In spite of much development progress in Tanzania, the people of this East African country still continue to struggle with many core threats to their prosperity: poverty, disease, aid dependency, the dearth of infrastructure, and corruption.
Prompted by the fact that many other developing countries have managed to overcome these challenges, the book How can Tanzania move: from poverty to prosperity reviews the country as it passes just over a half-century since its independence in 1961.
The book - which is edited by Lucian Msambichaka, John Mduma, Onesmo Selejio, and Oswald Mashindano - reflects on the kinds of sustainable solutions which this country needs, in order for its population to move towards greater prosperity.
‘Most of the authors know what poverty means,’ say the editors. ‘Many of them were raised in rural areas and understand what rural life looks like for their fellow Tanzanians. Because of this, they have written their contributions with a strong desire to help their compatriots so that we as a nation can turn the corner towards economic prosperity.’
This corner could ‘be sharp and the road harder’, but it will probably lead to a better future, they argue.
The idea for How can Tanzania move was born out of a paper drawn up for a 2012 workshop hosted at the University of Dar es Salaam where the authors were reminded of the fact that policymakers and government grapple daily with varying degrees of progress and poverty across the country’s 30 mainland regions.
The book has been written for Tanzanians and Tanzanian policy-makers, and for all those who want to see the country overcome its development hurdles. It contains a series of reviews that indicate how Tanzania got to where it is today, using case studies and observations to give clear recommendations for sustainable economic growth.
‘The lives of close to 50 million Tanzanians rest on getting the right solutions to the varied challenges,’ maintain the editors, ‘these range from issues rooted in the economy and the environment, to sports and culture, in government accountability and transparency, and in a freer media.’
After more than five decades of economic struggle, the editors hope that this book will provide an overview of the many salient challenges facing a developing Tanzania that has throughout the decades managed to sustain peace and stability.
For more information on How can Tanzania move: from poverty to prosperity contact Salvatory Macha , Communications Officer with Environment for Development’s Tanzania office in the Department of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam on salvamacha@yahoo.com.