Document of
The World Bank Group
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Report No. 110894-TZ
UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
SYSTEMATIC COUNTRY DIAGNOSTIC
“TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT”
(KUFIKA KWENYE NGAZI NYINGINE YA MAENDELEO)
February 23, 2017
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
& International Development Association (IDA)
Eastern Africa Country Cluster 1, AFCE1
Africa Region
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Sub-Saharan Africa Department
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
Sub-Saharan Africa Department
i
TANZANIA – GOVERNMENT FISCAL YEAR
July 1 – June 30
CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS
(Exchange Rate Effective as of January 31, 2017)
Currency Unit: = Tanzania Shillings (TZS)
US$1.00 = TZS 2,235
ABBREVIATION AND ACRONYMS
ASIP Annual Surveys of Industrial Production
ASM Artisanal mining
BEST Business Environment Strengthening in Tanzania
BoT Bank of Tanzania
BRELA Business Registrations and Licensing Agency
BRN Big Results Now
BRT Bus Rapid Transit
CAD Current account deficit
CCM Chama Cha Mapinduzi
CCROs Certificates of Customary Right of Occupancy
CEM Country Economic Memorandum
COP21 21st Conference of Parties of the UNFCC
CMS Common Market Score Card
CPF Country Partnership Framework
CPI Consumer Price Index
CPIA Country Policy and Institutional Assessment
CSA Climate-Smart Agriculture
DAWASCO Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Corporation
DHS Demographic and Health Survey
DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
DSA Debt Sustainability Analysis
EAC East African Community
EAMU East African Monetary Union
EBA Enabling the Business of Agriculture
EITI Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
EPPs Emergency power producers
EPZ Export processing zone
EWURA Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority
FCC Fair Competition Commission
FCT Fair Competition Tribunal
FDI Foreign direct investment
FOC Fiber optic cable
FSDP Fisheries Sector Development Program
FSDT Financial Sector Deepening Trust of Tanzania
FYDP Five Year Development Plan
ii
GDP Gross domestic product
GNI Gross national income
GRO Granted Rights of Occupancy
HBS Household Budget Survey
HCMIS Human Capital Management Information System
HDI Human Development Index
HHI Herfindahl-Hirschman Index
HIPC Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome
HRMIS Human resource management information system
ICT Information and communication technology
IT Information technology
ILFS Integrated Labor Force Survey
IFMS Integrated Financial Management System
IMF International Monetary Fund
INDC Intended Nationally Determined Contribution
IPPs Independent power producers
kg/ha Kilograms per hectare
LGA Local Government Authority
LIC Low income country
LNG Liquefied natural gas
LVHV Low-volume high-value
MDA Ministries, departments, and agencies
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
MFIs Microfinance institutions
MIC Middle-income country
MSMEs Micro, small, and medium enterprises
mt/ha Metric tons per hectare
MW Mega-watt
NAPA National Adaptation Program of Action
NBS National Bureau of Statistics
NCCS National Climate Change Strategy
NEMC National Environmental Management Council
NPS National Panel Survey
NSDS National Skills Development Strategy
NTBs Non-tariff barriers
NTMs Non-tariff measures
OGP Open Government Partnership
PEFA Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability
PER Public Expenditure Review
PFM Public financial management
PHC Population Housing Census
PPPs Public private partnerships
PPP Purchasing power parity
R&D Research and development
REA Rural Electrification Agency
REC Regional economic community
REER Real effective exchange rate
SACCOs Savings and credit cooperatives
SADC Southern African Development Community
SCAD Social Conflict in Africa Database
iii
SCD Systematic Country Diagnostic
SDI Service delivery indicators
SDL Skills Development Levy
SEZ Special economic zone
SME Small and medium-sized enterprises
SOE State-owned enterprise
SPILL Strategic Plan for Implementation of Land Laws
SSA Sub-Saharan Africa
TANESCO Tanzania Electric Supply Company
TASAF Tanzania Social Action Fund
TAZARA Tanzania-Zambia Raiway Authority
TCF Trillion cubic feet
TDV Tanzania Development Vision
TSIP Transport Sector Investment Programme
TFP Total factor productivity
TFR Total fertility rate
TIC Tanzania Investment Center
TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
TIN Taxpayer Identification Number
TODI Tanzania Open Data Initiative
TPA Tanzania Ports Authority
TRA Tanzania Revenue Authority
TRL Tanzania Railways Limited
TVET Technical and vocational education and training
TZS Tanzanian shillings
UNFCC United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change
US$ United States dollar
VAT Value-added tax
WBES World Bank Enterprise Survey
WBG World Bank Group
WGI Worldwide Governance Indicators
WMAs Wildlife Management Areas
WWTC World Travel and Tourism Council
ZCCS Zanzibar Climate Change Strategy
iv
Acknowledgements
The Tanzania Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) has been prepared by the joint IBRD/IDA, IFC, and MIGA
team, led by Yutaka Yoshino (Program Leader, AFCE1) and Nadia Belhaj Hassine Belghith (Sr. Economist,
GPV01) from IBRD/IDA, Dan Kasirye (Resident Representative, CAFTZ) and Aimilios Chatzinikolaou (Sr.
