Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Tanzania: Background and Current

Conditions

Ted Dagne

Specialist in African Affairs

August 31, 2011

Congressional Research Service

7-5700

www.crs.gov

RS22781

CRS Report for Congress

Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Summary

Tanzania, an important U.S. ally in Africa, is a stable and important regional actor. There has been

a gradual increase in political pluralism, but Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM ), the ruling party,

remains dominant in government and parliament. Tanzania’s current president, Jakaya Kikwete,

who previously served for 10 years as Tanzania’s foreign minister, won 80.3% of the votes cast in

the December 2005 presidential election. In October 2010, President Kikwete was reelected for a

second term with 61% of the votes cast. The ruling CCM won 70% of the seats in parliament.

Tanzania continues its pattern of steady real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and has a

low and stable inflation rate. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts real Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) growth of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.9% in 2012. Inflation is expected to reach 9.1% in

2011 and 8.2% in 2012.

Congressional Research Service

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Contents

Background...................................................................................................................................... 1

Politics ....................................................................................................................................... 1

President Kikwete............................................................................................................................ 2

Economy.................................................................................................................................... 3

HIV/AIDS.................................................................................................................................. 3

Regional Role ............................................................................................................................ 4

Human Rights Conditions ......................................................................................................... 4

U.S.-Tanzania Relations .................................................................................................................. 4

Tables

Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Tanzania ............................................................................................... 5

Contacts

Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 5

Congressional Research Service

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Background

Tanzania, with an eastern seaboard on the Indian Ocean and a western border abutting several of

East Africa’s Great Lakes, is a medium-sized poor country. Though it is socially diverse, with

about 125 ethnic groups, it has enjoyed general political stability and national unity for about 40

years in a region wracked by civil wars, often with ethnic dimensions, in neighboring Rwanda,

Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique. Tanzania is a union

formed in 1964 between the mainland—a German colony and later a British protectorate formerly

known as Tanganyika—and the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and several smaller islands. The

islands, which remain semi-autonomous with their own president and parliament, are populated

by peoples of mixed Arab and African descent, and almost all are Muslim.1

Tanzania’s first president was Julius Nyerere, who led a one-party state that nationalized key

industries and created ujamaa, a rural, collective village-based movement of “African socialism”

and “self reliance.” Ujamaa faced increasing popular dissatisfaction, and was slowly abandoned

in the 1970s and 1980s.2 In 1977, Tanzania repelled an invasion by the brutal Ugandan dictator,

Idi Amin, and in 1979 intervened in Uganda to overthrow Amin. Tanzania was active in opposing

racist political systems in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Nyerere, who had a

reputation as an honest, humble, idealistic leader, retired as president in 1985, and became an

elder statesman, mediating peace processes in neighboring Burundi. He was succeeded by the

president of Zanzibar, Ali Mwinyi, who oversaw political reforms and a gradual transition to a

market economy, in part due to economic collapse brought on by ujamaa and centralized

economic management.

Politics

There has been a gradual increase in political pluralism, but the CCM remains dominant in

government and parliament, and is periodically accused of subverting the aspirations of

opposition parties. Opposition parties have reportedly on some occasions been denied rally

permits, and their party members detained, intimidated, and harassed, notably during electoral

periods, according to human rights groups. In April 2005, CCM offices on Zanzibar were

bombed. This event followed the discovery of the body of a missing CCM official, and the

Zanzibar Election Commission’s (ZEC’s) ruling that the leader of the Zanzibar-based Civic

United Front (CUF) party was ineligible to run for the Zanzibar presidency. In the 2000 general

elections, Zanzibar political activists, notably those of the locally dominant opposition CUF,

accused the CCM, and by implication the government, of administering the poll in a manner

biased toward the CCM. The election was characterized by substantial violence between state

security forces and opposition supporters.

1

2

Europa Regional Surveys of the World. Africa South of the Sahara, 2008.

Europa Regional Surveys of the World. Africa South of the Sahara, 2008.

Congressional Research Service

1

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

In October 2005, Zanzibar held its presidential

election. Amani Abeid Karume was elected

president with 53.2% of the votes cast, while

opposition candidate Seif Hamad received

46.1%. In the legislative elections, the ruling

CCM took 31 seats, while the CUF won 18

seats in the House of Representatives.

Observers reported about election-related

violence and claims of electoral fraud.3 The

Commonwealth recommended an investigation

into the election-related violence. The Zanzibar

Electoral Commission (ZEC) stated that the

elections were free and fair. In December 2005,

presidential and legislative elections took place

on Mainland Tanzania. CCM candidate Jakaya

Mrisho Kikwete won 80.3% of the votes cast in

the presidential elections, while the CUF

candidate, Ibrahim Lipumba, won 11.7% of the

votes cast. The ruling CCM won 207 seats,

while the CUF took 18 seats in the National

Assembly.

