Deputy minister January Makamba visits Butiama

During a speech he delivered on Nyerere Day (14th October 2013) in Butiama, Deputy Minister for Communication, Science, and Technology January Makamba said he would explore steps to link the village of Butiama to the National Fibre-Optic Network.

He was responding to a request made by Emmanuel Kiondo, the director of Butiama's Mwalimu J.K. Nyerere Museum who underlined the importance of Butiama as a historical and cultural destination and having pointed out the proximity of the Fibre-Optic cable to Butiama (11 kilometres) stressed the importance of linking Butiama to broadband connectivity.

On Nyerere Day, Deputy Minister for Communication, Science and Technology January Makamba, second from right, with Mama Maria Nyerere, first from right.

In stressing his point Kiondo spoke in his and the deputy minister's native Sambaa dialect: Uhemuonea Zumbe, nee uhemuighushi (translation: when you meet the Chief/King you greet him and tell him all your problems).

It worked; the deputy minister responded positively and said he would explore steps to ensure Butiama also benefits from the Fibre-Optic network.

When writing a weekly column for the Sunday News (Tanzania) between 2005 and 2011 I was made aware on many occasions of the importance of a reliable Internet connection. I frequently drove to Musoma, an 80-kilometre round trip to file my articles. On a few occasions I even drove to Tarime, a 200-kilometre round trip to spend a few minutes at an Internet cafe' and file the week's Letter from Butiama.