THE Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) is set to enter a collaborative agreement with the Comoros National Agency for Digital Development (ANADEN) to advance Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in both nations.

The potential agreement was discussed over the weekend following a skills exchange meeting between the two parties in Dar es Salaam. The Ambassador of the Union of the Comoros in Tanzania, Said Yakubu, and Said Muoinuo Ahamada, the Director General of ANADEN, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to learn from Tanzania's ICT progress.

Eng. Mwesigwa Felician, TCRA’s Director of Industrial Affairs (DIA), praised the delegation for choosing Tanzania and TCRA as a platform to learn about ICT advancements. In his presentation, Eng. Mwesigwa outlined Tanzania's notable ICT achievements, including the establishment of a National Data Centre.

He also highlighted the widespread adoption of mobile money services in Tanzania, which are used by over 90% of the population, with 60.8 million SIM cards registered for the service as of September 2024. 

Additionally, he noted Tanzania’s recognition as a global leader in cybersecurity, ranking first in East and Central Africa and among the top countries globally, according to the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Global Cyber Security Index.

Said Ahamada explained that the purpose of the Comorian delegation's visit was to explore how Comoros can develop the expertise necessary to build systems for government services, including e-Government, a national domain registry, and a national data center. These developments are intended to foster the growth of internet usage and digital services in both the public and private sectors.

Ahamada also mentioned that Comoros is expecting financial support from the African Development Bank (ADB) to fund ICT development through ANADEN. "With this funding, we aim to improve our internet systems by enhancing the capacity of our experts and strengthening system interoperability," he said.

Ambassador Said Yakubu emphasized the desire to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TCRA and ANADEN to facilitate expert exchanges and capacity building. “We hope that in the next meeting, your experts will visit Comoros to assess and advise on system improvements,” he added.