By Correspondent

Students from schools in Zanzibar have designed a system that enables electricity payments to go directly into the meter without the buyer having to enter the electricity meter number. Demonstrating how the system works at the International Girls in ICT Day celebrations held recently in Arusha, these students said the system will help streamline electricity services for users and improve the services provided by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO).

Explaining the solution, student Salina Sharif from Zanzibar said they designed the system after observing the problem of people struggling to connect electricity through the networks. They named the system Power Pals, which provides a solution for electricity users to input the meter numbers without having to physically adding the re-charge token numbers into the meter. "Power Pals enables you to add electricity online at the tip of the your fingers (using your mobile phone) without a hassle” She spoke.

Providing additional information about the system, Salina Sharif said that to use the system, the user must already be connected to the electricity service, have the electricity meter device, and be linked to the online payment system via mobile phones.

The Director General of Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Dr. Jabiri Bakari, explained that the Communications Authority, in collaboration with the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), support technological innovations by providing the required, valuable communication resources for free of charge over a period of three months so as to empower and enable the innovators and elevate their innovations.

Dr. Jabiri stated that in the past, it was difficult for innovators to conduct research on their technological innovations as they had to purchase communication resources such as frequencies and numbering resource, which now TCRA facilitates the innovators by providing them at no cost for a period of ninety days (three months).

He added that COSTECH plays a role in determining whether the innovative idea will benefit society if given these resources and developed in order to use technology to solve various challenges. They also provided guidance on the proper procedure to be followed so that students and other innovators can benefit from their work and help them in their general life advancement. Dr. Jabiri urged various innovators to fully utilize this opportunity to stimulate technological developments that will help boost the digital economy.

The International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated every last Thursday of April to encourage girls to pursue science-related studies. This day stems from the agreement of member countries of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The theme for the 2024 celebrations is "Leadership."