Africa: Why Africa Is Learning From Tanzania’s Legal Information System

Dodoma — Tanzania has achieved a milestone in the digitalisation of legal information services, with the Tanzania Legal Information Institute (TanzLII) emerging as a powerful tool in bridging the gap between courts and the communities they serve.

The milestone has attracted various African states including Nigeria and Ghana to visit Tanzania to learn how the system works.

According to statistics, from 2023 to May 29, 2025, the platform attracted over 2.6 million visitors from different parts of the world, including countries practising both civil and common law traditions.

For the third consecutive year since 2022, Tanzania has topped the list of users accessing the platform–an affirmation of TanzLII’s growing influence as a trusted source of legal information.

Principal Judge of the High Court of Tanzania, Mustapher Siyani, revealed the development on Tuesday in Dodoma during a working session with a high-level delegation of senior judicial officials from Ghana and Nigeria.

He said TanzLII, launched in 2018, has become an indispensable tool in the country’s legal ecosystem by consistently publishing judgments and rulings from the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Tanzania.

“As of May 30, 2025, more than 101,590 court decisions had been uploaded to TanzLII. Of these, 84.53 per cent are from the High Court’s sub-registries and divisions, while the Court of Appeal contributed 15.47 per cent,” he said.

He explained that TanzLII plays a key role in promoting access to justice and judicial transparency by providing timely and reliable access to court decisions. The platform is widely used by legal professionals, academics, students, and members of the public.

Judge Siyani said the platform’s success reflects the Judiciary’s broader commitment to reforms and the strategic deployment of digital technology to enhance judicial services.

He further noted that TanzLII’s effectiveness had been significantly boosted by its integration with the Judiciary’s electronic Case Management System (JoT-eCMS), which allows judges and magistrates to conduct proceedings and publish decisions digitally and paperlessly.

To ensure inclusivity, especially in areas with unreliable internet access, he said the Judiciary had introduced Pocket Law, an offline version of TanzLII that enables users to download legal content for later use.

He commended the Chief Justice for decisively directing the mandatory publication of all Court of Appeal and High Court judgments and rulings on TanzLII, ending earlier debates about selective publication.

Judge Siyani also extended gratitude to Mr Muhamet Brahimi from the German Development Agency (GIZ) and Ms Mariya Badeva, Director of AfricanLII and Laws.Africa, for their continued support in the platform’s remarkable growth.

On her part, Ms Badeva said the success of TanzLII has largely been driven by the strong political and institutional backing from Tanzania’s Chief Justice, who has championed the platform since its inception.

“TanzLII has become a benchmark across Africa. It is a model we haven’t seen elsewhere in East Africa, or even in the rest of the continent. That is why the delegation from Ghana and Nigeria has come here–to learn from the best practices Tanzania has established,” she said.

She added that more than 95 per cent of judgments in Tanzania are now published on TanzLII within 24 hours–a feat she described as a tremendous achievement.

Ms Badeva further applauded the efforts of GIZ in sensitising all justice stakeholders in government, including the Attorney General’s Office, the Solicitor General, State Attorneys, the National Prosecution Services, the Law Reform Commission, the law society, and universities, all of whom are now aware of and support TanzLII.

“This is a national treasure. The entire justice sector in Tanzania is on the right track to making TanzLII a cornerstone of legal development,” she said.

Speaking during the session, Head of Delegation from Ghana, Lady Justice Jennifer Abena Dadzie, praised Tanzania’s judiciary for leveraging digital innovations to simplify public access to justice.

“We were briefed by our partners from AfricanLII and TanzLII about the transformative steps Tanzania’s Chief Justice has taken to digitalise the justice delivery system. This benchmarking visit will help us strengthen regional collaboration and foster the rule of law in our countries,” she said.

She also commended the beauty and efficiency of Tanzania’s Judiciary headquarters and its exemplary use of technology in judicial operations.

“We are very happy with what we have witnessed today. Hopefully, we can implement what we have learned here when we return to Ghana,” she added.

Meanwhile, Chief Court Administrator, Professor Elisante Ole Gabriel, affirmed Tanzania’s position as a continental leader in the adoption of ICT for judicial services.