A process has began to prepare Tanzania’s own Human Development Report for 2014. This follows recent publication by UNDP of the global Human Development Report (HDR) 2013 titled “Rise of the South: Human Development in Diverse World” . Tanzania has been producing i ...Click here to read more

A process has began to prepare Tanzania’s own Human Development Report for 2014. This follows recent publication by UNDP of the global Human Development Report (HDR) 2013 titled “Rise of the South: Human Development in Diverse World” . Tanzania has been producing its own derivative of the HDR every two years since 2002, called Poverty and Human Development Reports (PHDR), with the last one in 2011). But the PHDR has been used mainly as a key output of the MKUKUTA Monitoring System. This is to change henceforth to address more directly economic growth and human development.

Tanzania’s performance in terms of economic growth in the last decade was among the highest in SSA. The country attained a growth rate of above 6 per cent annually between 2001 and 2012 (even though this was as against the target per annum of the TDV 2025 of 8-9 percent). The national flagship programmes for guiding this growth have been TDV-2025, MKUKUTA/MKUZA (I&II), LTSP and FYDP. Notwithstanding the achievements made in economic growth, poverty reduction has remained elusive. For instance, the proportion of people living below the food poverty line in 2006/07 was 16.6% in 2007, down from 22% in 1990. Thus the MDG target of 10.5% may not be met.

On the other hand, in addition to the satisfactory country’s macroeconomic position, particularly on the GDP growth dimension, the prospects for the future are looking bright on account of the discoveries made in natural resources such as natural gas, uranium and other minerals. Thus, in order to push for higher and sustainable growth, a more robust mechanisms of addressing poverty reduction is to put to centre stage the focus of human development.Thus serious soul searching and interrogations have resulted in convincing justification to adopt a paradigm shift in the production of comprehensive human development reports. The Title of the 2014 report is to be changed to Tanzania Human Development Report (THDR), which thus embraces the comprehensive meaning of human development needs which is wider than just poverty reduction addressed in previous T-PHDR series . The rallying theme of the first issue of THDR to be published in 2014 is Economic Transformation for Human Development. It will chart a new pathway for Tanzania to exploit the current growth momentum and future prospects for greater sustainable human development.

There is a convincing justification for this theme. There is now serious soul searching and interrogations on why Tanzania, despite its sound economic performance cited above, is not making significant progress in reducing poverty of its people. The selected theme is of much current interest in Tanzania. It is intended to spark considerable attention of the public through debates and media exchanges. In thus facilitating awareness, it will likely influence public policies that promote effective human development as the country gears up for higher growth. It is obvious that economic growth does not automatically translate into poverty reduction, i.e. always trickle down to the poor.

Economic Transformation may be defined as a process entailing the changing of the structure, path and speed of economic growth. Economic transformation may also imply changes in the drivers of the economy; and thus the sectors that contribute most to growth. During the transformation, dimensions of economic growth and human development are inextricably related. One does not need to be held back to allow fulfillment of the other.

In the light of the above , this TAKNET discussion invites you to share thoughts on the way Tanzania as a country can transform its economy while realizing effective human development . You are particularly invited to share ideas on the following questions:-

(i) What changes in the structure of our economy will be amenable to advancing human development in its comprehensive sense, and not just human capital?

(ii)What type of investments can address both requirements, i.e. Human Development and Growth?

(iii) How should Natural Resources (particularly the gas) be managed to facilitate Sustainable Growth and Human Development?

(iv) What lies behind further decline in Education Standards in Tanzania ?

(v) What are the issues that should be raised with respect to Tanzania’s Population Growth, Structure and Momentum ?

(vi) Is bifurcation of Tanzania’s Health Provision working effectively? Why or Why not?

