Why Tanzania judiciary rolls out AI transcription and case management

Tanzania’s judiciary is preparing a nationwide rollout of its AI‑based Transcription and Translation Software (TTS) as part of a wider effort to digitise court operations and eliminate paper files. Building on a pilot launched in 2024 across 11 judicial zones, officials say the next phase will extend the technology to more courtrooms, allowing judges to dictate rulings while the system transcribes and translates between Kiswahili and English as cited by Daily news TZ .

The expansion will go hand in hand with an upgraded electronic case management system that lets citizens file cases remotely, track progress and identify assigned magistrates. The judiciary is also deepening data integration with institutions such as the Tanzania Revenue Authority and the Business Registrations and Licensing Agency to speed up document verification. According to Chief Court Administrator Prof Elisante Ole Gabriel, these measures will improve transparency and revenue collection while phasing out paper‑based files.

The AI system was developed in partnership with Italian firm Almawave and uses speech‑recognition technology trained on dialects of Kiswahili and Tanzanian English to ensure accurate transcriptions and translations.

Chief Justice Ibrahim Hamis Juma has noted that hiring stenographers for all 34 Court of Appeal judges, 105 High Court judges and around 2 000 magistrates is impractical, making automation a practical solution. Almawave’s four‑year contract with the judiciary involves installing AI‑powered transcription sets in an initial 11 courtrooms, with plans to expand to 50 out of Tanzania’s 169 courts. The shift to paperless and remote filing builds on an existing electronic case management system that already allows lawyers and clients to monitor proceedings online.

This initiative forms part of Tanzania’s broader digital‑justice agenda. A 2021 law elevated Kiswahili to the default language of court administration and requires English judgements to be translated, a change that has complicated the manual workload for judges.

By automating transcription and translation, the judiciary aims to meet these linguistic requirements while speeding up case processing and improving access for non‑English speakers. Integration with the AI system also enables witnesses abroad to give testimony virtually, reducing travel burdens. Officials argue that strong leadership and investment in ICT professionals will be critical to sustaining these reforms.

Although some elements of the initiative such as data sharing with tax and corporate registries and reported increases in public trust are unique to the Tanzanian press, other African countries have also begun experimenting with AI in courtrooms. Observers note that Tanzania’s move positions it as a regional leader in judicial digitalisation and could influence how courts across the continent adopt technology to improve efficiency and access to justice.

SOURCE: dailynews