Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s digital transformation drive is facing critical setbacks due to the poor management and utilisation of ICT systems among key regulatory authorities, the performance audit report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) has warned.
The 2023/24 audit, which focused on the e-Government Authority (e-GA) and its role in overseeing ICT implementation, raises questions about Tanzania’s readiness to deliver regulatory services efficiently in a fast-evolving digital world.
Despite various government efforts to automate services, the report reveals that several regulatory authorities are yet to fully adopt and register their ICT systems, undermining both transparency and service delivery.
According to the audit, 14 percent of regulatory authorities had failed to register their ICT systems in the government ICT Services Portal (GISP), as required by Section 26(1) (d) of the e-Government Act, 2019.
This portal was meant to track ICT system usage and performance across all public institutions.
“The presence of unregistered ICT systems in the GISP has hindered e-GA from obtaining sufficient information on the status of ICT operations across the government,” reads part of the audit.
“It has also impacted e-GA’s ability to evaluate how these systems attain their intended objectives.”
Even in agencies where systems were in place, many were only partially registered or entirely unregistered.
Among the eight regulatory authorities visited, the audit found that 56 out of 68 ICT systems were not registered.
Only the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) had fully registered its systems. Others, including the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), fell short of full registration despite multiple reminders by e-GA.
The audit also highlighted that 31 percent of business processes in visited regulatory authorities were not automated into ICT systems, limiting efficiency.
The audit team found that only an average of 63 percent of processes were automated, with some agencies automating as low as 33 percent of their workflows.
For instance, by the end of 2024, 57 percent of the Mining Commission’s business processes remained unautomated, even after e-GA had issued recommendations a year earlier.
This non-compliance also goes against Section 29 of the e-Government Act, 2019, which requires institutions to reduce paperwork through digital transformation.
Furthermore, the audit raised concerns about inclusivity and accessibility. Several ICT systems lacked multi-language support and failed to accommodate persons with disabilities, violating Regulations 40 and 41 of the e-Government Regulations, 2020.
Poor data governance was another red flag. Regulatory authorities did not adequately assess the quality and accuracy of the data they processed and published online.
According to Regulation 53 of the e-Government General Regulations, 2020, institutions must manage data throughout its lifecycle — a requirement found to be largely neglected.
The CAG acknowledged efforts made by e-GA to promote digital governance, including developing templates and conducting capacity-building for internal ICT auditors.
However, the audit noted that these efforts have not translated into strong enforcement or results.
To address these challenges, the CAG recommended that e-GA enhance its enforcement mechanisms to ensure that all regulatory authorities register their ICT systems in GISP and automate their key business processes.
It also called on e-GA to regularly assess the maturity of ICT systems, track performance in relation to institutional objectives, and use standardised tools such as Disaster Recovery Plans (DRPs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Operational Level Agreements (OLAs), and Change Management Strategies across public institutions.
Moreover, the CAG urged e-GA to develop and implement a comprehensive inspection and compliance strategy that clearly outlines targets, performance indicators, and the frequency of monitoring activities to allow for systematic enforcement and improvement of ICT systems within public institutions.
The audit recommended that e-GA strengthen its monitoring and evaluation frameworks, ensure regular analysis of collected data, and involve relevant institutional committees to support implementation and follow-up on ICT-related decisions.
Some experts who commented on the matter noted that such lack of compliance undermined transparency and coordination across public institutions.
As the government pushes for a digital transformation agenda, experts say implementing the recommendations will be crucial to ensuring e-government initiatives achieve their intended goals — improved efficiency, transparency, and service delivery for all Tanzanians.
