As Tanzania continues its fast journey towards a digitally empowered society, the Digital for Tanzania (D4T) Twinning Project, led by HAUS, stands at the forefront of this transformation. Spearheaded through a collaborative effort between the Government of Tanzania and international partners, including the EU, Estonia (ESTDEV), Finland (HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management Ltd.), and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, backed by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), D4T is driving a systemic change in digital governance.

This year, our collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of Tanzania (MCIT) and European experts has resulted in several capacity-building missions in the fields of personal data protection and CyberSecurity.

Zanzibar Mission: Building Data Protection Capacity

In July 2025, the D4T team, in collaboration with the Tanzania Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) session in Zanzibar. This initiative aimed to strengthen the capacity of Data Protection Officers (DPOs) across public and private institutions. The training focused on implementing Tanzania’s new data protection legal framework, ensuring that institutions are equipped to safeguard citizens’ personal data in the digital age.

 

 

The First AI Forum in Tanzania 2025: Youth, Innovation, and Employment

Later in July, the D4T team participated in the First Tanzania Artificial Intelligence Forum, held in Dar es Salaam. The project’s Resident Twinning Adviser Assistant, Mr. Dennis Karugaba, had the honour of moderating a session on AI and Youth Employment, where we explored how AI can be a catalyst for job creation and innovation among young Tanzanians.

The forum also featured insightful sessions by our esteemed colleagues:

• Mr. Tapani Rinne, Senior Specialist in Digital Security at the Finnish Digital Agency, who addressed AI and CyberSecurity.
• Mr. Kimmo Rousku, a renowned ICT and digital security expert, who demonstrated practical applications of AI tools like OpenAI, Google Gemini, and xAI Grok.

 

AI Community IndabaX 2025: Youth, Innovation, and Employment

Our experts’ contributions continued at the AI Community’s IndabaX 2025, where they led sessions on AI tools, data security, and real-world applications, further empowering Tanzania’s growing AI ecosystem. The event was attended by a huge number of AI enthusiasts, professionals, academia, and, interestingly, universities and colleges joined virtually.

CyberSecurity Capacity Building in Dodoma

In August 25–29, 2025, the D4T team joined the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in Dodoma for a critical mission focused on CyberSecurity Capacity Building. This training targeted the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), equipping government and institutional stakeholders with the skills to defend against evolving cyber threats.

Our visiting experts from Finland, i.e., Mr. Tapani Rinne, Mr. Kimmo Rousku, and Mr. Pekka Ristimäki, as well as Mr. Risto Rahu from Estonia, conducted a comprehensive training for the key personnel of MCIT and its stakeholders.

These sessions covered key topics on the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), including identification and management, risk assessment, audits, information integrity and authenticity, disaster recovery planning, as well as SOC set-up and operations such as logging, monitoring, and internal vulnerability scanning.

The highlight of the mission was organizing nearly a full day on a tabletop exercise covering criticality, risks, ISO 27000, and roles & responsibilities in CII protection. This garnered every participant’s imagination as they were able to see, in a real-life scenario, how to protect CIIs.

Digital for Tanzania Twinning Project continues to make impactful strides in digital governance, data protection, and innovation. With each mission, we are not only building systems but also empowering people, ensuring that Tanzania’s digital future is inclusive, secure, and sustainable.

Written by: Mr. Dennis Karugaba, Resident Twinning Adviser Assistant, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Digital for Tanzania (D4T) Twinning Project

Background: Digital Transformation in Tanzania, Key Statistics

Tanzania has made remarkable progress in digital adoption:

• Internet Users: Over 54.1 million by mid-2025, up from 29 million in 2020.
• Mobile Connections: 67.72 million active connections, equivalent to 99% of the population.
• Social Media Users: 5.65 million, representing 8.3% of the population.
• Internet Speeds: Mobile internet median speed rose to 22.61 Mbps, a 56.1% increase from 2023.
• SIM Penetration: Over 111%, with 80.7 million subscriptions by late 2024.
• Mobile Money Impact: Platforms like VodaBima and Smart Darasa are transforming access to financial services and education.

Background: Digital for Tanzania (D4T) Twinning Project

Contact: Resident Twinning Adviser, Mr. Jani Ruuskanen, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The overall objective of the Digital4Tanzania (D4T) Twinning project is to actively contribute to the successful digital transformation of Tanzania by supporting e-Government reform and connectivity. The project is funded by the Delegation of the European Union to the United Republic of Tanzania (EUD).

Core Components of Digital for Tanzania

The D4T project is structured around three strategic components, each led by a key partner country:

1. CyberSecurity, Privacy, and Data Protection Framework
   • Objective: Future-proof Tanzania’s cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection systems, while enhancing the skills of both public and private sector actors.
   • Strengthens legal and regulatory frameworks for ICT, cybersecurity, and privacy.
   • Builds capacity in both public and private sectors to implement the ICT Act, Cybersecurity Act, and Personal Data Protection Act.
   • Activities include legal assessments and workshops to enhance institutional understanding and compliance.

Lead Partner: Germany.

Interoperability and Data Governance

• • Objective: Strengthen the interoperability framework and data governance capabilities to enable an inclusive, transparent, and data-driven public sector.
  • Enhances data governance, interoperability standards, and quality assurance mechanisms.
  • Includes study visits, reviews of government registries, and recommendations for improving data management across ministries.

Lead Partner: Estonia.

1. Private Sector and Research Capacity Building
   • Objective: Improve the skills of the private sector and research community in cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection.
   • Enhances data governance, interoperability standards, and quality assurance mechanisms.
   • Includes study visits, reviews of government registries, and recommendations for improving data management across ministries.

Lead Partner: Finland.