Dr John Sausi, Director of Financial Information System and IT Services at the Ministry of Finance in Tanzania was among the panelists for the session on 'Bringing Public Finance into the Digital Era' for the International Conference on Public Finance in the Digital Era with ODI Global in South Africa last November.

This session addressed key questions, namely : How can innovation in public finance keep pace with other areas of government and the private sector? How can finance ministries make good technology choices on behalf of the rest of government, and how can they empower the rest of government to do the same? What changes in approach and ways of working are required? And what are the challenges to making these changes and how can we overcome them?

Dr Sausi shares his thoughts on the importance of digital tools for his Ministry. He speaks about the numerous benefits that the implementation of digital information systems in Tanzania has yielded including : visibility and transparency, enhanced efficiency and an increase in citizen engagement in fulfilling their responsibilities. Dr Sausi also talks about his key takeaway from the conference : Open Data.