COVID-19: Why Tanzanians must adapt to the new circumstances

Saturday May 23 2020


By Paul Raphael

News of coronavirus has captured the world’s attention for the past six months and Tanzania has not been an exception, with cases being reported since mid-March.
In these uncertain times, it is important that people work together to ensure that they do all they can to prevent the further spread of the virus.
In the past weeks and months, sectors and organisations across Tanzania quickly adapted to the new circumstances.
Local transport was one of the first to change. Bus operators in the Ruvuma Region, for example, quickly introduced electronic ticket processing as an alternative, to minimize the spread of Covid-19 by reducing the number of congested travellers at bus stations.
 In Dar es Salaam the city commuters which are notorious for overcrowding introduced the level seat which meant they could only carry up to capacity.
Elsewhere, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has encouraged people to go cashless where possible, so as to encourage the use of e-payments and therefore reduce the use of physical cash.
Luckily, mobile money has been a key element of how people manage their finances in Tanzania and East Africa in general for many years now.
There are numerous benefits to mobile money that Tanzania has enjoyed in recent years. It has vastly increased levels of financial inclusion, particularly for women and rural communities. It has also helped lower the risk of fraud and theft and created employment opportunities, both directly and indirectly.
These benefits have been largely driven by innovative telecoms companies, like Tigo Tanzania, who have worked to create user friendly mobile money services such as Tigo Pesa.
Tigo Pesa offers customers a range of financial services, all of which can be done through the app, helping Tanzanians manage their finances remotely and make cashless payments.
During these uncertain times, it is reassuring that many Tanzanians have access to such services.
More online solutions together with all our other health measures that are already in place will help minimise the spread of COVID-19 and help keep people safe.