By
Masondore Masondore, Canada
The
UK- based think tank, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has published what I
view as most “incompetent, passive, non- academic and fabricated” report on a
number of African nations relations with international community in 2019
without the facts from the ground.
The
report which has unfortunately been quickly published by Kenya's the East African newspaper one would clearly argue that it has
been sponsored to damage the good name of African countries including my
motherland Tanzania.
The
article now authored through the East
African gives false information that Tanzania’s poor commitment to
democracy, lack of openness to foreign investment, and adoption of
protectionist policies will make international community relations with country
strained in 2019.
The
incredible report continues to assert that Tanzania will become a difficult
place for private sector in 2019 because on what they call inward-looking
policies, anti-gay stance and a controversial legislation that bans pregnant
girls from attending school.
This
report is cancerous as it seeks to damage the name of Tanzania and the efforts
made by President Magufuli and government to transform the country from low to
middle income country economy by 2025.
What is the reality then in terms of
Democracy?
The reality is that Tanzania is a
democratic country than many countries in the World. The findings from a 38-nation Pew Research published early this
year put Tanzania a democratic country in Africa ahead of Kenya and Ghana.
The survey research conducted among 41,953 respondents in 38
countries across the world using telephone and face-to-face interviews found
that 88 percent of Tanzanians are satisfied with the way democracy is working
in the country under the leadership of President Magufuli.
“Trust in the national government is highest in Tanzania. About nine-in-ten people in Tanzania (89%) trust their government
to do what is right for their country, including 48% who say they have “a lot”
of trust,” states the research
Since
1992, Tanzania remains to be among the few countries in Africa and the world
that embraces and continues to enjoy peaceful multi-party democracy. The fact
that the East Africa news paper is published and circulates in Tanzania, speaks
loud to how far the country is democratic.
The
government of Tanzania under President Magufuli continues to cement democratic
principles, adherence to rule of law and continue to accelerate its anti-
corruption agenda (which has created many enemies including foreign
organisations that have been siphoning the natural resources of the country.
Openness
to foreign investment
Tanzania has embarked on a wide ranging
reform program since the mid-1990s in order to provide an enabling business
environment that would facilitate the development of the private and foreign
investors. Among other initiatives is the Business Environment Strengthening
for Tanzania (BEST) program that was initiated as a result of public private
dialogue
The Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) of South
Africa released its 2019 edition of the “Where to Invest in Africa” report and
stated that Tanzania is the 7th best destination to invest in Africa
after Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya.
By climbing on two places in 2018, the
bank perceives to be the most important conditions for viable investment in
Tanzania and other winning Africa countries: economic activity, expressed as a
weighted average of market size and forecasted levels of GDP growth, and the
opening environment depicted as a weighted average of four international
surveys that measure the ease of doing business
The surveys used are Doing Business
Index, Global Competitive Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, and Economic
Freedom Index. The report indicates that “though marginal, improvement for
Tanzania have registered in all four aspects of operating environment index
“In a bid to ease the
regulatory burden, President Magufuli’s administration has introduced reforms
aimed at rooting out corruption and facilitating corporate registrations and
licensing. The economy continues to grow steadily at 7%- albeit slower than the
government’s targeted level of 7.2% for 2017,” states the report.
Anti- Gays Stance
The leadership of John Magufuli has
continued to promote human rights to all Tanzanians. For example, recently the government
distanced itself from Dar es salaam Regional Commissioner’s (Paul Makonda) call
of cracking down on gay people living in Dar es Salaam.
Even though the laws and traditions of
the country do not allow lesbian and other homosexual behaviours, still it
respects human rights as the country respects all international agreements on
human rights that have been signed and ratified.
Government’s Development
Vision 2025
Tanzania
middle income economy by 2025 shall be contributed by many factors not the ban
of exporting concentrates of minerals as claimed by writers of the report. The
writers of the report seemed to have been sponsored by people who were
siphoning our minerals but now their doors are closed that is why they are
sponsoring false reports.
Sustaining high growth
and structural transformation in Tanzania will require very large productivity
gains in
agriculture. In the model used, agriculture is the slowest growing sector of the economy
(5.6% growth). However,
even at this relatively slower growth rate, a very high growth in output per
agricultural worker
(5.8%) is required in order to sustain the
anticipated employment
shifts. Few
In order to attain the MIC status by
2025, all sectors need to drastically increase their respective growth rates,
but the most pronounced growth spurt is called-for in the manufacturing sector.
Although the percentage contribution of agriculture to GDP will diminish, a
considerable increase in productivity of agriculture will be required to meet
the growing food demand in the country.
Tanzania
Moves Forward
So far the great
performance of President Magufuli has earned him different awards. Some of them
are The African Leadership Magazine that nominated President Magufuli for the
award of the Political Leadership for the year 2018.
The
publisher of the Magazine Dr. Ken Giami unveiled that President Magufuli
scooped 62.66 percent ahead of other three African Presidents namely: Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National
Leader, APC, Nigeria (10.41%), H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South
Africa(8.82%) and H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana(18.11%)
The second award is the Africa 54 online
Magazine that named President Magufuli the second best Africa President for the
year 2018 after the former President of Botswana Ian Khama.
According
to the Africa 54 online Magazine President Magufuli did wonders for the country
of Tanzania probably than any other African Leaders. These are some of the
wonders that make President Magufuli to continue receiving awards globally.
Since assuming office in November 2015, Magufuli has been
rebuilding lost trust with Western donors by firing public officials deemed to
be incompetent and corrupt.
For
example, in 2016 Magufuli fired six senior
officials in the Tanzania Revenue Authority, including Commissioner General
Rashid Bade. Also suspended was the director general of the Tanzania Ports
Authority, Ephraim Mgawe, over a scandal involving the non-payment of $40
million (35,1 million euros) in import taxes. Magufuli also sacked Edward
Hoseah, the long-serving director general of the Prevention and Combating of
Corruption Bureau (PCCB), due to the slow pace of the fight against graft.
He has revived the national airline carrier (ATCL).
Six new planes have been bought so far. Among these, four planes have been
received and are all operating within and outside the country. Among these are two Airbus 220-300 jets, Boeing 787
Dreamliner and two new bombardiers.
Credible
sources explain that President Magufuli has
prioritised investment in Air Tanzania to revive the loss-making carrier and
boost the vital tourism sector, a top foreign exchange earner
The signing of the a three-billion-US dollar landmark deal with an Egyptian
company for the construction of the Stiegler's Gorge hydroelectric project in a
game reserve is another impossible project that President Magufuli has worked
hard to implement
It’s
a pity that the East African chose to
deliberately forward the resentment of an unresearched article to its well
respected readers. The publication reminds us that African press has a long way
to go before it serves the purpose for which it was allowed to operate in many
countries.
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