How internet cuts are affecting Tanzania
Tanzania has faced significant challenges in its various sectors such as health, banking and media businesses since it reported poor internet connectivity on Sunday, May 12.
This was after faults developed on the East African Submarine Cable System and the Seacom cables in the Red Sea. This has caused many mishaps in Tanzania's service delivery systems.
Some hospitals in the country have reported the inability to diagnose patients due to internet disruptions. According to the IT manager of Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, May Kibaja, the hospital is only getting by with its uninterrupted internal systems.
"The only challenge we face is communication via email and so on. We also face the challenge of catering to NHIF patients since we need to communicate with the insurance provider before services can be rendered," she said when speaking to The Citizen.
Other service providers in the country like banks are facing similar issues as hospitals, as external transactions are met with difficulties. Reports from The Citizen indicate that numerous service providers, including Money Gram, Western Union, and RIA, are struggling to maintain operations.
Other institutions hard-hit by the unstable internet connection in Tanzania are the media houses. There are delays in uploading news stories and producing video content.
Additionally, the American Embassy in Tanzania was reported to have closed temporarily on Tuesday, May 14 due to the poor internet connection.
“Due to degraded network service nationwide, the embassy will remain closed to the public,” the embassy said in an X post. “The consular section will be open as scheduled for visa pick-up and for emergency American citizen cases.”
Meanwhile, a report by News Central suggests that one of the country's major internet providers, Vodacom has announced that it has fully restored its internet connection.
The May internet disruption in East Africa is not the first for 2024. On February 24, three submarine cables passing through the Red Sea suffered damage: the Seacom/Tata cable, the Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), and the Europe India Gateway (EIG). It is suspected that the cables were cut by the anchor of the Rubymar, a cargo ship that had been struck by a ballistic missile on February 18.
