It is now an offense to send a person a text message of a commercial nature without their consent in Tanzania. Sending SMSs containing advertisements or commercial services will attract a penalty of a fine of not less that Tsh10 million (About Kshs 480,000) or jail for one year or both. This is according to the Electronic Transactions Act of 2015 Tanzania.
Tanzania has put more stringent measures on its SMS services since last year’s general election which saw the current President, John Magufuli, emerge as the winner.
Promotional and Betting SMSs are common in Tanzania, just like in Kenya. However, Vodacom, Airtel Tanzania and Tigo, the country’s mobile service providers, will now have to reign in on the delivery of such messages which many citizens have complained to be a nuisance given their bulk nature.
Farmers turn to digital solutions as rescue plan
January 6, 2021 Farmers use a tab in the field
Like many of their peers in the other industries, most small companies in the agriculture sector saw their revenues wiped out as the coronavirus disease pandemic suppressed demand, a recent study showed.
About 82 per cent agri-SMEs reported a severe decline in business activity arising from the outbreak of Covid -19 and the subsequent containment measures, the study by the Economic Policy Research Centre shows. The study is yet another pointer of the grim outlook that small businesses involved in commercial agriculture face, especially when it comes to accessing cheap credit.
The new normal requires new approaches and solutions, an imperative change that must be embraced by all sections of the economy, to survive and to stay relevant.
The outbreak of the pandemic saw the country grappling to keep up with the day-to-day activities, both on a personal and corporate level. One of the key challenges observed was in the areas of transacting for goods and services in what can be called an increasingly contactless world.
Jayantha Fernando
Although the relevant authorities have pushed for Sri Lanka to move towards a cashless economy, it was during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 that people actively looked to use the digital payment infrastructure that is in place.