New app could replace EFDs

New app could replace EFDs

Dar es Salaam. A new application developed by university graduates is seeking to replace electronic fiscal devices (EFDs), used by traders to issue receipts and address the complaints of the business operators about the challenges they face in the use of the machines.

The businesses complain of network disruption and device buying costs, which range from Sh500,000 to Sh2.5 million.

Some businesses also claim that the ink used to issue receipts on those machines does not last long, thus making them unable to properly maintain sales records.

As a precaution, they say, they have been forced to incur other costs by having to photocopy sales receipts in order to keep records that can last a long time, unlike those that come directly from the machines.

However, the graduates Dickson Godwin, Thomas Bahati and Arnold Lyimo from the University of Dar es Salaam’s College of Information and Communication Technology (COICT) have developed a mobile solution that could be an alternative to the traditional EFDs. The digital app that aims to ensure effective revenue collection by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), they say, contains features that enhance convenience, communication and record-keeping for both businesses and consumers.

Instead of traders having to buy an EFD machine, they can simply download the application, which is one of those that are being showcased in the ongoing national innovation exhibition week in Dodoma.

“These machines have had many shortcomings,” Ms Margaret Barozi, a business owner and a recent subscriber to the new innovation told The Citizen yesterday.

“The machines have had many conditions in use and are easy to damage, but with this new mobile solution, I am sure of my sales and the taxman cannot blame me for anything because I cannot lose my receipts easily and they are always very clear,” she added.

In that regard, a partnership between COICT and its graduates, through their company known as Zanata, created an app dubbed Risiti, which is available in the Play Store and Apple Store and is now changing the tides for traders.

They said the development was part of the university’s industrial linkage initiative and aligned learning approach, where students collaborate on projects that address societal challenges.

According to Mr Dickson Godwin, one of the computer science graduates who developed the app, the innovation was officially launched in 2022 and has been able to reach more than 200,000 traders who only needed to download the application for free and provide TRA receipts to customers directly through their mobile phones.

“We have cooperated with TRA, who gave us the go-ahead after seeing this efficiency and now the businessman does not need to incur costs to buy EFD machines,” he said, adding that the only cost incurred is the Sh30 deducted from a mobile operator after issuing receipts.

The mobile application delivers instant messages to buyers confirming the details of the transaction and payment. Through this app, he said, users have the flexibility to filter, manage and retrieve their financial records easily.

“Income cannot be lost because users share receipts via email or social media platforms. For all those who joined this system, they no longer complain,” he noted.

Original Media Source

Share this news

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp

This Year's Most Read News Stories

Popular
Chief Editor

Insecurity prompts Zanzibar to review its lucrative island leasing

The Tanzanian central government is planning to boost its security presence in the Zanzibar archipelago. A commission tasked with auditing the country’s security forces was appointed in July by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. It says it is concerned about the situation in the country’s Indian Ocean islands that are under the control of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar local government.Continue Reading

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Chief Editor

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak

Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak

Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.

The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.

In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.

Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.

“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”

Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.

Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.

In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading

European Union Bans Air Tanzania Over Safety Concerns
Tanzania Foreign Investment News
Chief Editor

European Union Bans Air Tanzania Over Safety Concerns

European Union Bans Air Tanzania Over Safety Concerns

Kampala — The European Commission added Air Tanzania to the EU Air Safety List, banning the airline from operating within European Union airspace. This decision follows the denial of Air Tanzania’s Third Country Operator (TCO) authorization by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), citing significant safety deficiencies.

The EU Air Safety List includes airlines that fail to meet international safety standards. Commissioner Tzitzikostas emphasized the importance of passenger safety, stating: “The decision to include Air Tanzania in the EU Air Safety List underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards. We strongly urge Air Tanzania to take swift action to address these safety issues. The Commission has offered its assistance to Tanzanian authorities to enhance safety performance and achieve compliance with international aviation standards.”

Air Tanzania joins several African airlines banned from EU airspace, including carriers from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Kenya. Notable names include Congo Airways, Sudan Airways, and Kenyan carriers Silverstone Air Services and Skyward Express. The ban reflects the EU’s strict approach to aviation safety worldwide.

Source: allafrica.com

Continue Reading