This article was published on October 29, 2018

Tanzania: Government to research blockchain tech, but very slowly

It wants to make sure blockchain doesn't threaten the government and its people ...


Tanzania: Government to research blockchain tech, but very slowly

Tanzania is intent on getting into bed with blockchain tech, but wise officials have urged caution before rushing into anything.

The Tanzanian government is prepping to conduct thorough research into distributed ledgers (DLT), but the move already has its skeptics, local media reports.

At a recent conference, government official Dr. Jim Yonazi urged ICT professionals to help his government determine the power and scope of DLTs and blockchains before it made any big decisions.

Ominously, he reportedly then expressed belief that the Tanzanian governments research would help shape the policies, laws, and regulations required to ensure blockchain technology doesn’t threaten government stability.

The African continent is fast becoming a battleground for blockchain evangelists. Not just Tanzania, but many African nations suffer from data management problems, particularly for voting, natural resources, land administration, authenticity certificates, e-commerce, media, and agriculture.

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Many DLT entrepreneurs have headed to Africa to help. Earlier this year, Cardano revealed it would send blockchain missionaries to Ethopia, training programmers on how to use the tech to reshape the nation’s agricultural sector.

In Uganda, cryptocurrency exchange Binance is meant to be working with young entrepreneurs to build DLT-powered solutions to improve the lives of everyday citizens.

While it still may be too early to tell if the sum of all the efforts in Africa have really made a difference to those who need help the most, the UN does believe blockchain tech is capable of bringing positive change.

It recently revealed solid plans to bring DLT to Sierra Leone, in a bid to alleviate the credit crisis currently swallowing its economy.

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