Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) Launch | Remarks by Deodat Maharaj, Managing Director, UNTB

• Honorable Minister,
• Excellencies,
• Our Resident Coordinator Ad Interim and UNDP RR and members of the UN Family
• Distinguished Stakeholders from so many sectors,
• Esteemed partners from the International Seabed Authority,
• Representatives from the Deep Sea Fishing Authority,
• Our partners from the World Eco Design Organisation and Impact Licensing
• Stakeholders and participants, Ladies and gentlemen,
• Members of the Media

Habari za asubuhi.

It is a distinct honor to be here in Dar es Salaam for the launch of Tanzania's Technology Needs Assessment, or TNA that looks at how technology and innovation can help drive transformation in Tanzania. We at the United Nations Technology Bank for the LDCs with a mandate to leverage technology and innovation to help our 44 client countries fast-track their development are delighted to be here. At the outset, I will like to express my deep gratitude to the authorities here who we partnered with on this TNA; primarily the International Seabed Authority and the Deep Sea Fishing Authority as well as other Ministries such as the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture and institutions who were actively engaged and contributed the process serving as the advisory committee reviewing and validating deliberately the analysis and findings. We are deeply indebted to our UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Family for their outstanding support. 

Before I continue, it will be remiss of me not to mention that it gives me special joy to be in this beautiful land, which was my first posting when I started my career in development. To this day, I carry fond memories, retain lasting friendships and lessons learned from this incredible country. I owe a big debt of gratitude to Tanzania and its people. 

Now on to the main item on the agenda, the launch of this Technology Needs Assessment which marks a pivotal moment in Tanzania's journey towards a knowledge-driven, industrialized economy, firmly rooted in science, technology, and innovation.

The findings of Tanzania’s TNA are deeply aligned with the national priorities outlined in the Tanzania Development Vision 2050 and the Zanzibar Vision 2050. These ambitious visions emphasize inclusive industrialization and technological transformation to drive sustainable growth. Agriculture, as the backbone of Tanzania’s economy and accounting for an estimated 67% of total employment, is identified by the TNA as a foundational sector with vast potential for modernization, increased productivity, and value addition. Similarly, the blue economy is recognized as a strategic frontier for growth, offering significant opportunities for livelihoods, food security, and biodiversity, especially for coastal and island communities. With a coastline of 1424 kilometres, the potential is immense. 

These sectors—agriculture and the blue economy—are prioritized in the TNA due to their highest potential for generating employment, increasing exports, and fostering crucial cross-sectoral linkages. Additionally, mining and manufacturing are recognized by both the TNA and the national visions as interconnected enablers of structural transformation, particularly when leveraged to support agriculture and blue economy development.

The TNA serves as a practical policy instrument, providing evidence-based guidance on where and how to invest in critical technologies, reflecting the national visions' call for strategic prioritization due to limited resources. Specifically, the TNA recommends investing among others in two primary categories of technology needs: Data Management Technologies and Climate-Smart Technologies.

Under Data Management, proposed solutions include digital platforms for agricultural extension and fisheries data systems, alongside remote sensing tools for environmental and marine resource monitoring. For Climate-Smart Technologies, key solutions highlighted are tissue culture techniques to enhance seaweed farming and electronic monitoring systems to support marine compliance and resilience. 

These technologies are not only sector-specific but also hold cross-cutting value in ICT, education, mining, manufacturing, and energy, contributing to Tanzania’s broader aims of climate adaptation, food security, and digitally skilled human capital. For instance, in agriculture, the TNA highlights precision agriculture tools like climate-smart irrigation and mobile applications for real-time information. In the blue economy, it points to marine electronic monitoring systems and vessel monitoring systems to strengthen marine governance and combat illegal fishing.

Furthermore, the TNA directly complements the National Blue Economy Policy (April 2024), which acknowledges past fragmented investments and calls for strategic, coordinated efforts- also with the direction that the International Seabed Authority has globally set.

This brings me to the critical aspect of integrated implementation. The UN Technology Bank’s TNA methodology is designed not as a top-down mandate, but as a collaborative, bottom-up exercise. It actively engages a wide array of stakeholders—from government ministries and technical experts to the private sector, academia, and local communities. This inclusive approach ensures that the identified technology needs and proposed solutions are not only technically sound but also locally relevant, economically viable, and socially acceptable. It builds collective ownership, which is essential for ensuring that investments in technology are synchronized across sectors and national development plans.

This TNA is not merely a tool for the UN Technology Bank or the Tanzanian government alone. It serves as a valuable resource for the private sector, guiding their roles as adapters, users, and implementors of the suggested technologies. I met earlier this week with Mr. Gilead Teri, the Executive Director of the Investment Promotion Centre to discuss how we can help support the development of one project flowing from this TNA to take to the market for private investment. 

I believe this TNA is also an indispensable resource for our UN Country Team in Tanzania, enabling them to craft evidence-based projects in the technology and innovation space opening up a new frontier of opportunities thereby creating jobs and opportunities. 

Furthermore, for Member States, represented by the ambassadors today, this TNA provides a clear roadmap for collaboration in Tanzania's development and transition. And to development partners, such as World Eco Design Organization (WEDO)  and Impact Licensing Initiative valuable event, the TNA offers concrete areas for strategic partnership and investment. By fostering this shared understanding and commitment across all these vital actors, the TNA acts as a powerful compass for Tanzania as a LDC on its  journey towards economic transition, guiding strategic reforms, investments, and strong public-private-academic partnerships to drive innovation-based development.

 I'm particularly pleased that our colleagues from the Deep Sea Fishing Authority will be making a very detailed presentation on the specific findings and recommendations of the TNA. Our goal is to translate these findings into targeted pilot projects and initiatives, paving the way for Tanzania’s technological breakthrough and sustainable development creating jobs and opportunities for its people.

Asante Sana