iii. Availability of government-generated content (forms, procedural guidelines, etc). iv. Promotion of electronic publishing of local materials. v. Wider dissemination of materials held in libraries and archives. vi. Using the Kiswahili language for content creation. vii. Promotion of e-communities, and discussion groups. viii. Promotion of community participation in initiatives for compiling local content. ix. Popularity of inappropriate uses of ICT detrimental to our values, ethics and culture, for example viewing pornography on the Internet. 3.9.4 Policy Statements 1. The Government will promote the use of the ICT for preserving and dissemination of indigenous knowledge and traditional cultures. 2. The Government will allow appropriate access to its archives and other information sources as a basis for developing local content. 3. The Government will encourage the wider use of Kiswahili in developing local content in order to promote local culture, attract local end users as well as the Tanzanian diaspora. 4. The Government will seek to discourage inappropriate use of ICT that is detrimental to our cultural values, ethics, mores, and morality such as viewing pornography. 3.10 Universal Access 3.10.1 Issues The digital-divide can be summarised as a difference between people who can utilize and participate in the information revolution, and those who are not able to access the key production tools of the new information age, therefore being denied opportunities from not having information or knowledge. This problem of exclusion exists within both developed and developing countries, as well as between developed and developing countries. To ensure that the national ICT policy does not exacerbate the digital divide among the people of Tanzania, it must contain provision for bringing access to the more remote areas of the country and those under served in urban areas. Many universal access initiatives are currently occurring across Tanzania, but each is quite independent and no focal point exists for sharing resources and experience. To further reduce isolation, such initiatives need to be able to stimulate grass roots networking among themselves and with counterpart projects in other countries. This will also enable the services that are being deployed to reach a broader audience and to be enriched by being exposed to additional technical experts. Therefore the National ICT Policy is placing specific emphasis on Universal Access. 3.10.2 Policy Objectives a) Promote literacy as a platform for digital competencies, awareness and empowerment, while building universal access and broad availability of opportunities in Tanzania; b) Provide citizens with universal access to ICT in order to improve their productivity and to broaden their opportunities for knowledge sharing and for generating local content; Page 21

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