Digital Commons Network^™

Designing And Evaluating A Human-Centered Faq Chatbot For Public Service Delivery: A Case Study Of The Tanzania Ports Authority, Barnabas Masanja, Joel Mtebe, Aron Kondoro

The African Journal of Information Systems

Chatbots are increasingly used in public service delivery, yet many remain difficult to use because their scope, conversational flow and persona are poorly designed. This study evaluates whether a human-centered design (HCD) approach can improve the usability of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) chatbot developed for the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA). The chatbot was designed iteratively through stakeholder consultation and expert input, with explicit attention to scope clarity, error handling, multi-turn flow and transparent persona design. Usability was assessed through heuristic evaluation, task-based testing and post-use questionnaires with 15 domain experts. The chatbot achieved a 95.1% weighted task success rate, …

Co-Creation Of Global Public Health Interventions Within The Context Of Limited Resources: A Conceptual Qualitative Framework For Modest Co-Creation, Kahabi Isangula, Constance Constance Shumba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Co-creation is increasingly promoted in global public health as a participatory methodology that centres lived experiences, the preferences, and structural realities of those most affected by health interventions. Within human-centred design (HCD), co-creation is typically operationalised through intensive cycles of qualitative inquiry, in-person workshops, facilitation, and iterative prototyping. While these approaches are methodologically robust, they are often resource-intensive and difficult to implement in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and other low resource settings, precisely where context-sensitive and equitable intervention design is most needed. Despite this tension, existing literature offers limited guidance on how co-creation can be meaningfully adapted to such …

The Moderating Effects Of Adc On Quality Service: Analysis Of The Performance Of Islamic And Conventional Banks In Tanzania, Mustafa Omar Mohammed, Mohamed Cherif El Amri, Yussuf Charles Yussuf

Journal of King Abdulaziz University: Islamic Economics

The study has examined how alternative delivery channels (ADCs) moderate service quality and increase customer satisfaction with the services of Islamic banks in comparison to conventional banks in Tanzania. It has adopted a quantitative survey method using a five-point Likert question to collect data from 680 customers of Islamic and conventional banks. The data were analysed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) supported by the Amos software package for data analysis. The main findings reveal that nearly all the six service quality dimensions selected for the study have positive statistical significance on the relationships between customer satistaction and the services …

Nutritive Values Of Three Edible Green Seaweeds Collected From Dar Es Salaam Coast, Tanzania, Amelia S. Buriyo, Denis Gahunde, Kristian M. Kitali, David C. Simiyu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Tanzania is endowed with different seaweed (macroalgae) species, found abundantly along the coastline. Most of these hold a great potential as nutritious food sources with promising applications in food industry. These seaweeds could be highly utilized for effective management of the high levels of malnutrition in the country. Nonetheless, the nutritional potential of most seaweeds occurring in Tanzania is still unknown. Understanding the nutritional value of the commonly available edible seaweeds, could be an important step towards promoting them as food supplements in the country. In this study, the nutritive values (crude proteins, total carbohydrates, lipids, crude fibre, vitamins, and …

Effectiveness Of Organic Amendments In Enriching Nitrogen In Compost Produced From Organic Fractions Of Market Waste Generated In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Amani Bilula, Ally Mahadhy, Anthony Manoni Mshandete, Amelia Kivaisi

Tanzania Journal of Science

Low nitrogen (N) content remains a key limitation of compost derived from urban organic waste. This study evaluated the effectiveness of selected plant-based organic amendments in enhancing nitrogen content and improving compost quality. Four plant- based organic amendments, Leucaena leucocephala (BN01), Commelina benghalensis (BN02), Morus alba (BN03), and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) cake (BN04), were incorporated into market waste compost at ratios of 1:0.06:0.04, 1:0.06:0.25, and 1:0.06:0.5 (organic waste: sawdust: amendment). Composting was conducted using a 4 × 3 factorial design with three replicates per treatment (n = 36). Temperature, moisture, and pH were monitored throughout the composting period. Total nitrogen, …

Becoming Modern: Households’ Electricity Use And Coping With Power Outages In Post-Socialist Dar Es Salaam, Emanuel Lukio Mchome