Operations Officer, CBCCF), Sizwe Mdluli (Gcinisizwe Mdluli (Associate Operations Offier, CBCCF) from
IFC, as well as Stephan Dreyhaupt (Program Manager, MIGEC) from MIGA. Other core members are Fiseha
Haile (Consultant, GMF07) and Wendy Karamba (Economist, GPV01). A number of staff members from Global
Practices (GPs) and Cross Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) of the World Bank Group participated in the
preparation of this SCD (see list below). The team leaders appreciate guidance and support provided by Bella
Bird (Country Director, AFCE1), Preeti Arora (Country Program Coordinator, AFCE1), Andre Bald (Program
Leader, AFCE1), Gayle Martin (Program Leader, AFCE1), Frank Douamba (Chief Program Manager, CBCCF),
Manuel Moses (Country Manager, CAFE1), Albert Zeufack (Chief Economist, AFRCE), Pablo Fajnzylber
(Practice Manager, GPV0), Abebe Adugna (Practice Manager, GMF07), Kevin Carey (Lead Economist,
GMF07), Andrew Dabalen (Practice Manager, GPV07), Eric Manes (Sr. Economist, GTCOS), George Larbi
(Practice Manager, GGO19), and Lynn Scherburne-Benz (Sr. Regional Advisor, AFRVP) as well as the three
peer reviewers—Kathleen Beegle (Program Leader, AFCW1), Lars Moller (Practice Manager, GMF08)), and
Khwima Nthara (Program Leader, AFCW2).
Tanzania SCD team
Task Team Leaders
IBRD/IDA Yutaka Yoshino, Nadia Belhaj Hassine Belghith
IFC Dan Kasirye, Aimilios Chatzinikolaou, Sizwe Mdluli
MIGA Stephan Dreyhaupt
Team Members
Macroeconomics & Fiscal Bill Battail, Fiseha Haile, Emmanuel Mungunasi, John Wearing, Wendeline
Management Kibwe, Maike Schafer
Poverty & Equity Nadia Belhaj Hassine Belghith, Elizabeth Talbert, Wendy Karamba, Pierre de
Boisseson, Kenneth Simler, Robin Audy, Ericka Rascon, Mireia Duran
Governance Chiara Bronchi, Denis Biseko, Verena Knippel, Anjani Kumar, Mercy Sabai,
Gisbert Kinyero, Michael Okuny, Moses Kajubi
Trade & Competitiveness Steven Dimitriyev, Megha Mukim, George Clarke, Neema Mwingu, Mahjabeen
Haji, Michael Wong, Moses Kibirige, Lucy Fye, Maria Miller, Mary Agboli,
Maryla Maliszewska, Charles Kunaka
Finance & Market Andrea Dall’Olio, Yoko Doi, Michael Corlett, Valeriya Goeff, Barbara Calvi,
Fernando Montes-Negret
Agriculture Sarah Simmons, Holger Kray, Christopher Delgado
Urban, Rural & Social Development Andre Bald, Somik Lall, Mary Bitekerezo, Marygrace Weber
Environment & Natural Resources Daniel Mira-Salama, Jane Kibbassa, Veruschka Schmidt
Water Yitbarek Tesemma, Ajith Kumar, Kaposo Mwambuli, Kristoffer Welsien,
Helena Goldon, Carlos Batarda, George Joseph, Ani Rudra Silwal, Sabrina
Sharmin Haque
Transport & ICT Edward Anderson, Yonas Mchomvu, Martin Humphrey
Energy and Extractives Nataliya Kulichenko, Vladislav Vucetic, Carlos Lopez, Florentina Mutafungwa
Social Protection & Labor Muderis Mohammed, Manuel Salazar, Ruchira Kumar, Dino Merotto, Javier
Sanchez-Reaza
Health Gayle Martin, Miriam Schneidman
Education Arun Joshi, Cornelia Jesse, Kaboko Nkahiga
PPP Jeff Delmon
Gender Isis Gaddis
Climate Change Habiba Gitay
Communication Loy Nabeta
Administration Grace Mayala, Deliwe Ziyendammanja, Lydie Ahodehou
v
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1
I. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 6
II. Tanzania’s Unique Characteristics.................................................................................................... 8
A. Rich and Diverse Natural Resources ............................................................................................ 8
B. Advantageous Location................................................................................................................. 8
C. Sociopolitical Stability .................................................................................................................. 9
D. Pathways to Growth and Poverty Reduction .............................................................................. 10
III. Growth, Poverty, and Inclusion ...................................................................................................... 12
A. Growth ........................................................................................................................................ 12
B. Poverty ........................................................................................................................................ 17
C. Inclusion and Human Development ............................................................................................ 21
