Africa-Press – Tanzania. IN Tanzania, agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, with cooperatives playing a pivotal role in uplifting the livelihoods of farmers. As the government intensifies its focus on transforming the cooperative sector, a digital revolution is emerging as an essential force for change.
At the heart of this transformation is the embrace of eGovernment systems, which, according to key stakeholders, are crucial to driving reform in cooperatives.
The country’s commitment to the digitalisation of public services has gained international recognition and its efforts are now squarely focused on empowering agricultural cooperatives.
At the 6th e-Government Annual Meeting held in Arusha from 17-19, 2026, discussions centred around how the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the cooperative sector.
The meeting brought together policymakers, industry stakeholders and ICT experts to address the role of technology in reshaping government systems and services, also in the context of cooperatives. Dr Benson Ndiege, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC), underscored the importance of digital solutions in modernising cooperative societies.
The Role of Cooperatives in Tanzania’s Vision 2050
Tanzania’s Vision 2050 sets a bold agenda for the country’s economic development, with a specific focus on agriculture as a key driver of growth.
The vision aims to transform the country into a semiindustrialised nation by 2050, and agriculture is seen as central to achieving this transformation. In this context, the cooperative sector has a unique role to play by organising smallholder farmers, improving their access to markets and ensuring that their voices are heard in national economic planning.
However, for cooperatives to fulfill their potential, they must overcome several challenges, including inefficiencies in management, lack of transparency and limited access to timely and accurate data.
Historically, cooperative societies in Tanzania have faced challenges like poor record-keeping, slow communication and lack of datadriven decision-making. This has hampered their ability to scale and deliver maximum benefits to farmers and communities.
e-Government as a catalyst for change
The integration of e-Government systems into the cooperative sector is seen as a crucial step toward addressing these challenges. The government’s push for digitalisation aims to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency in public service delivery. For the cooperative sector, this means improving governance structures, streamlining processes and enabling more effective management of cooperative activities.
During the e-Government Annual Meeting, Dr Ndiege highlighted several opportunities presented by Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The TCDC, in partnership with the e-Government Authority (e-GA), has developed the Cooperative Supervision Management Information System (CSMIS).
This system is poised to bring significant improvements to the cooperative sector, transforming how cooperatives manage their affairs and interact with stakeholders. The CSMIS is a comprehensive platform designed to support the management of cooperative societies in Tanzania. One of its primary objectives is to streamline administrative processes, improving efficiency and reducing the burdens of paperbased operations.
By digitising cooperative records and management tools, the system provides greater access to key data, making it easier for cooperative managers to oversee their operations. The CSMIS allows for the centralisation of data related to cooperative societies, including member records, financial reports, registration status and asset inventories.
By digitising this data, the system makes it easier for cooperative managers to access critical information and generate analytical reports.
These reports can guide decision-making, helping cooperative leaders make more informed and timely choices. This, in turn, improves the overall operational efficiency of cooperatives, allowing them to focus more on enhancing services for farmers.
One of the system’s key goals is to improve transparency within the cooperative sector. CSMIS tracks who accesses the data and when, ensuring that only authorised personnel can view or modify sensitive information. This feature enhances security and fosters trust among cooperative members and other stakeholders.
By providing transparency into financial transactions, membership status and the cooperative’s overall performance, CSMIS helps reduce the potential for corruption and fraud, which has historically been a concern in the sector. CSMIS also simplifies the registration process for cooperatives and service providers.
Previously, registering a new cooperative or gaining regulatory approval for operations involved extensive paperwork and lengthy delays. Through the digital platform, cooperatives can now register online, significantly reducing the time it takes to receive approval.
The system also facilitates faster feedback on documents that require regulatory scrutiny, further cutting down on administrative bottlenecks.
Effective communication is essential for the success of any cooperative. CSMIS enables better communication between cooperative management and members by providing a platform for real-time feedback. Whether through email, SMS, or the system itself, cooperative managers can keep their members informed about key decisions, meetings, or changes in regulations.
This open communication fosters engagement and ensures that all parties are well-informed at every stage of the cooperative’s activities. Another significant feature of the CSMIS is its ability to track complaints, disputes and their resolutions. Cooperative members can submit grievances through the system, which are then tracked and addressed by management.
This ensures that issues are resolved in a timely and transparent manner, reducing the likelihood of conflicts escalating into larger problems that could affect the cooperative’s reputation and functionality. Dr Moses Kusiluka, Chief Secretary, emphasised the importance of ICT in achieving the goals of Tanzania’s Vision 2050.
He highlighted that ICT is integral not only for improving governance but also for spurring national growth. As the government seeks to digitalise more public services, the cooperative sector is an area where technology can have an outsized impact. Dr Kusiluka pointed out that the country’s successful implementation of ICT initiatives has already garnered international recognition, with Tanzania receiving accolades such as the UN Public Service Award.
The e-Government sector has made significant strides in Tanzania and according to the Director-General of the e-GA, Engineer Benedict Ndomba, the meeting’s theme, “Improving Government Performance by Strengthening Public Service Delivery through Secure and Inclusive E-Government Systems,” aligns directly with the broader goals of the country’s digital transformation.
By 2050, the government envisions that 80 per cent of services will be provided digitally, with ICT playing a central role in facilitating this transition. While the benefits of digitalisation are clear, several challenges remain. The widespread adoption of e-Government systems within the cooperative sector requires substantial investment in infrastructure, capacity building and training.
Moreover, the government must ensure that cybersecurity measures are in place to protect sensitive data and systems from cyber threats. As Dr Kusiluka pointed out, not everyone is prepared to see the government operate transparently and safeguarding these systems from sabotage is essential to the success of the digital.
Source: Daily News – Tanzania Standard Newspapers