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

Since its invention in the 1880s, electricity has been regarded as a pervasive driver of modern life. As scholars have shown elsewhere, ideas of modernity have influenced the provision and use of electricity in cities across the globe. By and large, scholars have examined electricity-modernism in terms of the construction of high-tech electric infrastructure by major actors. Those who have studied power failures This article examines electricity-modernism from the perspective of everyday electricity use and the experience of power outages, a lens rarely used by scholars. It draws from oral history interviews and archival sources to show how ideas of …

Mental Health And Psychosocial Well-Being Of Domestic Workers In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Why It Matters And Why We Should Make It A Priority, Magolanga Shagembe

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

This phenomenological study explores the mental health and psychosocial well-being of domestic workers aged 15–18 years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, the study examines how domestic workers negotiate self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, quality of relationships, environmental control, autonomy and resilience within unequal labor and care arrangements. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with 29 domestic workers and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that mental health and psychosocial well-being among domestic workers are shaped through complex interactions between structural vulnerability, interpersonal relationships, migration experiences, economic necessity, and future …

Beyond The “Him-Her-Ing” Dichotomy: Unpacking Gendered Power Logics In Tanzanian Public Administration, Furaha Julius

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

Despite decades of policy commitment to gender equity in Tanzania, substantive inequality within public administration endures. This study moves beyond quantifying women's underrepresentation to investigate the discursive and performative mechanisms that sustain a gendered power logic, termed him-her-ing. Situated within post-structural feminist theory and drawing on qualitative data from 21 in-depth interviews and a critical review of policy documents, this paper reveals how administrative practices—from leadership norms to routine task allocation—continuously reproduce a binary that privileges masculine-coded authority. Findings demonstrate that ostensibly neutral bureaucratic procedures, religious and customary influences, and informal patronage networks coalesce to marginalize feminine subjectivities, even within …

Medicalisation And The Practice Of Labour Augmentation In Mwanza, Tanzania, Latifa Abdulla Mohamed, Richard Sambaiga, Karen Marie Moland, Siri Lange

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

Since the late 1900s, maternal health has increasingly been medicalised as a result of growing global concerns about poor maternal outcomes. An example of this medicalisation process is the use of oxytocin for labour augmentation. This practice of administering oxytocin to shorten the duration of labour is increasingly questioned. Feminist scholars have often questioned the routine use of oxytocin, depicting it as unnecessary and may constitute inappropriate use of the drug that undermines women’s autonomy and contributes to negative birth experiences. However, these feminist arguments overlook individual agency and the complex ways in which actors encounter and interact with oxytocin …

Barriers To Effective Provision Of Guidance And Counselling Services To Students With Visual Impairment: Experience From Government Secondary Schools In Tanzania, Silas Njenje, Bernadetha Gabriel Rushahu, Lwimiko Salum Sanga

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

No abstract provided.

Public Perception Of Community Policing In Tanzania, Bernadeta Killian, William John Walwa

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

Community policing is widely recognized as a viable means to address increasing security challenges. However, security problems in Tanzania have increased even though the police force has formalized and implemented a community policing structure called Ulinzi Shirikishi (participatory security) during the past 20 years. In this paper, both qualitative and quantitative methods are applied to analyse the community perception of Ulinzi Shirikishi to determine its viability. Located in the concept of social capital, it reveals that even though the police and government have favoured the use of Ulinzi Shirikishi to organize security, it is not the most preferred security structure …

The Coupled Hydrology–Human Activity Information (Chhai) Dataset: A Global Benchmark Dataset For Model Comparison And Evaluation, Azara Boschee, Aneseh Alborzi, Augustina Clara Alexander, Berit Arheimer, Salsebil Bel Hadj Ali, Günter Blöschl, Andrea Castelletti, Xi Chen, Aniya Dogra, Erhu Du, Jesse Duku, Aldo Fiori, Margaret Garcia, Salvatore Grimaldi, Naota Hanasaki, Yeonjoo Kim, Heidi Kreibich, Chenyuan Li, Ali Mehran, For Full Author List, See Comments Below

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

To enhance hydrologic modeling, the hydrology community has developed benchmark datasets (e.g. Model Parameter Estimation Experiment, MOPEX), providing standardized data for model evaluation and parameter estimation. However, these datasets primarily focus on modeling natural hydrologic processes, leaving a critical gap in understanding the role of human influences. Here, we introduce the Coupled Hydrology-Human Activity Information (CHHAI) dataset, a benchmark dataset that integrates coupled human–water data from regions across all continents, excluding Antarctica. CHHAI incorporates data from 25 regions that cover various human impacts such as reservoir management, flood protection, river management policies, land use changes, and water use. Each basin …

