Catalysing Digital Transformation in Tanzania: COVID-19’s Impact

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has predominantly been viewed for its adverse impacts on economies, political stability, and the social well-being of individuals and societies worldwide. Unlike many other countries, Tanzania did not enforce complete lockdown measures but took significant actions such as closing schools, colleges, and universities, and encouraging organisations and businesses to adopt remote working practices. Similar
to global trends, Tanzania experienced cancellations of flights, postponement of conferences, enforced social distancing, and strictly regulated gatherings. These circumstances necessitated the adoption of digital technologies for interactions, including online meetings, marketing, shopping, worshiping, social interactions, e-learning, and video conferencing. Consequently, Tanzania underwent substantial digital transformation to cope with the pandemic's effects and sustain its economy. As a qualitative study, this article explored the impact of COVID-19 on digital transformation in Tanzania. It employed a combination of two methods, viz., review of literature and researcher’s analytical perspectives, notably, single perspective approach. Strategic search approach was applied using key words to access credible secondary data literature by Google Search and Google Scholar search engines. The findings reveal significant changes in human-computer interaction during COVID-19, highlighting the pandemic's role as a catalyst for development transformation in Tanzania. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, its contribution to advancing digital technologies in Tanzania is undeniable.