Tanzania: Disturbing Figures

[Companero]

Hapa wa kulaumiwa kuotokana na kudumaa kwa maendeleo ya nchi yetu ni viongozi.

Wataalamu wa demokrasia wanasema 'we get the leaders you deserve', yaani tunapata viongozi tunaowastahili. Wao hakika ni stahiki yetu. Wewe na mimi ndio hatuwawajibishi.

Tumewachagua sisi wenyewe. Tunawatumikia sisi wenyewe. Tunawaendekeza sisi wenyewe.

 

[Kichuguu]

Dk Shein anaiita hiyo kuwa ni vicious circle of poverty, ananifurahisha sana kwa terminology hiyo.

Mkuu Kichuguu, shida yangu si data zenyewe, isipokuwa interpretation yake. nasema hivi kwa sababu source uliyoiquote inaweza kuwa iliamua kuweka data hizo tu kukidhi malengo yake fulani (labda kuna hoja wanaijenga na wanataka kuifanya ionekane kwua ni sahihi kwa kutumia data hizo).

Generally, matumizi ya data ni vert tricky kwa sababu data za iana moja zinaweza kutumiwa na watu tiofauti kujenga hoja tfauti na zote zikaonekana kuwa zina mashiko kutokana na support kutoka wka data hizo hizo.
lakini ukweli unabaki pale pale kuwa hali yetu si nzuri (kama data zinzvyoonyesha) lakini hali yetu ni mbaya kiasi hiki tunachokiona kupitia kwenye data hiz?

Hapana, CIA wana data za dunia nzima katika nyanja mbali mbali, Ni mimi niliyechagua hizo nilizotoa hapo; kuna nyingi sana ambazo sikuchagua kwa mfano wingi wa airports, urefu wa barabara za lami, idadi ya ndege zinazofanya usafiri wa ndani, wastani wa matumizi ya umeme kwa familia na mambo mengine mengi tu. Kama hatukubalini na hizo data za CIA, je hatukubaliani pia na zile za umoja wa mataifa mabako dada yetu ndiye bosi? In fact ukichunguza kwa makini utaona kuwa data za umoja wa mataifa zianonyesha kuwa tuna hali mbaya zaidi ya CIA wanavyotuonyesha.

Kama ulivyosema, ukweli ni kuwa hali yetu ni mbaya sana. Nadhani tunachotakiwa siyo sisi kufuata interpretaion ya CIA (kama ipo) bali tunachotakiwa ni sisi wenyenyewe kuzifanyia interpretation yetu bila kuzikana. Tukianza kuzi-question ni kama tunajifanya hali yewtu ni nzuri ila data ndizo zinazosema uwongo, na hiyo ni kujidanganya kabisa

 

[Kichuguu]

Binafsi nasema hali yetu ni mbaya sana, pengine labda data za CIA zinaweza kutupendelea kwa kiasi fulani (kwa malengo wanaoyajua wao).

Ni vizuri sana kukubali ukweli, halafu tutafute namna ya kujikwamua. Kujua ugonjwa ni nusu ya tiba.

Sehemu kubwa ya ugonjwa wetu inatokana watu wetu kutotekeleza wajibu wao ipasavyo, yaani kutokuwa serious makazini kwetu. Inawezekana watu wasimini hili, ila kama tukiweza kubadilisha attitudes za watu wetu kuhusu kazi basi tutakuwa tumetatua asilimia 60 ya matatizo yetu ya maendeleo.

Sehemu ya pili ya ugonjwa wetu ni kukosekana kwa uzalendo; hii inachangia karibu asilimia 20 ya matatizo yetu. Inawezekana pia hili gonjwa la kukosekana kwa uzalendo likawa linachangia kuharibika kwa attitudes zetu za kazi.

Wataalamu wa demokrasia wanasema 'we get the leaders you deserve', yaani tunapata viongozi tunaowastahili. Wao hakika ni stahiki yetu. Wewe na mimi ndio hatuwawajibishi.