D. Risks to Sustainability................................................................................................................. 33
IV. Pathways to Reduced Poverty and Shared Prosperity..................................................................... 38
A. Pathways for Tanzania ................................................................................................................ 38
B. Structural Transformation ........................................................................................................... 40
C. Spatial Transformation................................................................................................................ 61
D. Institutional Transformation ....................................................................................................... 68
E. Foundations ................................................................................................................................. 74
V. Priority Areas for Policy Actions to Accelerate Growth and Poverty Reduction ........................... 77
A. Identification and Prioritization .................................................................................................. 77
B. Specific Priority Areas ................................................................................................................ 78
C. Foundations ................................................................................................................................. 89
VI. Remaining Knowledge Gaps .......................................................................................................... 93
D. Data Gaps .................................................................................................................................... 93
E. Analytical Gaps ........................................................................................................................... 93
VII. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 95
References ................................................................................................................................................... 96
Annex I. Key Findings from THE 2014/15 Zanzibar Household Budget Survey .................................... 101
Annex II. Unbundling The DROP In The Poverty Rate ........................................................................... 103
Annex III. Characteristics of the Poor and the Bottom 40 Percent ........................................................... 104
Annex IV. Indicators OF Living Conditions (Mainland).......................................................................... 105
Annex V. Climate Change Intended National Determined Contribution (INDC) Hot Spot Analysis for
Tanzania .................................................................................................................................................... 107
Annex VI. Agricultural Sector performance in Tanzania ......................................................................... 110
Annex VII. Product Space Analysis of Tanzania’s Exports ..................................................................... 113
Annex VIII. Competition and Industry Profitability ................................................................................. 115
Annex IX. Constraints based on the Pathway Framework ....................................................................... 116
Annex X: Map of Tanzania....................................................................................................................... 117
vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The unique characteristics of Tanzania—strategic location, rich and diverse resources, and sociopolitical
stability—are valuable for the country’s growth.
Tanzania’s assets offer it unique economic opportunities compared to many other African countries.
First, it is endowed with rich and diverse natural resources, both renewable and nonrenewable, that
can provide the basis for current and future economic development and people’s livelihoods. Second,
as a coastal economy bordering eight countries, six of which are nearly or completely land-locked, the
country is well-situated to expand as a regional hub. Third, it has enjoyed decades of sociopolitical
stability, with significantly fewer and shorter conflicts than any other East African country.
Tanzania has recorded solid growth in the past decade and signs of economic diversification are emerging.
