infrastructure, including broadband networks and the NICTBB. Burundi also made efforts to increase connectivity but needs further work to improve internet connectivity. Tanzania has implemented initiatives to improve digital literacy to effectively utilize ICT. Burundi lacks digital literacy skills due to the digital divide recorded in rural areas. Once connected, Burundians will get different opportunities, and business and entrepreneurial endeavors will be improved.