Tumewachagua sisi wenyewe. Tunawatumikia sisi wenyewe. Tunawaendekeza sisi wenyewe.

katika vi-3 vya sera za mwalimu,kuna viwili havipo!!UONGOZI BORA na SIASA SAFI!
executive yetu ni one of the worst,na judiciary yetu is more like a joke.
mifano tunayo.

Viongozi wetu wenyewe hawatekelezi wajibu wao, attitudes zao kuhusu kazi walizokabidhiwa na umma ni mbovu kabisa. Huenda ni kwa sababu ya kutokuwa na uzalendo kwa vile wengi wao wametumia nafasi zao ili kujilimbikizia mali kwa jasho la umma. Utashangaa, kiongozi kajenga jumba moja kubwa sana tena la thamani kubwa sana, lakini barabara ya kwenda hapo nyumbani kwake ni chafu sana, na haipitiki bila kutumia shangingi. Vile vile kuna viongozi walijipatia mali na kuzihamishia nchi za nje.

 

[Kichuguu]

Kichuguu,
Sahihisho dogo tu, Pale kwenye nchi zinazochimba dhahabu, Tanzania imewekwa nafasi ile kwa sababu mwandishi alifuata alphabetical order..Hivyo, Tanzania ni nchi ya tatu Afrika na kama sikosei nchi ya Tano duniani..

Ni kweli, list ile inaonyesha nchi zinazochimba dhahabu nyingi duniani, lakini haionyeshi ranking ya nchi hizo.

 

[Outlier]

Outlier umelala mbele? Ebu tuletee hizo takwimu za karibuni kabisa kuhusu Tanzania. Maana nami pia ninatumia hizo data za jamaa wa CIA fact book...

Nipo, sijalala mbele;
source zingine za data ni hizi hapa;

http://www.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_TZ.pdf

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/tanzania_statistics.html

http://www.who.int/countries/tza/en/

cha muhimu, tukichukulia katika span ya muda mrefu, sema kuanzia 1961 mpaka sasa hivi tunaweza kuwa tumeendelea kidogo. ni ngumu kwangu kutoa maoni kuhusu nyanja zote lakini at least kielimu na afya tumepiga hatua. life expectancy iliongezeka ingawa HIV imeipunguza, hata hivyo rate ya HIV inapungua kwa hiyo tunatarajia life expectancy kupanda tena. mortality kuanzia neonatal mpaka adult pia imepungua!

 

[Kichuguu]

Nipo, sijalala mbele;
source zingine za data ni hizi hapa;

http://www.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_TZ.pdf

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/tanzania_statistics.html

http://www.who.int/countries/tza/en/

cha muhimu, tukichukulia katika span ya muda mrefu, sema kuanzia 1961 mpaka sasa hivi tunaweza kuwa tumeendelea kidogo. ni ngumu kwangu kutoa maoni kuhusu nyanja zote lakini at least kielimu na afya tumepiga hatua. life expectancy iliongezeka ingawa HIV imeipunguza, hata hivyo rate ya HIV inapungua kwa hiyo tunatarajia life expectancy kupanda tena. mortality kuanzia neonatal mpaka adult pia imepungua!

Nilipokuwa naangalia data hizi, kilichoni-disturb presonally ni position ya Tanzania ukilinganisha na nchi nyingine katika kipindi kinacholinganishwa. Hata kama data zitakuwa zinaonyesha kuwa tumeendelea kidogo kuliko zamani, nisichofurahishwa ni kuwa kuendelea kwetu huko hakujatutoa kwenye grupu la nchi ambazo zimekuwa vitani kwa muda mrefu sana. Inawezekana kuwa tunaendelea kwa kasi ndogo sana kuliko uwezo wetu.