For the past 10 years the country’s macroeconomic performance has been robust, with GDP growing
annually at an average of 6.5 percent—higher than the Sub-Saharan African average and that of many
regional peers. The growth of the economy has also been quite steady. The economic reforms that
started in the 1980s and accelerated in the 1990s and early 2000s facilitated growth in both private and
public investments. For example, the national road network expanded by more than 20 percent
between 2003 and 2013. As a consequence, Tanzania saw productivity grow in the 2000s. This helped
to create a buffer against external shocks like the 2008–09 global financial crisis.
The economy has also become more diversified. While agriculture continues to be the mainstay for
the vast majority of the population, emerging dynamic sectors, such as finance and communication,
are propelling the economy forward. Mobile phone subscriptions grew 10-fold between 2005 and 2015;
by numbers of users and of transactions Tanzania has become one of the largest markets in the world
for mobile finance. Meanwhile, its exports have substantially diversified from the country’s earlier
dependence on traditional exports of raw commodities. Manufactured exports to regional markets are
now growing.
Pro-poor growth has helped reduce poverty and narrow the income gap between poor and rich.
After plateauing between 2001 and 2007, the poverty rate fell from 34 to 28 percent in 2012 and
extreme poverty dropped by about 2 percentage points. The decline in poverty has been accompanied
by a reduction of inequality between income groups, with a substantial drop in the Gini coefficient.
In fact, signs are emerging that growth has been pro-poor, with the incomes of poorer households
rising faster than those of richer households. For people in the bottom 40 percent, consumption has
gone up by about 14 percent.
Driving this reduction in poverty have been engagement in commercial agriculture and nonfarm
activities, ownership of communication and transport equipment, and rural access to roads and
markets. Financial transfers also contributed to alleviation of poverty. To reduce extreme poverty, the
Government has put in place a nationwide productive social safety net program, the Tanzania Social
Action Fund (TASAF).
The gains in human development have also been clear.
Tanzania’s Human Development Index improved from 0.392 in 2000 to 0.521 in 2014, with gains in
health the driving force but also robust gains in education and incomes. Between 2000 and 2014, the
life expectancy of Tanzanians rose by 15 years. Access, completion, and equity in primary education
have improved. Progression to secondary school surged from about 20 percent in 2000 to almost 60
percent in 2012.
1
But if Tanzania is to move up to the next level of development, there is still much to be done.
With population growth high, per capita income—about $900 today—is growing only slowly. If
economic and population growth continue at the same rates, in 2025 Tanzania’s per capita income
will have reached only about the same level as Kenya’s today. Even though Tanzania’s poverty rate
has gone down, the absolute number of its poor is high; about 12 million people are still under the
national poverty line, almost the same as in 2007. If Tanzania is to see faster per capita income growth,
which it needs to reach middle-income-country (MIC) status, growth of the economy must accelerate.
It is well to keep in mind that poverty reduction is not a one-way path: A large number of Tanzanians
live just above or below the poverty line. Poverty would be substantially reduced if those just below
the line were to receive more income. However, if there is an economic shock, many of those just
above the line are at risk of slipping back into poverty. Further, while the poverty rate has declined
rapidly in Dar es Salaam, it is still persistently high in rural areas. Therefore, as growth accelerates,
inclusion must be ensured.
To sustain its gains in human development, Tanzania must now deal with problems of both access to
and the quality of services. It must also deal with pervasive gender disparities. For example, despite
the growth in mobile finance, female entrepreneurs still find it difficult to acquire land and access
financing. Tanzania is still a pre-demographic-dividend country. Population growth due to the high
fertility rate is putting structural pressure on many dimensions such as job markets and service delivery
Other risks to the sustainability of growth are emerging. Population growth, climate changes, and
weak governance of natural resources are exacerbating the depletion of nonrenewable resources. If the
current pace of water depletion continues, in 10 years Tanzania will become water-stressed. Climate
change is already causing problems: changing rain patterns are affecting a variety of sectors but
particularly agriculture and power, and a rise in sea level could have a devastating impact on the
landscape and livelihood of Mainland coastal areas, Zanzibar, and other islands. Among emerging
global macroeconomic risks to the economy are the fluctuations in world commodity prices and the
slowing of Chinese economic growth, but there are also domestic fiscal risks to be dealt with.