Tanzania at a Glance

Geography: East African coastal country;

Nearly one and a half times the size of Texas.

Population: 42.7 million (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 2% (2011 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity): $58.4 billion

(2010)

GDP per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2010)

Major Exports: Gold, coffee, cashews, tourism,

manufactured products, cotton, cloves

Languages: Swahili (official); English (official, used in

business, administration, higher education); Arabic

(Zanzibar); about 123 other local languages, many

Bantu-based

Religions: Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous

beliefs 35%; Zanzibar /islands over 99% Muslim

Literacy: Male, 77.5%; Female, 66.2% (2003)

Under-5 Mortality: 165 deaths/1,000 live births

HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 6.2% (2007)

Life Expectancy, years at birth:

Male, 50.5 Female, 53.5 (2009 est.)

Sources: CIA World Factbook 2011.

In October 2010, President Kikwete was reelected for a second term with 61% of the votes cast.

The ruling CCM won 70% of the seats in parliament. Opposition candidate Wilibrod Slaa won

26% of the votes cast. In Zanzibar, CCM candidate Ali Mohamed Shein, a strong ally of President

Kikwete, won the presidential election with 50.1% of the votes cast, while CUF candidate Seif

Sharif Hamad won 49% of the votes cast.

In late 2010, President Kikwete announced that his government would establish a commission to

review the constitution, a demand made by opposition members. Opposition leaders have

demanded changes to reduce the powers of the president and to allow independent candidates to

run for office. President Kikwete appointed Attorney General Frederick Werema as head of the

Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).

President Kikwete

Tanzania’s current president, Jakaya Kikwete, previously served for 10 years as Tanzania’s

foreign minister. He is pursuing an agenda of political continuity that builds on the achievements

of Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa but also seeks to generate greater economic growth and reform.

He has also voiced a desire to resolve political conflicts that have long affected Zanzibar

internally and in its relations with the mainland. In May 2009, President Kikwete met President

Obama in Washington, DC.

3

The Norwegian Center for Human Rights (NORDEM). The United Republic of Tanzania: Presidential and

Parliamentary Elections December 2005.

Congressional Research Service

2

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Economy

The Mkapa Administration pursued a number of key economic reforms and was generally seen

positively by bilateral and multilateral donors, which have provided substantial financial and

technical support to Tanzania. Some of these reforms included privatizations of state firms;

ongoing improvements to Tanzania’s weak infrastructure system; the creation of growing cell

phone networks and increased Internet access; and an increasingly robust and investor-friendly

private sector, particularly in the tourism, retail, gold and gems mining, transport,

communication, and agriculture sectors. Tanzania reached its completion point under the

Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in 2001, and has received partial

debt stock reductions under the initiative. Several donors have recently provided bilateral debt

relief to Tanzania.

Tanzania continues its pattern of steady real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and its low

and stable inflation rate. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts real Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) growth of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.9% in 2012. Inflation is expected to reach 9.1% in 2011 and

8.2% in 2012. Despite its real GDP growth, Tanzania’s economy largely fails to address the needs

of ordinary Tanzanians (i.e., healthcare, education, employment, and poverty reduction). In

recognition of this failure, the MKUKUTA (National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of

Poverty) has been developed with the goal of raising economic growth and the reduction of

poverty.4 The price of gold—Tanzania’s main export—remains high due to the global market and

the weakness of the U.S. dollar.

HIV/AIDS

Tanzania faces a severe AIDS epidemic. Its HIV/AIDS infection rate, at about 8.8% (2003), is

lower than that in southern Africa, but higher than those of its East African neighbors. Tanzania is

estimated to have the 12th-highest national infection rate globally, with between 1.6 million and 2

million HIV-positive persons, with work force-aged and urban populations most hard-hit, mostly

on the mainland. Zanzibar and the other islands have an estimated infection rate of about 0.6%. In

April 2005, however, the National AIDS Commission (TACAIDS) chair announced

TACAIDS/U.S. Agency for International Development-funded survey data showing a decrease to

7% in infection rates for Tanzania—though some estimates remain far higher. In 2000, Tanzania

declared AIDS to be a national disaster and later established TACAIDS and a separate Zanzibar

AIDS Commission (ZAC). These entities design and administer national anti-AIDS efforts,

including programs implemented through local government HIV/AIDS committees. In August

2004, at the signing of an $87.9 million grant by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,

and Malaria, President Mkapa announced that his government would begin providing free antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to AIDS patients. In June 2005, the government announced a very

ambitious goal of providing 100,000 patients with ARVs by late 2006, and of reaching 400,000

patients within the next five years. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS,

provides technical, policy, public education, and financial assistance to TACAIDS and ZAC.