 

[Mpita Njia]

Kama ulivyosema, ukweli ni kuwa hali yetu ni mbaya sana. Nadhani tunachotakiwa siyo sisi kufuata interpretaion ya CIA (kama ipo) bali tunachotakiwa ni sisi wenyenyewe kuzifanyia interpretation yetu bila kuzikana. Tukianza kuzi-question ni kama tunajifanya hali yewtu ni nzuri ila data ndizo zinazosema uwongo, na hiyo ni kujidanganya kabisa

Naona tupo pamoja mkuu, nanoavyoona mimi tunachotakiwa kufanya si intepretation ya data hizi, bali kutafuta data zetu sisi wenyewe. Ni kweli kuwa hawa tunawapatia sisi, lakini tukiwa na zile zetu, (ambazo nadhani zipo kwa sababu sisi tuliwapatia wao), tuzihuishe na kuwa na za kisasa zaidi (kwa maana hizi ni za muda kidoto), ndipo tufanye interpretation ambayo itatuwezesha kujua hali yetu kihalisia sasa hivi.
Upo uwezekano mkubwa kuwa tunaona hali yetu ni mbaya kutokana na hofu ya watanzania wengi iliyojengeka kuwa umasikini ni wetu na hatuana la kufanya juu yake. lakini pia upo uwezekano tukajiona kuwa tuna nafuu kwa kuangalia tu maisha ya watu wachache wenye fedha (kwani nao ni watanzania pia).
tatizo languw ala si hizo data zao, bali mimi nataka tuwe na si zetu tu, bali current data ambazo interpretation yake ndio itatupa hali yetu ilivyo hivi sasa

 

[PanguPakavu Amy]

Naona tupo pamoja mkuu, nanoavyoona mimi tunachotakiwa kufanya si intepretation ya data hizi, bali kutafuta data zetu sisi wenyewe. Ni kweli kuwa hawa tunawapatia sisi, lakini tukiwa na zile zetu, (ambazo nadhani zipo kwa sababu sisi tuliwapatia wao), tuzihuishe na kuwa na za kisasa zaidi (kwa maana hizi ni za muda kidoto), ndipo tufanye interpretation ambayo itatuwezesha kujua hali yetu kihalisia sasa hivi.
Upo uwezekano mkubwa kuwa tunaona hali yetu ni mbaya kutokana na hofu ya watanzania wengi iliyojengeka kuwa umasikini ni wetu na hatuana la kufanya juu yake. lakini pia upo uwezekano tukajiona kuwa tuna nafuu kwa kuangalia tu maisha ya watu wachache wenye fedha (kwani nao ni watanzania pia).
tatizo languw ala si hizo data zao, bali mimi nataka tuwe na si zetu tu, bali current data ambazo interpretation yake ndio itatupa hali yetu ilivyo hivi sasa

Kupata data kunategemea vitu vingi..,mojawapo ni research.we have zero emphasis on that!
maendeleo ni vizuri tukayaangalia kwa broad sense ya wangapi wana access to health,clean water na other basic things.
tukiangalia Tanzania kwa mwelekeo huu hapa ndio tulipo fail sana,and that is where WHO,UNDP,CIA are interested in.of course they should.
barabara hatuna,hospitali hatuna,elimu yetu mbovu,umeme hatuna,kila kitu kinachotegemewa kuondoa au kupunguza umaskini kinapuuzwa.
viongozi wetu wanafikiri wananchi kuwa na pesa nyingi itasolve matatizo.haven't we heard of 1million dollar bills from zimbabwe?
money ni end product.
Fundamentals za uchumi wetu ni one of the worst duniani!i wonder how we manage year in year out!
kilimo chetu cha kikabwela,
Hatuna a single sound industry,hatu-assemble chochote,hatutengenezi chochote cha maana,and our government spend like crazy!!
we have a recipe for being poor.

 

[MzalendoHalisi]

For the record,
Tanzania HIV prevalance data ni 5.8% hii ndo official government data 2007\08= Source HIV\AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2008. This was a population based survey including 16,000 who tested. Ni vema pia kuangalia data zetu kama Watz in addition to those of PEPFAR, CIA n.k as most interventions are being implemented by our goverment. Mara nyingi wafadhili wamekuwa na tendence kukuza estimates ili kupata pesa zaidi kwa maslahi yao\yetu!

