THE government in collaboration with development partners plans to create digital maps for both surface and underground water sources to help investors.

Dr Kafuku Gerald, project manager at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) said this in Dar es Salaam yesterday at the Forum for Climate Change (Forum CC) that brought together youth across the country.

He said the forum was deliberated under the theme ‘digitalization in climate Action: Navigating the trade-offs between innovation and sustainability’.

He said the government’s future plan is to ensure potential investors get the right information when seeking right places for investment in the agriculture sector.

Dr Gerald said that digital maps also help to inform the planning of investments to improve future water supply coverage. He said that digital technology is very important to reduce excessive dependency on foreign technology.

Dr Gerald said that so far, the government works to strengthen youth capability to contribute more to the nation’s revenues.

“Maps can tell you at a glance how much rainfall a region gets annually, where streams, rivers and dams are located near a project and how much groundwater is available in an area,” he said.

During the forum, he shared with the youth seeking grants on how to apply for the commission to implement their innovative ideas.

Linus Kahendaguza, gender coordinator in the President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government) said that embracement in digital innovation helps to save money and wastage of time

“As we embark on digital innovation, we must ensure that it helps communities and the future generations,” he said.

Forum CC project manager Ray Mark said that the need for youth to embrace digital technology is very important.

He said of the over 60 million people in Tanzanians, more than 50 percent are under 18 and over 70 percent are under 30.

Tanzania Youth Alliance (Tayoa) programme manager Fatma Mkota said the forum was an important platform to share and get new digital innovation skills.

 “Let’s us show our readiness to embrace digital innovation to realize our individual and the country’s goal,” she said.