Moderators for this topic will be; Dr. Tausi Kida, Mr. Deo Mutalemwa, Mr. Abdallah Hassan and Mr. Danford Sango

Last August, in my first travel to Tanzania, I had the opportunity to do some professional meetings in Dar with institutions, private companies and to talk with normal citizens during my travelling to Mikumi, Bagamoyo and Mtwara by public transport and dala dalas. This gave me the opportunity to know a little bit the reality of your country (only a few). And what I notice is that English is losing grounds to Kiswahili. Here in Catalonia is happening the same with the Spanish and this could be a double-edge sword because the biligualism is a plus to people, and have the opportunity to speak two languages from small is an advantage Tanzanian don't have to abdicate.

This was first commented by a brilliant young lawer I met in Dar and I travelling inside the country I could see it is a reality.

A few days ago was published a study that concluded that bilingual people use more mastermind than people that only speak one language. And loose English, the most talked language in the world, in my point of view, is not a good strategy for future development and opportunities of youngers.

i would like to respond to question on How should Natural Resources (particularly the gas) be managed to facilitate Sustainable Growth and Human Development?

A lot of countries scale up losses sustained over years due to poor governance on these kind of naturally resources. Commonly a salient features of the extractive industry is secretly contacts in investment by multinational companies, most of them being registed offshore and are allowed to maintain accounts abroad and repatriate some of their profits abroad.

I learnt one article that Ghana has somehow managed to control this and transformed their petroleum industry through adopting budget and revenue transparency. Ghana ia taking alead in accounting for its natural resources through involvement of key stakeholders in transparent way.

Furthermore it is advised resource- endowed countries should conduct business in a transparency manner (Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives-ETTI) , a multi-stakeholders group comprised of governments , companies, civil society groups, investors and international organ bisations to help resource-rich countries govern their extractive industries

Furaha Kabuje

Kiswahili is spoken by almost 98% of the population in this country, the UNO has promoted and included it as one of big language globally

Technological growth which roots economical development, took place following their purposeful transformation of the foreign language into their own languages for all technologies, they transformed teachings of all basic technologies including communication and nationalized their language at all levels in their nationals and abroad,flying economies of countries like China, Japan, Russia, German, Turkey, Iran, Korea.is almost boosted by purposely adaptation of language for the majority.

Our national founder Late President Nyerere played a key role in promoting Kiswahili to the level of global recognition, He knew, really majority of nationals masters Kiswahili language proficiently in all communications and technical aspects, we recommend Kiswahili be transformed in all technical teaching diversities this will make majority of people understand clearly vast pillars for economical growth by the guide of Kiswahili language as our national symbol rather than English which is mastered by few minorities.

Just to respond to an issue you have raised in relation to standards of education in Tanzania – which you have indicated that you don’t know. Standards of education down here have been deteriorating sharply over the past say 20 years. The worst case scenario was this year when we had mass failures in 2012 secondary examinations. Since 2000 we have managed to increase students enrollment at all levels of education from primary to tertiary but then that achievement has come along with an opportunity costs in terms of deteriorating performance. As you have seen in the brief synopsis that Hassan has developed for Tanzania Human Development Report 2014, one of the background paper we are preparing for this study is on “What lies behind further decline in education standards in Tanzania?”. In this paper we want to dig deep to uncover underlying reasons – not the usual petty reasons like lack of textbooks, lack of classrooms, lack of teachers etc.

I hope that THDR 2014 will make an important intellectual contribution to understand dilemmas facing education sector in this country and how to reverse experiences of the last decade. I think the issue of capacity building of trainers of trainers i.e. teachers of teachers is very interesting because often time we tend to focus on teachers forgetting teachers of teachers. I suppose authors of this background paper will have to dig deeper on this direction to know what is not going in teachers colleagues.

it appear my contribution is missing despite if sending them twice. I am posting them again.............

i would like to respond to question on How should Natural Resources (particularly the gas) be managed to facilitate Sustainable Growth and Human Development?

A lot of countries scale up losses sustained over years due to poor governance on these kind of naturally resources. Commonly a salient features of the extractive industry is secretly contacts in investment by multinational companies, most of them being registed offshore and are allowed to maintain accounts abroad and repatriate some of their profits abroad.

