STAKEHOLDERS in the welfare of Tanzania have advised the Government in Dar
to change tack and resort to using domestic revenues to implement the second
phase of its National Strategy for Growth & Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP-II).
If the Government continues to depend on donor funding – as it did for the
first phase of the Strategy – this is bound to lead to equally thin results
on the ground.
Hitherto, the extant arrangements have been that a whopping 70 per cent of
the funds intended for implementing the Strategy – popularly known by its
ki-Swahili acronym MKUKUTA-II – would come from donor funding, and the
remaining 30 per cent coming from local revenues.
In due course of time and events, it has been amply demonstrated that this
has not worked well – let alone achieve the intended goals as scheduled.
Speaking at a forum organised in Dar on the subject-matter by an entirely
local NGO based in Tanzania, the Eastern Zone Civil Society Organization
(EZCSO), the forum participants were practically unanimous on this.
For starters, a leading member of the Organisation, Michael Dalali said it
was possible to implement the MUKUTA-II programme without depending on
donors – doing so using domestically-generated resources.
“If all the revenues that are collected from three key economic sectors
alone – namely Mining, Agriculture and Fisheries – were well managed and
monitored, Tanzania could implement MKUKUTA-II by around 70 per cent
using part of those revenues thereby avoiding the embarrassment usually
caused by depending on donors,” Dalali said.
For his part, the programme officer (Policy Analysis & Advocacy) at another
powerful NGO, HakiElimu, Boneventura Godfrey, noted that the Government
Controller & Auditor-General revealed fraudulent fake payments of about Tsh6
billion in public funds as per his Audit Report for the 2008/09 financial
year!
If all that money were properly controlled and monitored, Godfrey told the
Forum, “it could have been gainfully used in implementing the MKUKUTA-II
programmes now – and without having to seek handouts from outsiders.
“We should be in a position to be able to measure our economy from the
micro-level standpoint, and not from the macro-level,” he explained.
In order for MKUKUTA-II to be successful, Godfrey counselled, “there is
urgent need to thoroughly review all policies and contracts that are
associated with the mining sector… If only Tanzanians would more
effectively control the ongoing exploitation of their natural resources that
is benefiting foreign investors, this would rightly benefit the indigenous
owners more.”
Speaking at a press briefing at the HakiElimu Head Office in Dar es Salaam
on Wednesday, an advocacy officer with the Comprehensive Community-Based
Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), Fredrick Musigallah, lamented the “low
or poor” awareness among most Tanzanians about the MKUKUTA programmes.
“The achievements attained in the first MKUKUTA (2005-2009) were far from
impressive, Musigallah said. “This is largely because people at the
grassroots level were marginalised, they were not involved – and that is why
they were not able to participate fully in its implementation and make it
bear fruits.
“MKUKUTA-II should be made to cut across many more sectors, and involve more
local participation,” he advised.
MKUKUTA-II, which is scheduled to run from 2010, comprises three key pillars
as major components of Economic Growth, People’s Empowerment and Proper
Allocation of Resources.
For the objectives of this second phase of the Strategy to become a reality,
the Government and other key stakeholders in all the sectors involved need
to carry out countrywide awareness education at all levels – and for as many
people as possible of people, including especially the disabled, the elderly
and orphans.
Not only would this enable Tanzanians to understand the importance and
ramifications of MKUKUTA-II… More of them should also be involved in all
the stages of the Strategy’s implementation: monitoring, implementing and
evaluating the relative programmes.
MKUKUTA-II is an organizing framework to rally national efforts at
accelerating poverty-reducing economic growth. It is a second in series of
results-based national strategy.
It puts emphasis on the role of governance and growth for poverty reduction
high on the country’s development agenda. It also puts emphasis on
mainstreaming cross-cutting issues in sector strategies, and the development
plans of local government authorities (LGAs).
Scheduled to be implemented for five years (FY-2010/11-2014/15), the
Strategy is intended as a national vehicle for achieving Tanzania’s
international commitments on social development – including the United
Nations’ 2015 Millennium Development Goals.
The Strategy this time round broadens the space for the country’s ownership
of the development agenda by fostering effective participation of civil
society, private sector and other stakeholders – while also forging fruitful
local and external partnerships, as well as boosting its commitment to
regional and other international initiatives for social and economic
development.
MKUKUTA-II will be followed by another national socio-economic development
programme dubbed ‘Tanzania Long Term Strategy’ (TLTS) – and which will run
up to 2015!
The Eastern Zone Civil Society Organization is formed by the Lindi, Mtwara,
Coast and Dar es Salaam regions.
*Business Times- Tanzania