 

[Mkandara]

Binafsi wakuu zangu natazama issue hii tofauti na mawazo yenu.. Kama mgonjwa ana HIV haiwezi kutupa unafuu wowote kama tukimtazama mgonjwa huyu na kutafguta interpretation zetu kuhusiana na maradhi hayo..
Tatizo lipo! dawa zipo sasa ni jinsi gani ya kuzisambaza dawa hizo ndipo tunaweza tofautiana na nchi za Magharibi kwa sababu ya watu na mazingira yetu. Figures za kuonyesha ni kiasi gani tumeathirika isiwe kisingizio cha kutokubali kwamba tuna maradhi haya ya Kiuchumi..
Na pili, unafuu wa mgonjwa haina maana maradhi yameondoka kwa sababu Imaskini kama HIV ni maradhi yanayoambukiza Kiuchumi..Huwei kuuza vitu vyako kwa watu wasiokuwa na uwezo hivyo hata uzalishaji uwepo mzuri kama wananchi can't afford mali hiyo haina thamani..
Mabadiliko yoyote ya kiuchumi na hatua tulizopiga toka mwaka 1961 ni makuzi ya nchi sio makuzi ya Kiuchumi kwa sababu mwaka 1961 Trekta moja uliweza kununua dollar 5,000 na leo sio chini ya 30,000 hivyo huwei kunambia mafanikio kwa kutumia figures wakati uwezo wa gunia moja la korosho kununua hata mbolkea ni mara sita ya mwaka 1961..Ndio maana natumia nenoa makuzi ya kimwili.. Mtoto aliyezaliwa mwaka 1961 halikuwa alianza kwa kutambaa, kisha akaweza kutembea na kadhalika haya sio maendeleo yanayozungumziwa ila ni uwezo wa mtoto huyo ktk makuzi yake kuwa na vitu muhimu..mtoto masikini wa Uswazi hana maendeleo hata kama atakua kwa kudra zake Mungu.. Afya yake, elimu yake, uwezo wake ktk hali na mali ndio maendeleo yanayozungumziwa..
Tanzania bado tumabaki nyuma na figures kama hizi zitumike kama mwanga wa kufahamu kuwa hatujafanya kitu.. maradhi yako palepale..

 

[Mag3]

Naona tupo pamoja mkuu, nanoavyoona mimi tunachotakiwa kufanya si intepretation ya data hizi, bali kutafuta data zetu sisi wenyewe. Ni kweli kuwa hawa tunawapatia sisi, lakini tukiwa na zile zetu, (ambazo nadhani zipo kwa sababu sisi tuliwapatia wao), tuzihuishe na kuwa na za kisasa zaidi (kwa maana hizi ni za muda kidoto), ndipo tufanye interpretation ambayo itatuwezesha kujua hali yetu kihalisia sasa hivi.
Upo uwezekano mkubwa kuwa tunaona hali yetu ni mbaya kutokana na hofu ya watanzania wengi iliyojengeka kuwa umasikini ni wetu na hatuana la kufanya juu yake. lakini pia upo uwezekano tukajiona kuwa tuna nafuu kwa kuangalia tu maisha ya watu wachache wenye fedha (kwani nao ni watanzania pia).
tatizo languw ala si hizo data zao, bali mimi nataka tuwe na si zetu tu, bali current data ambazo interpretation yake ndio itatupa hali yetu ilivyo hivi sasa

Haya ndiyo mawazo ya mtanzanina halisi halafu tunajiuliza kwa nini hatuendelei - Tanzania kisiwa cha amani, hakika inatia huruma. Siku tutakapoondokana na vijisababu visivyo na msingi na kuamua kushughulikia maendelao yetu, tutakuwa tumefanya la maana. Ardhi tunayo, watu tunao, viongozi (pamoja na mfumo wake) ni wazi hatuna.

Hapa Afrika mashariki tu, tuko wa mwisho kwa idadi ya wahitimu wa vyuo vikuu, wa mwisho kwa barabara za lami, wa mwisho kwa huduma za afya, wa mwisho kwa kuzalisha bidhaa, wa mwisho kwa ajira, wa mwisho kwa huduma muhimu za jamii n.k. Anything progressive you name it, we are the last !!.