I learnt one article that Ghana has somehow managed to control this and transformed their petroleum industry through adopting budget and revenue transparency. Ghana ia taking alead in accounting for its natural resources through involnment of key stakeholders in transparent way.

Furthermore it is advised resource- endowed countries should conduct business in a transparency manner (Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives-EITI) , a multistakeholders group comprised of governments , compnies, civil society groups, investors and international organ bisations to help resource-rich contries govern their extractive industries

Furaha Kabuje

Please read through these ideas and let me know what you think, please be specific and refer me to documents/studies etc.

If you have any questions please ask and I will clarify.

Challenges, questions and solutions:

• Agro pastoralists – people settling in the Katavi deriving a living from subsistence farming at the expense of the environment. Where are these people from? How many of them are there and what areas do they inhabit? Are they Tanzanians?

• Issues related to this are forest degradation and loss of biodiversity.

• Population growth – fertility and migration. Are illegal immigrants a problem? Fertility rates are also high – around 5.5 births per thousand women, what is being done to curtail this trend; education? Are there any NGOs operating in the area working to empower women – family planning and general education?

• Employment opportunities – what is being done to educate people on sustainable use of forests – re. UN REDD programmes? E.g. honey as a resource, hunting and forest permits, where the community is responsible for the conservation and sustainable use of resources?

• Health care – what is being done to improve health care in the region? I am referring to the UN Human Development Index – this is one criterion that drives progress and will thus contribute to curtailing forest degradation.

• Access to clean water – what is happening on this front – sanitation in the region.

• Education in general – how are the schools doing in the area, and are there any adult programmes.

• Gas as an alternate form of fuel – what are the possibilities? Mpanda is on a rail route; it would seem that supply should not be an issue...what are the challenges?

• Solar cookers – are they currently in use?

• Cleaner burning stoves that use less fuel wood and are healthier, are these available and is the cost affordable?

• What is happening here? http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/16492-ambitions-to-transform-mpanda these initiatives sound promising?

• Energy/electricity – are there any projects underway, in the country? I see the Netherlands has taken and interest....are there any solar or wind initiatives?

• Is the Tz government pursuing any debt for nature swaps?

• Is the Tz government pursuing an carbon capture projects?

• Are there any initiatives on a macroeconomic level to provide incentives for local businesses? E.g. business loans, tax breaks etc?

• Micro loans and the availability of credit? Is this a reality in the region? Cell phone banking?

• Here is a paper on GMO agriculture and potential investment in the region: http://letstalklandtanzania.com/s/?wpfb_dl=25 what progress has been made on this front?

• Is there sufficient emphasis on community involvement in the affairs of the region?

• Safari lodges in the National Park – are they following guidelines of sustainable tourism, i.e. are the local people reaping the rewards of their presence in the park? Is the community benefiting? What is the $$ “leakage”?

• What are the challenges with regards to the rule of law? Conservation authorities and oversight? Is there enough? If not what are the challenges?

• Rehabilitation of degraded forests through replanting etc.

• Housing development and design – are new homes being built sustainably. Materials, and using the environment to maximise warmth, light, cooling, ventilation.

Basically, the idea is to involve the community – they must have a say; education of children and women is important; fertility and family planning; government involvement with policy that supports growth – tax breaks, micro loans, cell phone banking, incentives for sustainable use of the forests; agricultural development – should there be interest in “land grabbing” this equates to interest and will result in net benefit and should thus be pursued, investors must be influenced to incorporate the needs of the community; NGO involvement in sanitation, education, sustainable agriculture and fertility education.