Tanzania also receives AIDS assistance from a variety of private AIDS foundations, and from the

United States. It is a “focus country” under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.5

4

The Economist Intelligence Unit. Tanzania, December 2007.

5

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. 2007 Country Profile: Tanzania.

Congressional Research Service

3

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

Regional Role

Tanzania is a member, with Kenya and Uganda, of the East African Community (EAC),

established by a 1999 treaty, which revived an earlier EAC, defunct since 1977. The EAC Treaty

provides for the creation of a range of regional development, economic policy cooperation, trade,

and political coordination initiatives and entities. EAC members signed a customs union

agreement in March 2004, which began to be implemented in January 2005. Tanzania, a Southern

African Development Community (SADC) member, is also cooperating with its southern

neighbors in regional economic development projects, notably in transport. Tanzania has also

helped to facilitate an end to the conflict in neighboring Burundi.

Human Rights Conditions6

Although the Tanzanian government is not reported to be responsible for any politically

motivated killings or disappearances in the past year, there have been several instances of

unlawful killings by policemen and prison guards. Police and prison wardens are also accused of

torturing and threatening suspected criminals. The police force lacks funding and is plagued by

corruption and the excessive use of force. According to the State Department 2010 Country

Reports on Human Rights Practices:

Principal human rights problems in both Tanzania and Zanzibar included the following: use

of excessive force by military personnel, police, and prison guards, as well as societal

violence, which resulted in deaths and injuries; abuses by Sungusungo traditional citizens’

anticrime units; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; lengthy pretrial detention;

judicial corruption and inefficiency, particularly in the lower courts; restrictions on freedoms

of press and assembly; restrictions on the movement of refugees; official corruption and

impunity; societal violence against women and persons with albinism; child abuse, including

female genital mutilation (FGM); and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Trafficking

in persons and child labor remained problems.7

U.S.-Tanzania Relations

U.S.-Tanzanian relations are cordial and friendly. The Obama Administration’s bilateral policy

priorities, according to its FY2010 Congressional Budget Justification, include “strengthening

Tanzania’s democratic institutions and security forces, as well as local and national systems and

institutional capacity in health, including HIV/AIDS and malaria, and education.”8 U.S. concerns

about terrorism in Tanzania stem from the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam,

the capital, by al-Qaeda and from the alleged growth of radical Islamic views within Tanzania’s

large Muslim population. In addition, several Tanzanians are known to have joined al-Qaeda. The

United States provides anti-terrorism and financial and immigration fraud capacity-building

assistance, and the U.S. Embassy maintains an emphasis on the protection of U.S. citizens in

Tanzania. A Peace Corps contingent carries out projects in education, natural resource

management, and health, with an emphasis on combating AIDS. Tanzania is eligible for trade

6

7

8

The State Department. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2006.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119028.htm

Congressional Budget Justification, 2010.

Congressional Research Service

4

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, including textile and apparel benefits,

and is a Millennium Challenge Account threshold country, making it eligible to apply for MCA

assistance. In September 2007, Tanzania signed a $698 million compact agreement aimed at

poverty reduction, access to clean water, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts. U.S. assistance

to Tanzania has increased over the past several years. In FY2008, bilateral assistance totaled an

estimated $370.2 million, $368 million in FY2009, and an estimated $462.5 million in FY2010.

The Obama Administration has requested $549.6 million in 2011. Tanzania is one of the 15 focus

countries of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In December 2009, the

National Institute for Medical Research was opened in Dar Es Salaam. The institute will house

three major medical institutions. The United States provided $9.5 million, through PEPFAR, and

laboratory equipment.

Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Tanzania

($ in thousands)

FY2008

Actual

FY2009

Actual

FY2010

Actual

FY2011

Request

Total

370,246

464,983

467,739

549,622

571,892

Development Assistance

21,439

26,890

38,252

58,118

100,000

700

200

200

Foreign Mil. Financing

FY2012

Request

Global Health and Child SurvivalState

281,000

329,921

336,254

336,254

346,342

Global Health and Child SurvivalUSAID

52,796

61,078

83,525

112,000

124,000

International Military Education

and Training

300

375

450

400

400

450

950

950

Int. Narcotics Control and Law

Enforcement

Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism,

Demining and Related Programs

149

2,110

14,562

6,051

Peacekeeping Operations

Public Law 480 (Food Aid)

Source: Congressional Budget Justification, FY2011

Author Contact Information

Ted Dagne

Specialist in African Affairs

tdagne@crs.loc.gov, 7-7646

Congressional Research Service

5