The need for effective and efficient monitoring, evaluation and control of water quality in Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) has become more demanding in this era of urbanization, population growth and climate change and variability. Traditional methods that rely on collecting water samples, testing and analyses in water laboratories are not only costly but also lack capability for real-time data capture, analyses and fast dissemination of information to relevant stakeholders for making timely and informed decisions. In this paper, a Water Sensor Network (WSN) system prototype developed for water quality monitoring in LVB is presented. The development was preceded by evaluation of prevailing environment including availability of cellular network coverage at the site of operation. The system consists of an Arduino microcontroller, water quality sensors, and a wireless network connection module. It detects water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and electrical conductivity in real-time and disseminates the information in graphical and tabular formats to relevant stakeholders through a web-based portal and mobile phone platforms. The experimental results show that the system has great prospect and can be used to operate in real world environment for optimum control and protection of water resources by providing key actors with relevant and timely information to facilitate quick action taking.

The advancement of wireless and mobile technologies has given rise to the mobile government (m-Government). A new channel of public service delivery using a mobile phone. In Tanzania, several m-Government initiatives have been undertaken. Among these, some can be said to have succeeded while others are still struggling. The reasons for these variations are not known. This study aimed to capture the critical success factors (CSFs) for the adoption of m-Government and propose a framework under the Tanzanian context. The study builds upon an extensive literature review methodology based on six electronic databases from 2003 to 2017. The results show that security, usability, access, cost, infrastructure, and personal initiatives and characteristics have the strongest effect on the adoption of m-Government services. Based on the findings of the critical review, a conceptual framework is proposed by extending the mobile services acceptance model (MSAM). A further finding is that most of the m-Government adoption research have not considered the environmental setting. Hence, this study calls for more research on m-Government adoption with consideration to the environmental setting (mandatory or optional environment). The study culminates by providing both practical, theoretical, and policy implications of the findings.Tanzania (NECTA) portal for secondary school examination results. Other m-Government initiatives such as Dodoma Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (DUWASA) water bill payment system and UTUMISHI portal for job vacancy announcements are still struggling. Hitherto, no systematic study has been carried out to critically analyze and provide a scientific explanation of this variation. Such critical analysis and explanation would provide the avenues for designing responsive business processes to guide successful deployment of m-Government in Tanzania.Furthermore, m-Government is still a completely new undertaking in Africa and worldwide in general. Frameworks to guide its deployment and adoption are not common (Munyoka & Manzira, 2014). Unless there is a clear understanding of factors that underpin its deployment, m-Government adoption by citizens will remain underutilized or it may take longer than necessary to fully adopt it (Avgerou, 2002).This study is conceptual in nature, and within this perspective, it attempts to capture the critical success factors (CSFs) for the adoption of m-Government services in Tanzania. Moreover, the study develops a conceptual framework for m-Government adoption in Tanzania.The structure of this paper is as follows: Section 2 presents the evolution and growth of m-Government services in Tanzania. Section 3 describes the method used in this study. Discussion on the CSFs for m-Government adoption is presented in Section 4. Section 5 describes the theoretical foundation and conceptual framework for this study. The results analysis and discussion are presented in Section 6. Finally, Section 7 concludes this paper. | EVOLUTION AND GROWTH OF m-GOVERNMENT SERVICES IN TANZANIAM...

Degradation of Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) resources due to deforestation, illegal fishing and unsustainable farming practices is among the major challenge to the natural resources managers and the livelihood of surrounding communities. Several measures have been proposed to mitigate the situation. These measures range from policies, laws, regulations to technical options. Despite these efforts, adherence to these regulations and adoption of the proposed technologies is low. Among the factors that can influence household adoption of a particular technology is perception of the problem and the technology itself. This has not been thoroughly investigated and integrated in development and promotion of mitigation options. This research assessed the local community perception on the LVB resources, levels of degradation and the causes. The research was done in selected sites within LVB in Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Data was collected through questionnaire interviews and focused group discussion to 334 respondents. Collected data was descriptively analyzed using means, frequencies, percentages and ranking. Results indicate that majority of community members perceive LVB resources to be currently more degraded than past twenty years. However, specific types of resources and levels of degradation do differ between countries. Degradation factors are personal, administrative, technical and policy related. Lack of alternatives is among the major driving forces to degradation activities. It is recommended that intervention efforts to reverse degradation situation need to consider local community perception and be of multiple nature to address technical, administrative and policy issues.

A vulnerability assessment of rain fed agriculture to climate change and variability in semi-arid parts of Tabora Region in Tanzania was conducted in 2009. Four village clusters were selected out of which, three villages represent Millennium Villages Program (MVP) namely Mbola, Mpenge and Isila from Uyui District. One village namely Tumbi from Tabora Urban bordering the MVP was also selected. Both primary and secondary data were collected using different methods including structured questionnaire interviews, focus group discussion, documentary review and field observations. Structured questionnaire interviews were administered to 7% of all farmers selected at random from the four villages and 30 research and extension officers obtained through accidental purposeful sampling. Simple regression and t-test analyses of numeric data for rainfall and temperature collected over the last 35 growing seasons were performed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Analysis System respectively. Non-numeric data were coded, summarized and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences spreadsheet. Results indicate that the overall rainfall amount was found to decline while distribution was varying both in time and space. Inter-seasonal dry spells between January and February appeared to increase both in duration and frequency. Temperature has shown an increasing trend. Minimum temperature increased faster (R 2 = 0.68, p<0.001) while maximum temperature increased gradually (R 2 = 0.24, p<0.01). Farmers, research and extension officers also perceived these changes by the help of a series of indicators. Nevertheless, perception on the climate change indicators varied depending on the type of livelihood activity most affected. Major implications on rain fed agriculture are possible shrinking of the growing season, increasing moisture and heat stress to common food and cash crops, increased insects and pests and eventually low income and food insecurity. This study concludes that there is strong evidence demonstrating the vulnerability of rain fed agriculture to negative impacts of climate change and variability in the study area. It is suggested that there is a need for multi-level interventions on adaptation to climate change and variability taking into account a wide range of stakeholder involvement.

Purpose The emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected organizations differently, leading to adopting alternative business operation models, including digital technologies. The rapid adoption of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how adaptive technologies intersect with human and social institutions in potentially risky or inequitable ways. However, the sustenance of the digital transformations (DTs) induced by the COVID-19 crisis is still unclear. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the sustenance of DTs accelerated by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic response in the Tanzanian context amid the crisis. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative approach that included a literature review and semi-structured interviews with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) personnel from selected public institutions in Tanzania. The interviews elicited interviewees’ perspectives on the following: the digital revolution that occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak; how it affects their work; and the country’s future digital landscape. Additionally, a literature analysis established and generalized the practices used by the governments during the COVID-19 crisis. Findings The results show that there is enormous, colossal press toward adopting digital solutions. The use of digital technologies, such as digital payments, e-commerce, telemedicine and online education, has attracted the attention of businesses and individuals in Tanzania. Consequently, the move has enabled the country to cope with the cascading impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and progressive economic recovery to achieve its development goals. Furthermore, the findings offer policy strategies for taking the induced DTs to the next level and sustaining it. Originality/value This study reports the lessons from the DTs induced by COVID-19 and their sustenance. It also contributes toward forward-thinking reforms and policy measures that could help Tanzania and the likes harness the DTs'’ potential in the wake of the pandemic.