On my side I think the priority should target having right policies and regulation for these emerging natural resources. Based on Tanzanian experiences, I hope we have learned enough from gold and diamond extraction in the country. As citizen, let’s contribute by airing our comments on the draft so that, eventually we have good policies and regulation on the oil/gas sectors, via active participation in giving out comments in a very transparent way on the proposed draft in these sectors. Here I would like to emphasize to the use Diaspora who are/were in countries that have benefited from their natural resources such as Botwana, Namibia, brazils and so forth….

In line with this, I think we should get rid of this notion that Government should not be engaged in the business (by way of having shares), During the recently International smart partnership dialogue held in DSM, I learned that Botwana is earning a lot of dollars by jointly capital investment in the mining sectors. In the same case, I suggest that our government should also do the same by investing in these emerging resources so that leiter the country could share the profit gained from joint investments ( Instead of leaving the whole business to private sector, where often times there is cheating in the profit gained).

In addition, the government should build capacity to local citizen on technical skills at different level from diploma, Degree to other areas of specialization. This will build capacity to local Tanzanian and eventually produce Tanzanian experts who will leiter dominate the industry in very sensitive areas , therefore we need to build capacity to strategically identified (existing) competent legal officers ready for contract negotiation. Its true that the government negotiated with countries like Brazils e.t.c, for scholarship to undergraduate/Msc Tanzanian students, but this is not enough, we need to build capacity to the identified honestly existing officer in specialized areas such as contact negotiation/development in specialized areas such as on gas/oil and from downward and upward the stream and so on…

Building capacity to new form six leavers in VETA is not enough… . Lets begin with existing competent local lecturers in a technical areas of oil and gas so that this kind of programs be tough on our local universities and gain practical experience abroad!!! As well as other technical fields in oil, uranium and gas as well

This strategy is good at least to start with!!. TPDC should have this kind of technical people at this moment onwards..

This is how hungry nations such Malaysia, Singapore, korea have done and nowadays they have local Universities producing competent personnel... Some of the country went as far as stealing the technology and use for their own benefits…

Furaha Kabuje

I think, the following initiatives have to be considered,

a. I like J.F. Kennedy slogan that ‘don’t ask what nation should do for you, but ask what you have done (are you going to do ) for your Nationa’. On my side I think the priority should target having right policies and regulation for these emerging natural resources. Based on Tanzanian experiences, I hope we have learned enough from gold and diamond extraction in the country. As citizen, let’s contribute by airing good comments so that we have good policies and regulation on the oil/gas sectors, through active participation in giving out comments in a very transparent way on the proposed draft in these sectors. Here I would like to emphasize to Diaspora who are/were in countries that have benefited from their natural resources such as Botwana, Namibia, brazils and so forth….

In line with this, I think we should get rid of this notion of Government being not engaged in the business (by way of having shares), During the recently International smart partnership dialogue held in DSM, I learned that Botwana is earning a lot of dollars by jointly capital investment in the mining sectors. In this case, it is my suggestion that our government should also do the same!!! Instead of shying away.

b. In addition, the government should build capacity to Tanzanias on technical skills at different level from diploma, Degree to other areas of specialization too. Contract negation is also a very sensitive areas , therefore we need to build capacity to strategically identified (existing) competent legal officers… Yes I heard the government negotiated with countries like Brazils e.t.c, for scholarship to undergraduate/Msc students, but this is not enough, we need to build capacity to the identified honestly existing legal officer in specialized areas such as contact negotiation/development in specialized areas such as on gas/oil and so on…

Sending new form six leavers is not enough… beginning with existing competent legal practioners, oil and gas managers and so on!!! As well as other technical fields in oil, uranium and gas as well

This strategy is good at least to start with!!. TPDC should have this kind of technical people at this moment onwards..

Let’s be like the hungry national such as Japan, Malaysia and korea …….Some of the country went as far as stealing the technology and use for their own benefits…

I don't know the Education Standards in Tanzania. In fact, I'm travelling, the first time, do Dar next week to start my knowledge of the country. But I know that this is the same speech of other developing countries. In my point of view, the best way to reach effective human development, is investing in trainers of trainers of all level of education and training. Mainly in trainers of teachers of the first years of school because they have the responsability of planting the basis that will permit improve standards of education.