Lakini tu wa kwanza kwa umasikini, wa kwanza kwa maradhi, wa kwanza kwa amani ?, wa kwanza kwa ardhi nzuri na kubwa, wa kwanza kwa idadi ya watu, wa kwanza kwa madini na mali asili (including Tanzanite) , wa kwanza kwa vivutio kama mbuga za wanyama, wa kwanza kampuni za simu za mkononi, wa kwanza kwa kupiga soga, wa kwanza kwa kupokea misaada, ooh masikini !!

Kinachofunga mwaka ni kutotambua kuwa tu wa kwanza kwa ujinga na hili ndilo chimbuko la matatizo yetu. Asante Kichuguu kwa kuanzisha hii mada.

 

[Masanilo]

Haya ndiyo mawazo ya mtanzanina halisi halafu tunajiuliza kwa nini hatuendelei - Tanzania kisiwa cha amani, hakika inatia huruma. Siku tutakapoondokana na vijisababu visivyo na msingi na kuamua kushughulikia maendelao yetu, tutakuwa tumefanya la maana. Ardhi tunayo, watu tunao, viongozi (pamoja na mfumo wake) ni wazi hatuna.

Hapa Afrika mashariki tu, tuko wa mwisho kwa idadi ya wahitimu wa vyuo vikuu, wa mwisho kwa barabara za lami, wa mwisho kwa huduma za afya, wa mwisho kwa kuzalisha bidhaa, wa mwisho kwa ajira, wa mwisho kwa huduma muhimu za jamii n.k. Anything progressive you name it, we are the last !!.

Lakini tu wa kwanza kwa umasikini, wa kwanza kwa maradhi, wa kwanza kwa amani ?, wa kwanza kwa ardhi nzuri na kubwa, wa kwanza kwa idadi ya watu, wa kwanza kwa madini na mali asili (including Tanzanite) , wa kwanza kwa vivutio kama mbuga za wanyama, wa kwanza kampuni za simu za mkononi, wa kwanza kwa kupiga soga, wa kwanza kwa kupokea misaada, ooh masikini !!

Kinachofunga mwaka ni kutotambua kuwa tu wa kwanza kwa ujinga na hili ndilo chimbuko la matatizo yetu. Asante Kichuguu kwa kuanzisha hii mada.

Nakubaliana na sehemu kubwa ya mchango wako Mag3, Tanzania tunaongoza kwa yale mambo ya kijinga kama uvivu, woga, ujinga, kulalamika, rushwa, kuuwa albinos etc etc lakini si kwenye mambo ya msingi.

 

[PanguPakavu Amy]

wa kwanza kampuni za simu za mkononi, wa kwanza kwa kupiga soga

ebwana hii kitu ni kweli kabisa tumezidi kupenda stori wa-TZ!!
Kikwete is the reflection of what Tanzanians like"talkative guys" not doers!we voted 80% for that dude!just because he could talk nicely!
we tanzanians never look into facts,we listen to stories people present to us😱h mie nna hiki,nna kile,ntafanya hiki,ntafanya kile..,that's all we behold.
we talk too much..,hata ukiangalia matatizo yetu mengi...,tunajaribu kuyasolve kwa maneno meeengi pale panapohitajika vitendo.
No wonder tuko nyuma in technology.maana nyanja hizo hazitaki maneno mengi.

 

[Mwanjelwa]

Haya ndiyo mawazo ya mtanzanina halisi halafu tunajiuliza kwa nini hatuendelei - Tanzania kisiwa cha amani, hakika inatia huruma. Siku tutakapoondokana na vijisababu visivyo na msingi na kuamua kushughulikia maendelao yetu, tutakuwa tumefanya la maana. Ardhi tunayo, watu tunao, viongozi (pamoja na mfumo wake) ni wazi hatuna.

Hapa Afrika mashariki tu, tuko wa mwisho kwa idadi ya wahitimu wa vyuo vikuu, wa mwisho kwa barabara za lami, wa mwisho kwa huduma za afya, wa mwisho kwa kuzalisha bidhaa, wa mwisho kwa ajira, wa mwisho kwa huduma muhimu za jamii n.k. Anything progressive you name it, we are the last !!.