Agricultural Cooperatives And Crop Marketing In Tanzania, Benson Otiene Ndiege Dr

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

Agricultural cooperatives have become essential tools in rural areas, fostering agricultural development. This study examines the marketing of farmers' produce by cooperatives in Tanzania. It specifically investigates the collection processes of agricultural produce through cooperatives and the importance of cooperative marketing during the 2023/24 to 2024/25 seasons. The study used a descriptive mixed-methods design that mixed both qualitative secondary data analysis and qualitative documentary review. As such, the study utilised secondary data from the Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC) statistical database and the report on the performance of non-financial cooperatives in Tanzania in 2025. The data included variables such as …

Preparing General Education Teachers For Implementing Accommodations In Inclusive Classrooms, Katherine J. Ramirez

PhD in Education

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of general education teachers and their perceptions of preparedness to implement accommodations after attending specialized, targeted training. The study included one research question, which focused on the teachers’ perceived preparedness to implement accommodations after attending specialized training. The study was influenced by the work of Mezirow (1997) and Meyer et al. (2014) and incorporated transformative learning theory and universal design for learning (UDL) elements. The researcher used convenience sampling to select seven general education teachers who taught inclusion classes in Central Florida to participate in the study. …

Just Opt For Caesarean Section And Pick The Birthdate': A Qualitative Study Exploring Women's Delivery Preferences After Caesarean Section In Urban Tanzania, Daudi Gidion, Columba Mbekenga, Miriam Mgonja, Marleen Temmerman, Muzdalfat Abeid

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objectives To explore perspectives, preferences and decision-making regarding mode of delivery after a previous caesarean section among women in urban Tanzania.

Design A descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Setting A private tertiary hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Participants 11 women with one previous caesarean section who delivered at the study site were interviewed on the third day after delivery. Participants were purposively sampled to include both modes of delivery: five women underwent repeat caesarean section and six attempted a trial of labour after caesarean (TOLAC).

Results Thematic analysis identified four key …

Broadband Diffusion And Digital Preparedness In Tanzania: Harnessing The Role Of Technology In Formal Education, George Matto, John J. Iwata

Journal of Global Education and Research

Broadband, as a high-speed Internet connectivity, is an essential enabler for digital preparedness. However, little is known, in the case of Tanzania, about the nexus between broadband diffusion and digital preparedness, particularly in the facilitation of the teaching and learning process. This study, therefore, aimed at investigating the nexus between broadband diffusion and digital preparedness in Tanzania by focusing on the country’s readiness to leverage the same for formal education. The study employed a systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework, to obtain the empirical evidence from existing literature. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes, analyze, and interpret qualitative …

Front Matter Volume 2 No. 2, Editors Note

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This is yet another issue of the Zamani journal which takes on varied debates and discussions of historical importance through the contributions to the issue. As we embark on volume three of the new journal’s series, this volume carries six articles, varied in scope but interesting in terms of contribution and relevance to historical synthesis. As editors, we hope that the articles contained here will be of interest to a wider audience of not only historians but also of allied disciplines, practitioners and the general readership. As we publish this volume, we also note the advantage of expanding the scope …

Crises In The Nigerian Defence Sector In The Post-Civil War Period, Hussaini Jibrin

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

History has it that post-war period in any country in the world appeared to be with many challenges of re-planning the defence system. It involves the reconstruction of pre-war institutions that are destroyed during the war for onward growth and development. Contrary to this tradition, this article explores that, in 1970 while Nigerians were celebrating about the end of the Nigerian civil war, fresh crises emerged in the country’s defence sector. Thus, General Yakubu Gowon’s government redirected its focus on addressing the crises. The crises are numerous, however, this article dwells on four only. These are demobilization exercise in the …

Performance Of Buffer Zones In Tanzania: A Case Of Maswa Game Reserve, 1950s-2010s, James Benedict Kuboja

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

National parks as core protected areas are universally regarded as the most important wildlife conservancies as they are protecting pristine nature or untouched wilderness. For this reason, global conservationists, with the assistance of colonial governments, introduced buffer zones in a bid to protect important protected areas from poaching and habitat destruction. Despite the promulgation of these buffer zones from the 1950s, scholars have not exhaustively evaluated their effectiveness in the conservation of wildlife resources within core protected areas and wildlife ecosystems at large. Using the case of Maswa Game Reserve in the Serengeti Mara Ecosystem, this article argues that internal …

