Tanzania: The Gains and Pains as Mainland Turns 48

As Tanzania Mainland marks its 48th independence anniversary today, several commentators have acknowledged that commendable achievements have been made though the country still faces many socio-economic problems.

A number of experts interviewed by The Citizen said yesterday that though the country had made remarkable strides in almost all the key areas, it could have done better had it not been for poor leadership.

Besides poor leadership, the analysts, including academicians, said that grand corruption and gender inequality were among the major problems that needed to be seriously tackled.

A former long-serving University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) political science lecturer, Prof Mwesiga Baregu, said the country had gone astray in recent years because of lack of proper planning.

In the 1970s, he added, the leadership had put emphasis on certain areas, and as a result, a lot of progress was achieved, with many factories being put up.

"We had textile mills and farm inputs factories in many parts of the country. These factories helped to stimulate production and increase employment," he said.

In the past 10 to 15 years, he added, the leadership had failed to maintain that productive capacity.

Prof Baregu, a member of the central committee of the opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), accused the current leaders of lacking focus.

But two UDSM lecturers, Dr Benson Banna and Dr Azaveli Lwaitama, told The Citizen in separate interviews that the country had achieved tangible development since gaining independence from Britain.

But they also highlighted issues they argued had hampered development initiatives.

Dr Banna said the most positive and encouraging achievements had been recorded in the education sector. He said the government had since independence built more schools at all levels around the country.

"When our country attained independence, we had very few schools. And for many years later, there was only one public university. But today, we have more than 20," Dr Banna said.

As a result of improvement in the provision of education, he added, the country today boasts of experts in various fields.

Though there was still a shortage of qualified personnel, the problem had been reduced through the establishment of more institutions of higher learning.

The political scientist said that at 48 years of independence, Tanzania was much younger than some countries, which had been free for several centuries.

"There is no way we can compare ourselves with countries which have been free for centuries because they have had more time to reach where they are today," he said.

And independent Tanzania, he said, had managed to have some influence in the African Union and the United Nations despite having a weak economy.

"This is a great achievement in diplomacy. We should feel proud about it," Dr Banna said.

He also said that maintaining peace and tranquillity in a troubled region and uniting its people were some of the achievements that should not be taken for granted.

Dr Lwaitama said that across the various administrations in the span of the 48 years, Tanzania had ensured that many of its people were educated.

The leadership had also done a lot to improve the productive sectors and build infrastructure.

He also lauded the freedom of expression that Tanzanians, especially media, enjoy today.

"History shows that after independence, this nation had a small number of skilled people who worked mainly as civil servants. When Tanganyika gained independence, there were only three professors in the whole country and only one specialist doctor," he said.

The Tanzania Media Women's Association's executive director, Ms Ananilea Nkya, praised the achievements in uplifting women in society.

Ms Nkya said many women had been included in decision-making organs and efforts to increase their participation should be stepped up.

However, she said there were problems such as maternal deaths, which posed a danger to women's prosperity in the country.

"Currently, we are losing about 8,000 women annually through delivery complications. As a nation, we should not have allowed this to happen 48 years after independence. Something should be done about this immediately," she said.

She said Mwalimu Nyerere had declared the three enemies of the State at independence, as poverty, disease and ignorance, and called for efforts to fight them with a renewed vigour around the country.

Another enemy of the people that needed to be relentlessly fought by all, she said, was grand corruption.

Ms Nkya also lamented poor leadership skills among those entrusted with leading others, and called for efforts to redress this.

For his part, Dr Banna said laziness among Tanzanians was one of the major factors that hampered the achievement of quick results.

Tanganyika gained independence from Britain on December 9, 1961 after prolonged efforts by Tanganyika African national Union (Tanu) under Mwalimu Nyerere's leadership.

In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar formed the United Republic of Tanzania, with Mwalimu Nyerere, as its first President, and Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, as the Vice President.

Mwalimu retired from national leadership in 1985, and Mr Ali Hassan Mwinyi became the President. After two five-year terms, Mr Mwinyi gave way to Mr Benjamin Mkapa. In 2005, President Mkapa passed on the mantle to Mr Jakaya Kikwete.

The independence anniversary celebrations will be marked at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, where President Kikwete is expected to be the guest of honour, and around the country.

Source:allafrica.com/