Tanzania Digital Exchange Programme
Concept note and executive brief, policy and ecosystem design work sample
Context
Tanzania’s digital economy ambitions require more than infrastructure. They require globally connected talent, practical digital capability, and institutions that can absorb and apply new knowledge. During the public consultation for the upcoming Startup Act in Arusha on 15 March 2025, the Minister highlighted skills development as part of the digital economy agenda, and I framed this concept as a practical mechanism to strengthen STEM-related skills and ecosystem capacity through structured global exposure, aligned to the Tanzania Digital Economy Strategic Framework 2024 to 2034.
My role
Independent author and strategist. I authored a concept note and distilled it into a two-page, decision-oriented executive brief to make the programme legible to policy and delivery stakeholders.
What wasn’t my role: I did not implement the programme, manage delivery, or control ministerial decisions.
What I produced
Concept note v1, programme rationale, benchmarks, component design, governance, phased roadmap, and financing logic
Executive brief v2, programme logic, components, operating model, risks, and a pragmatic KPI set
Simple actors and flows diagram showing participants, host institutions, funding sources, and reintegration into Tanzanian institutions
Design decisions and tradeoffs
Pilot corridors: In the proposed pilot design, I recommended starting with 3 to 5 partner countries where delivery is most realistic, selecting based on feasibility, relevance to priority digital skills, cost to participate, and institutional readiness on both sides
Inclusion design: I built in guardrails against elite capture from the start, transparent selection criteria and scoring, deliberate regional reach beyond Dar, and clear subsidy rules so cost does not quietly decide who gets access
Reintegration: I treated return and local embedding as core to the programme logic, alumni are expected to translate learning into tangible contributions through universities, hubs, or employers, and the educator and ESO track exists specifically to strengthen institutional absorption, not just individual mobility
How it was socialised
Raised the concept during the public consultation for the upcoming Startup Act in Arusha on 15 March 2025
Shared the written concept note with the Honourable Minister afterwards for review and feedback
No formal feedback or subsequent communication was received at the time of writing
Why it matters
This work turns an ambition into a programme architecture that can be assessed, funded, and piloted, with clear governance, phased delivery, and measurement, and is explicitly designed for inclusion and institutional learning transfer.
Downloads
Executive brief v2, PDF
Concept note v1, PDF
Related thought piece, Building Bridges