Historicising Nyerere’S Presidency In The Nyakyusa Mythical Narratives, Ignas Fedeo

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Julius K Nyerere, the founding President of Tanzania, held office from 1962 to 1985. Much has been written about Nyerere's presidency, with the literature generally falling into two categories: strong advocacy for his decisions, actions, and ideas, and pointed criticism against him. Using narrative and new historicism theories, this article examines the recreation of the history of Nyerere’s presidency in local narratives, specifically Nyakyusa myths. The myths were collected using the oral history interviews from Kyela and Busokelo districts in Tanzania. The Nyakyusa believe that Nyerere was endowed with immense mystical powers, some of which embedded in his stick and …

Śaṅkha-Dvīpa And The Swahili Littoral: Reconstructing India–East Africa Contacts Before The Common Era, Narendra Vijayasimha

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article is the first focused attempt to explore India–East Africa relationships in the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, approximately two to three millennia before the Common Era (3000–300 BCE) from a puranic perspective. While extensive scholarship exists on medieval and later Indo–African exchanges, the pre-Common Era period has remained underexplored. Drawing on Purāṇic cosmographies, Greco-Roman geographical accounts, African archaeology, and Indian Ocean trade studies, this research reconstructs possible networks of contact facilitated by monsoon navigation and long-distance exchange. Methodologically, the article integrates textual exegesis, comparative cosmography, and archaeological correlation. The findings suggest that Indian conceptions of Śaṅkha-dvīpa reflect …

Labour Migrancy And Ethnic Stereotypes: Experiences From Mufindi Tea Plantation, Ca. 1920s To 2000s, Hezron R. Kangalawe

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

While tea plantations brought good fortunes to some parts of Southern Highlands in Tanzania such as Mufindi and Rungwe during the British mandate, its production sites became centres of ethnic contestations in relation to work discipline. The colonial and post-colonial enterprises labelled some ethnic groups as “reliable labourers” and others “unreliable”. This article, uses the tea plantations in Mufindi district, Iringa, to debate the labour question and ethnic identity in tea plantations between 1920s and 2000s. It argues that tea plantations were practical point of colonial stereotyping whose architects were anthropologists. Interviews in Mufindi tea plantations and factories, archival and …

Collaboration In The Spread Of Missionary Christianity In Africa: The Case Of The Apostolic Church Of Nigeria, Caleb Abiodun Adeleye, Oluwasegun Peter Aluko

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article explores the significance of collaboration in the spread of missionary Christianity in Africa through a historical study of The Apostolic Church of Nigeria (TACN). It examines how the partnership between British missionaries and Nigerian leaders produced a hybrid mission model that combined Western ecclesiastical structure with African spirituality. Drawing on historical records, church documents, and existing scholarship, the article adopts a narrative–analytical method to trace how figures such as Pastors George Perfect, Idris J Vaughan and DO Odubanjo negotiated issues of theology, finance and cultural identity. The study finds that collaboration initially fostered institutional growth and doctrinal development …

Out-Of-Pocket Health Spending And Household Impoverishment In Tanzania Using The 2020/21 National Panel Survey, John Geofrey Massito Dr, Hinju John Gabriel Dr

Tanzanian Economic Review

Out-of-pocket health spending (OOPHS) can convert healthcare needs into financial hardship, particularly where risk-pooling mechanisms are limited. Evidence on its direct contribution to household impoverishment in Tanzania remains limited. This study estimates the impoverishing effect of OOPHS and examines the factors associated with household exposure to healthcare payments. We analysed nationally representative data from the 2020/21 Tanzania National Panel Survey. Household welfare was assessed before and after OOPHS using the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke poverty framework. Changes in the poverty headcount, poverty gap and poverty severinty were used to identify poverty entry and poverty deepening. Determinants of OOPHS were estimated using a two-part …

Relative Effectiveness Of Exchange Rate Targeting, Monetary Targeting And Inflation Targeting Frameworks In Sub-Saharan Africa, Joyce Gervas, John Mtui Dr, Jehovaness Aikaeli

