The Influence of Digital Systems on Public Asset Management Practices in Tanzania: A Case of Selected Public Higher Learning Institutions

सार

The rapid advancement of digital technologies and systems has fundamentally reshaped how public sector organizations operate and deliver services, although the influence of digital systems on public asset management practice is yet to be explored. The study assessed the influence of digital systems on public asset management practice in selected public higher learning institutions such as the College of Business Education and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology. Specifically, it examined the influence of e-procurement system on public asset management practice. The study adopted a pragmatist research philosophy and a mixed methods approach, operationalized through a convergent mixed methods design. A sample size of 63 respondents was selected using purposive (10) and random sampling techniques (53). Respondents were administered with questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The results reveal that e-procurement systems positively influence public asset management practice in Tanzanian higher learning institutions. This positive influence heavily dependents on overcoming significant infrastructure, capacity and system reliability challenges. Similarly, the findings reveal an R² of 0.634, indicating that the model explains 63.4% of the variation in public asset management practices, which represents a stronger model fit. The remaining 36.6% of the variation can be explained by other unmeasured factors, such as localized macroeconomic conditions, organizational culture and specific public sector policies. It is concluded that, higher learning institutions need to ensure that assets are acquired optimally, tracked transparently and maintained to maximize institutional value. The study recommends aligning digital procurement (NeST), asset registries and management information systems with capacity building on staff and IT infrastructures.