Lakini tu wa kwanza kwa umasikini, wa kwanza kwa maradhi, wa kwanza kwa amani ?, wa kwanza kwa ardhi nzuri na kubwa, wa kwanza kwa idadi ya watu, wa kwanza kwa madini na mali asili (including Tanzanite) , wa kwanza kwa vivutio kama mbuga za wanyama, wa kwanza kampuni za simu za mkononi, wa kwanza kwa kupiga soga, wa kwanza kwa kupokea misaada, ooh masikini !!

Kinachofunga mwaka ni kutotambua kuwa tu wa kwanza kwa ujinga na hili ndilo chimbuko la matatizo yetu. Asante Kichuguu kwa kuanzisha hii mada.

Hizo data kwenye red si kweli. Sisi ndiyo first.

 

[Kichuguu]

Hizo data kwenye red si kweli. Sisi ndiyo first.

Teh !!! teh !!! Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!Teh !!! teh !!!

 

[Mag3]

Hizo data kwenye red si kweli. Sisi ndiyo first.

Tutakataa mengi !! Compare TZ na Kenya.

Rate per 10,000........................ Tz............................ Kenya
Physicians (2002)...................... <1........................... 1
Nurses and Midwives (2002)......... 4.......................... 12
Hospital Beds (2006).................. 11 ............. .......... 14


Malaria Cases (2006 estimate) -
Tanzania………11,539,867
Kenya…………..11,341,750

Malaria Deaths (2006 estimate)-
Tanzania………38,730
Kenya…………..27,049

And this is just the tip of an iceberg. Please wake up man !!

 

[Mbu]

...Fact; kinachosababisha umasikini wa nchi ya Tanzania kimeorodheshwa hapo, read backwards i.e kuanzia number 6, 5, 4, ...mpaka utapoishia Tanzania ni kati ya nchi zenye watu wengi sana Afrika

...ambayo inamaanisha, hata baada ya Miaka 47 tangu uhuru, serikali imeshindwa kabisa kutumia rasilimali yake kubwa i.e WATU kujikwamua kutoka katika umasikini uliobobea kuelekea kwenye taifa linaloweza kujitegemea.

 

[Mag3]

Hizo data kwenye red si kweli. Sisi ndiyo first.

Tanzania has 88,000 km of roads, but only 3,700 km of these (5%) are paved and the rest remain unpaved. Kenya has 63,000 km of roads and 9,000 km are paved equivalent to nearly 15%.

Tanzania has a total of 123 airports but only 11 of these have paved runways while Kenya has 225 with 15 having paved runways.

Na sisi ndio tulikuwa wa kwanza kupata uhuru, wa kwanza kwa amani na utulivu, wa kwanza kwa mshikamano. Tunachokosa hasa ni kitu gani mpaka tujikute hapa tulipo - nina wasiwasi kuwa ni dhana ya kijinga kuwa tunajua kumbe hatujui na matokeo yake kudanganyika kirahisi. Tunalima ujinga, tunaupalilia na kuurutubishaa, kuukumbatia na kuukubali na machungu yake yote. Halafu twashangaa kwa nini tuko kwenye rundo la umasikini - kweli tumeshindwa kutambua kuwa ujinga huzaa umasikini ? Have we accepted umasikini as our way of life ?

 

[Fundi Mchundo]

And to make matters worse, huyo tunayejilinganisha nae na ambae tunamuona tishio kwetu anahesabiwa miongoni mwa nchi masikini kama sisi! Lini tutaanza kujipima na wakina Mauritius?

 

[Mkandara]

Re: Tanzania: Disturbing Figures: Just a reminder....

