RUCCI
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 6, 2011
- 1,701
- 1,714
Routine merry go round that is now habitual between top government officials and the donor community was disturbed on Friday, as Tanzania is regularly praised for around seven per cent economic growth, which obviously reflects on excellent economic management on the part of the government.
On this one occasion, a senior World Bank economist, Jacques Morriset who assists Philippe Dongier, the country director for the LDCs of Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi, had some rather revealing sentiments on the social and economic situation in the country.
Examining what was said and what is apparently given in the report, there is a certain discrepancy that comes up, or at least uneven expression of sentiment on the issue.
The formal report seems to provide answers, for instance it was said that "to address this challenge, the report proposes three measures: enabling development of small non-farm businesses, increasing farm productivity and accelerating the growth of export markets and export oriented industries."
In his direct remarks though, the country representative did not seem to be as persuaded, as even these appear to be half measures.
His key observation that "today the aspirations of many young people of earning a decent living and having a better life are not being met" was fundamental, and so were some other pointed observations he made.
He was reported to have said "there is an urgent need for private investment, domestic and foreign, to radically accelerate in order to grow competitive industries that create productive jobs," which can't in real terms be sufficiently broached by the formulation about the three measures.
None of those ideas are new, and what the country director is saying or at least would admit is the issue is something far more radical, but unavoidably, as he belongs to the donor community he can't say what is needed.
There is a limit to which a diplomat can go, as former President Mkapa once reminded foreign diplomats that one major rule of dealing with a sovereign state is courtesy, respect for their way of doing things.
In other words it is not from World Bank officials that we shall get real answers for pressing problems at the national stage, and what happened on Friday was simply to disturb the ruling party's self satisfaction of ‘high rates of economic growth,' to take into account that there is desperation on the ground.
It is not the sort of thing that top level government officials admit on a routine basis, and not even this input shall make a difference.
Give government officials one week, at most two, and if there is a seminar at any of the leading universities in Dar es Salaam or economic think tanks, the bet is that this intervention will have been forgotten.
They say in Kiswahili that ‘an ear that is vowed to death hears no medicine.' What the problem is in Tanzania is not that we are not listening to solutions, for instance the need to make efforts to develop non-farm businesses, increasing farm productivity or accelerating the growth of export markets and export-oriented industries.
Ask any government official and he will list institutions that are handling all these fields, and in that sense the government is doing all it can to create conditions for solving the jobs crisis.
The discussion will not approach any basic issues because instinctively we do not wish to change the fundamentals of economic policy and we believe it shall solve the problems we face.
It is clear that Philippe Dongier doesn't think so, but that is a story left for another day at the least.
Source:Guardian
http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=72122
On this one occasion, a senior World Bank economist, Jacques Morriset who assists Philippe Dongier, the country director for the LDCs of Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi, had some rather revealing sentiments on the social and economic situation in the country.
Examining what was said and what is apparently given in the report, there is a certain discrepancy that comes up, or at least uneven expression of sentiment on the issue.
The formal report seems to provide answers, for instance it was said that "to address this challenge, the report proposes three measures: enabling development of small non-farm businesses, increasing farm productivity and accelerating the growth of export markets and export oriented industries."
In his direct remarks though, the country representative did not seem to be as persuaded, as even these appear to be half measures.
His key observation that "today the aspirations of many young people of earning a decent living and having a better life are not being met" was fundamental, and so were some other pointed observations he made.
He was reported to have said "there is an urgent need for private investment, domestic and foreign, to radically accelerate in order to grow competitive industries that create productive jobs," which can't in real terms be sufficiently broached by the formulation about the three measures.
None of those ideas are new, and what the country director is saying or at least would admit is the issue is something far more radical, but unavoidably, as he belongs to the donor community he can't say what is needed.
There is a limit to which a diplomat can go, as former President Mkapa once reminded foreign diplomats that one major rule of dealing with a sovereign state is courtesy, respect for their way of doing things.
In other words it is not from World Bank officials that we shall get real answers for pressing problems at the national stage, and what happened on Friday was simply to disturb the ruling party's self satisfaction of ‘high rates of economic growth,' to take into account that there is desperation on the ground.
It is not the sort of thing that top level government officials admit on a routine basis, and not even this input shall make a difference.
Give government officials one week, at most two, and if there is a seminar at any of the leading universities in Dar es Salaam or economic think tanks, the bet is that this intervention will have been forgotten.
They say in Kiswahili that ‘an ear that is vowed to death hears no medicine.' What the problem is in Tanzania is not that we are not listening to solutions, for instance the need to make efforts to develop non-farm businesses, increasing farm productivity or accelerating the growth of export markets and export-oriented industries.
Ask any government official and he will list institutions that are handling all these fields, and in that sense the government is doing all it can to create conditions for solving the jobs crisis.
The discussion will not approach any basic issues because instinctively we do not wish to change the fundamentals of economic policy and we believe it shall solve the problems we face.
It is clear that Philippe Dongier doesn't think so, but that is a story left for another day at the least.
Source:Guardian
http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=72122