Tanzanian Economic Review

In recent years, many central banks around the world have shifted from frameworks such as monetary targeting and exchange rate targeting to inflation targeting to achieve price stability and enhance central bank credibility. The same pattern has been observed in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the number of inflation-targeting countries has increased from 1 in 2000 to 5 in 2022, as countries continue to exit other frameworks, especially the monetary targeting regime. However, there is an ongoing debate in SSA regarding which monetary policy framework is most effective in achieving macroeconomic stability and promoting long-term growth. Following that, this study investigated …

Monte Carlo Analysis Of Dose Distribution In Tumour And Adjacent Healthy Tissues During 192Ir Hdr Brachytherapy In The Presence Of Gold Nanoparticles, Damian P. Tippe, Innocent J. Lugendo

Tanzania Journal of Science

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy using ¹⁹²Ir is an effective modality for cancer treatment; however, its therapeutic efficiency is often constrained by unintended radiation exposure to healthy tissues surrounding the tumour. Fortunately, the incorporation of high atomic number (Z) nanoparticles as radiosensitizers has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance tumour dose while sparing adjacent normal tissues. In this study, the dose distribution in tumour and nearby healthy tissues during 192Ir HDR brachytherapy was investigated in the presence of gold (Au) nanoparticles using Monte Carlo simulations based on the Geant4 toolkit. Radial dose distributions and anisotropy characteristics were analysed …

The Role Of Zinc Precursor Concentration In Modulating The Structural, Optical, And Electrical Properties Of Sol-Gel Derived Czts Thin Films, Justine John Tibaijuka

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study reports on CZTS thin films fabricated by sol–gel spin coating using zinc acetate dihydrate, copper acetate dihydrate, tin chloride, and thiourea dissolved in methanol with monoethylamine as a stabilizer. The films were annealed rapidly at 540 °C by using an RTP furnace. Results show the significant influence of zinc concentration on films’ properties with band gap evolution between 1.46 and 1.7 eV, along with high absorption coefficients exceeding 10⁴ cm⁻¹ in the visible range. Structurally, the films evolved from poorly crystalline at low Zn content to well- crystallized, (112)-oriented kesterite near stoichiometry. However, excessive Zn caused slight degradation …

Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of Groundwater In Fractured Crystalline Basement Aquifers In Dodoma, Central Tanzania: Implications On Water Quality For Domestic And Irrigation Applications, George J. Ishabairu, Simon R. Melchioly, Charles H. Kasanzu, Gabriel D. Mulibo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Assessment of groundwater hydrogeochemistry characteristics of aquifers plays a vital role in establishing water quality status and its suitability for human and industrial use. The main objective of this research was to carry out hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater and assess its impacts on water quality and spatial variability of groundwater geochemistry in Dodoma, Tanzania. The methods used include groundwater sampling, laboratory analysis to determine physico- chemical parameters and data processing to classify the groundwater hydrochemical facies. The results show that the average value for pH is 7.2, for electrical conductivity (EC) is 1108 µS/cm and for total dissolved solids (TDS) …

Linear Programming Model For Optimal Crop Allocation Under Varying Land Sizes In Pawaga, Tanzania, Mustapha Abbas Kiswanya, Seleman Ismail, Saul Mpeshe

Tanzania Journal of Science

Farmers often rely on intuition when selecting crops, which can lead to suboptimal profits. In this study, we examine the optimal annual crop allocation under varying land sizes for farmers in Pawaga, Iringa District, Tanzania. A parametric linear programming (LP) model is developed to determine crop allocation combinations that maximise profit subject to land, labour, and capital constraints. Unlike conventional approaches that require separate models for different farm sizes, the proposed model accommodates land holdings ranging from 1 to 9 acres and integrates nine crop types within a single framework. Data were collected over three (3) agricultural seasons from extension …

Joint Channel And Phase Noise Estimation For Mmwave Ofdm Systems Using Adaptive Kalman Filtering, Kwame Salum Ibwe

Tanzania Journal of Science

This manuscript presents a joint channel and phase-noise estimation framework for millimeter-wave (mmWave) OFDM systems based on an adaptive extended Kalman filter (EKF). The proposed method formulates a unified state-space model that simultaneously tracks time-varying multipath channels and oscillator phase noise, a critical impairment in 5G NR frequency range 2 (FR2) and emerging 6G transceivers. An innovation-based covariance adaptation mechanism is introduced to enhance estimation accuracy while maintaining computational efficiency. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves up to a 5 dB SNR gain at a target BER of 10⁻³, maintains NMSE below 10⁻³ for linewidths up to 200 …