As massive poverty continues to rock the majority of Tanzanians, the latest data reveal that Tanzania`s wealth in terms of the top five metals out of eleven provable mineral deposits amounting to millions of tonnes.
It is hard to believe it, but that is the reality in a country where 38million plus population lives in abject poverty, below a dollar per day, while 89percent of the total population survive on a single meal per day.
According to a geological survey conducted last year by the ministry of energy and minerals, Tanzania has huge reserves in eleven key minerals which include gold, Nickel, Tanzanite, Diamonds, copper, Iron ore, coal, Limestone, soda ash, gypsum and phosphate.
The five key minerals and their provable amounts in brackets is Gold (2,222tones), Nickel (209million tones), Diamonds (Carat 50.9million), Copper (13.65million tones), and Iron ore (103million tones).
However since this was just a geological survey undertaken by experts last year, its actual result is approximated to be accurate by up to 70 percent.
So far, only three types of minerals - gold, diamonds, Tanzanite - are being fully mined by multinational companies which at the end of the day take 97percent, leaving only peanut to the original Tanzanian owners.
If well managed through sound, people-centered mining policies, the mining sector can catapult Tanzanians to the proverbial promised land in decades and generations to come...
Comparing these huge deposits and the actual situation of poverty in the country, the message that comes across one`s mind is that Tanzania is in what experts describe as `resource curse`.
The term `resource curse` refers to the observation that nations with rich endowments of natural resources (oil, metals, timber) often dramatically under-perform economically relative to what one would expect.
Common sense and simple economics suggest that countries blessed with an abundance of natural resources should live long and prosper.
Yet over many years, it has been observed that nations rich in oil, gas, or mineral resources have been disadvantaged in the drive for economic progress.

Why are we poor?

Perhaps the biggest question that begs an urgent answer is; why are we so poor despite having all these huge minerals deposits?
It is a question that policy makers and politicians have been avoiding to seek answers for.
Tanzania like many other African countries is highly blessed with rich natural resources, but its people are swimming in the deep sea of massive poverty.
But the appalling truth is that instead of financing people`s development, Africa's huge mineral resources were used to fund the brutal civil wars that ravaged millions of people during the past four decades.
Today in Africa only a few countries like Botswana, Ghana and South Africa have managed to use their natural resources, especially minerals, to facilitate development and welfare to their people.
This example is vividly manifested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sudan and Angola whereby masters of the wars used natural resources to finance their deadly power struggle.
However in Tanzania, there wasn`t any civil war apart from the role played by the founding President, (the late) Dr Julius Nyerere, in liberating Southern African countries during the nationalist struggle.
While it is an undeniable truth that the move to allow the private sector to participate in the mining industry was brilliant one, the truth is that due to poor policies introduced by the third phase government, the whole idea has become a disaster to Tanzanians.
This is well echoed in the lucrative mining industry which has been mainly benefiting multinational companies, while paying the government a small slice of the cake.

Last year, for instance, the Minister for Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja, told the parliament that during the period between 2001 and 2006, Tanzania produced gold worth $2.6 billion (Tshs3.38 trillion), but the government earned only $78 million.
In simple arithmetic, this is just 3 percent of the total revenues generated from thousands of tonnes of gold produced in the Lake Victoria gold belt. It also shows that the government earned an average of $13 million annually during that period from the multibillion industry whose real investments currently is valued at $2.5 billion.
According to the available statistics from the mining industry, from June 2000 to December 2006, the two biggest gold mines in the country produced a total of 5,686,710 ounces of gold, which at the current gold price of $600 per ounce is valued at Tshs 4.3 trillion ($ 3.3 billion), but what the nation earned is frightening and a shame.
While mineral production has increased in Tanzania in the past few years with export per year estimated to be nearly $900 million (Tshs1.17 trillion), the contribution of the mining sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains very minimal, accounting to 3 percent.
According to the National Economic Survey report released in 2006, the growth rate of mining and quarrying sector increased from 15.4 percent in 2004 to 15.7 percent in 2005, whereby the increment was attributed to new investments in Tulawaka gold mines in Biharamulo District, Kagera Region.
The report further states that, the contribution of the sector to GDP, which is the total value of goods and services produced in a country during a year, increased from 3.2 percent in 2004 to 3.5 percent in 2007.