INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL POLICY LAB

SHAPING CITIZEN'S FREEDOM OF SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION IN TANZANIA: THE ROLE OF CITY POLICY EXPERTS IN DIGITAL POLICY MAKING

Digital communication, especially social media interaction, has emerged as a key domain for civic debates specifically in urban areas of Tanzania. However, how policy-makers perceive these as opportunities for societal development is rarely assessed in research. This study will fill this gap through semi-structured interviews with policy-makers in Dar es Salaam and focus on assessing their perception of the role of social media in digital policy-making in society. Based on the study results, we suggest a new strategic approach for policy collaboration across African regions for building sustained policy capacity and to enable resilient public spheres as a core component of societal development in digital Africa.