Policy Initiatives to Enhance Contribution of Mobile Internet for Women’s Capabilities in the Rural Areas of Tanzania

Despite policy statements (such as the MDG [Millennium Development Goals], Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS) and legal frameworks focusing gender equality in developing countries, the gender divide is still prevalent. Although there is a growing recognition of the role of mobile phones for human development, clear evidence of how mobile internet can be empower women to achieve their development objectives, particularly in rural areas is inadequate. There is a paucity of clear empirical evidence on the nexus between mobile internet, gender empowerment and development in Tanzania; the few available studies have not yielded sufficient evidence to comprehensively explain the phenomena. Few studies have been conducted in Tanzania on role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the rural areas (Chilimo, Ngulube, & Stilwell, 2011; Hassan & Semkwijim, 2011; Lwoga, 2010; Madon et al., 2014; Mpogole, Usangaz, & Tedre, 2008; Myhr, 2011; Sife, 2010). However, these studies have mainly focused on the role of telecenter and mobile phones in poverty reduction and livelihood (Chilimo & Ngulube, 2011; Hassan & Semkwijim, 2011; Lwoga, 2010; Mpogole, Usangaz, Tedre, et al., 2008; Myhr, 2011; Sife, 2010), or role of mobile phones in Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) (Lewis, Baird, & Sorice, 2016) or agriculture (Krone, Schumacher, & Dannenberg, 2014), or intervention-based studies of mobile phones in health (Madon et al., 2014). It was therefore important to assess the role of mobile internet for women empowerment and development in Tanzania