Country Profile
From The Report: Tanzania 2018
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Located on the east coast of Africa and south of the equator, Tanzania was home to some of the world’s first human settlements, with fossils dating back as far as 3.6m years. Today, the country comprises mainland Tanganyika and the archipelago of Zanzibar. Dodoma is its official capital, although Dar es Salaam, the largest city and port, has long been the nation’s commercial and administrative centre. Overall, Tanzania’s experience as an independent African nation has been a positive one on the world stage. In its shift from a socialist experiment under Julius Nyerere to a market economy under his successors, the country has fared relatively well in maintaining political stability and economic growth. However, there is work and further collaboration needed to support the continued development of the country’s democratic credentials and foster broad-based socio-economic development. This chapter contains a viewpoint with President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli; and interviews with Libérat Mfumekeko, Secretary-General, EAC; and Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Executive Secretary, South African Development Community.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Variety of influences: Vast and historically significant, Tanzania is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies
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Located on the east coast of Africa and south of the equator, Tanzania was home to some of the world’s first human settlements. Indeed, in 1959 some of the oldest human fossils were unearthed by an anthropologist in Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania. Also known as the “Cradle of Mankind”, this area is home to some of the oldest evidence of mankind’s evolution, with fossils dating back as far as 3.6m years. Today, Tanzania – one of East Africa’s largest economies and most popular…

Viewpoint

Open for business: President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, on industrial development and investment potential
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Viewpoint:President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli Through Development Vision 2025, Tanzania has committed itself to becoming a semi-industrialised nation by the year 2025. In 2017 we have focused on developing a strong industrial base by establishing export processing zones, special economic zones and other services that promote the exchange of goods. We invite all trading partners to make full use of these, which will benefit both investors and Tanzania itself. We have a large market in a very…

Overview

Clearing hurdles: The country is on stable political ground
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Reputed for its stability in the region, Tanzania is also one of sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest-growing economies, boasting average GDP growth of around 7% per year since 2000. The country has historically been an attractive centre for trade due to its strategic location along the continent’s east coast. Until the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century, the country primarily traded with its Arab and Eastern counterparts. These activities shifted after the Germans came to rule…

Analysis

Pursuing integration: The country seeks to strengthen ties with its neighbours
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Tanzania is East Africa’s largest nation and has historically served as a gateway to many of the region’s landlocked states. Following independence in 1961, the country took on a more significant role in the area, becoming an influential mediator in the affairs of neighbouring countries. Today, securing stronger diplomatic and economic ties with its neighbours has become central to Tanzania, ensuring its competitiveness on both a regional and global scale. Post-Independence After gaining…

Analysis

Good relations: Growing aid and trade ties link the country to the rest of the world
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Long before the arrival of Europeans, the territory where Tanzania lies today was a thriving centre of trade with Arab and Eastern merchants. With the establishment of German East Africa in the 1880s, however, more Western influence started to penetrate the area. In the years that followed independence in 1961, Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president, maintained good relations with the West, although his advocacy for African socialism and staunch support of liberation movements across…

Interview

Coming together: Libérat Mfumukeko, Secretary-General, EAC, on working towards common goals
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Interview:Libérat Mfumukeko, Secretary-General, EAC To what extent have EAC members harmonised policies ahead of the creation of a monetary union? LIBÉRAT MFUMUKEKO: During the transition towards the East African Monetary Union (EAMU), the existing exchange rate policies of EAC countries will remain the same. National exchange rates will be market determined, and central banks will intervene to smooth volatility rather than influence exchange rates in the medium term. Additionally, national…

Interview

Overcoming obstacles: Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC), on the greatest challenges facing its member states
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Interview:Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Executive Secretary, Southern African Development Community (SADC) How has the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap impacted industrialisation? STERGOMENA LAWRENCE TAX: The SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015-63 was approved in April 2015. To operationalise the strategy, a detailed action plan was prepared and approved in March 2017. Studies to profile the priority agricultural, mineral and pharmaceutical sectors and identify potential…