Poverty reduction only will be a reality if the basis for human growth are installed in the country in a sustainable way, and education & training are the basis of human development.

Wence Mushi 0754-377784

To me I consider the first approach of monetary has been used more often compared to the rest.That why the concept of trickle down effects has failed.The results in past 12 years (2001-2012) were arguing against the concept of assuming when economy grows poverty goes down.Further more you may consider a combination of variables that will include sex,age group ,geographical location and resources entitlement(power to own and have voice on resources ).

Thanks for your time and consideration of national interests.

Kind regards

Herick Marisham

Economist

Hai District Council

0713775261/0757 524653

erickamos@yahoo.com/erickamos2009@gmail.com

Tanzania’s performance in terms of economic growth in the last decade was among the highest in SSA. The country attained a growth rate of above 6 per cent annually between 2001 and 2012 (even though this was as against the target per annum of the TDV 2025 of 8-9 percent). The national flagship programmes for guiding this growth have been TDV-2025, MKUKUTA/MKUZA (I&II), LTSP and FYDP. Notwithstanding the achievements made in economic growth, poverty reduction has remained elusive. For instance, the proportion of people living below the food poverty line in 2006/07 was 16.6% in 2007, down from 22% in 1990. Thus the MDG target of 10.5% may not be met.

On the other hand, in addition to the satisfactory country’s macroeconomic position, particularly on the GDP growth dimension, the prospects for the future are looking bright on account of the discoveries made in natural resources such as natural gas, uranium and other minerals. Thus, in order to push for higher and sustainable growth, a more robust mechanisms of addressing poverty reduction is to put to centre stage the focus of human development. Thus serious soul searching and interrogations have resulted in convincing justification to adopt a paradigm shift in the production of comprehensive human development reports. The Title of the 2014 report is to be changed to Tanzania Human Development Report (THDR), which thus embraces the comprehensive meaning of human development needs which is wider than just poverty reduction addressed in previous T-PHDR series . The rallying theme of the first issue of THDR to be published in 2014 is Economic Transformation for Human Development. It will chart a new pathway for Tanzania to exploit the current growth momentum and future prospects for greater sustainable human development.

There is a convincing justification for this theme. There is now serious soul searching and interrogations on why Tanzania, despite its sound economic performance cited above, is not making significant progress in reducing poverty of its people. The selected theme is of much current interest in Tanzania. It is intended to spark considerable attention of the public through debates and media exchanges. In thus facilitating awareness, it will likely influence public policies that promote effective human development as the country gears up for higher growth. It is obvious that economic growth does not automatically translate into poverty reduction, i.e. always trickle down to the poor.

Economic Transformation may be defined as a process entailing the changing of the structure, path and speed of economic growth. Economic transformation may also imply changes in the drivers of the economy; and thus the sectors that contribute most to growth. During the transformation, dimensions of economic growth and human development are inextricably related. One does not need to be held back to allow fulfillment of the other.

In the light of the above , this TAKNET discussion invites you to share thoughts on the way Tanzania as a country can transform its economy while realizing effective human development . You are particularly invited to share ideas on the following questions:-

(i) What changes in the structure of our economy will be amenable to advancing human development in its comprehensive sense, and not just human capital?

(ii) What type of investments can address both requirements, i.e. Human Development and Growth?

(iii) How should Natural Resources (particularly the gas) be managed to facilitate Sustainable Growth and Human Development?

(iv) What lies behind further decline in Education Standards in Tanzania ?

(v) What are the issues that should be raised with respect to Tanzania’s Population Growth, Structure and Momentum ?

(vi) Is bifurcation of Tanzania’s Health Provision working effectively? Why or Why not?

This topic is moderated by Dr. Tausi Kida, Mr. Deo Mutalemwa, Mr. Abdallah Hassan and Mr. Danford Sango