There are three pathways to reach the national development goals by which the country can accelerate growth,
make growth more inclusive, and ensure sustainability of growth and poverty reduction.
Structural transformation: leveraging Tanzania’s natural assets and capturing latent comparative advantage
to create more jobs. If the economy is to generate more—and more productive—jobs, it must undergo
structural transformation by facilitating the movement of resources from lower- to higher-value-adding
activities, and by raising productivity, both in general and in crucial sectors. There are some signs that
this is already beginning as labor moves from less productive agriculture to more productive
manufacturing and services. But so far labor has mainly shifted to informal and nontradable services
in urban areas and is not yet generating any productivity growth.
Tanzania does have potential to add value to its agricultural products through more agro-processing.
This will require strengthening agricultural production through sustainable intensification to boost
productivity and also foster commercialization and value-addition. Encouraging light manufacturing,
such as agro-processing, requires both a productive private sector that has more capacity to export and
an enabling business environment that ensures a reliable power supply, access to credit, a skilled labor
force, and a lower regulatory burden. Tourism also has potential for job creation in both the Mainland
and Zanzibar. Local content development around large foreign investments in extractive industries
also presents unique opportunities to create local value chains, with the right policy incentives and
with more local capacity.
2
A success in structural transformation in Tanzania critically hinges on the three essential factors. First,
for the private sector to drive structural transformation successfully, improvements in the business
environment generally and fostering market competition are fundamental. Second, large infrastructure
gaps, particularly in power and transport, need to be filled. Third, sustainability of natural resources
is a critical condition for the country to better leverage its rich natural assets for successful structural
transformation.
Spatial transformation: leveraging Tanzania’s geographic advantages and maximizing benefits from spatial
integration and agglomeration. The unique setting of the country makes it imperative to leverage that
advantage to realize economies of scale in terms of economic geography. Agglomeration offers
Tanzania both opportunities (clustering) and challenges (urban congestion and spatial inequity in
resource distribution). The country is urbanizing rapidly, but the resultant worsening congestion,
deterioration of urban infrastructure, and inadequacies in urban planning are preventing realization
of the potential of industrial agglomeration for productivity growth. With its cross-border trade equal
to just 50 percent of GDP, Tanzania is not trading as much as its peers.
Spatial transformation can also enhance physical connectivity and economic integration not only
across its borders but also within Tanzania, empowering rural areas and secondary cities. While the
past decade’s investment in trunk roads and the rapid growth of mobile money have allowed the
Tanzanian economy to be internally more integrated, persistent rural-urban divides affect living
conditions and access to infrastructure and social services. Regional integration is deepening,
particularly within the Eastern African Community, but nontariff barriers make border crossing
cumbersome despite efforts to remove them. Regional corridors could be made more competitive if
transport was better connected.
Institutional transformation: upgrading the strength and the quality of public institutions and organizations.
If it is to move up to the next level of development, Tanzania needs solid public institutions that can
deliver quality products and services. Although there was good progress in public sector reforms in
the early 2000s, there seems to be growing dissatisfaction among Tanzanians with the public sector’s
ability to deliver services. Reform needs to be reinvigorated to ensure that the public sector is capable
of delivering quality services and making public investments that are effective in boosting productivity.
The quality of service delivery hinges on the financial performance of the public sector including the
credibility of the government budget and financial sustainability of SOEs, increased equity in resource
allocation among districts for social services, and improved transparency and accountability. The role
of state versus market needs to be balanced with the Government’s ability to provide enabling
environment for the private sector strengthened and robust public-private dialogue established.
Growth and poverty reduction through those three pathways can be sustained by building solid foundations.
Human capital and gender equity: The quality of Tanzania’s human resources is worrisome despite
past human development gains. The magnitude of stunting affects both the cognitive skills of very
young children and their future productivity. Entrepreneurial capacity to raise productivity and
government capacity to deliver services are ultimately about building human capability to manage and
innovate. In all those aspects, it is crucial to emphasize gender equity and the importance of building
the human capital, and thus the contribution, of women.
Macroeconomic stability: While Tanzania has had a good track record of success in maintaining
macroeconomic stability, it cannot be taken for granted that this will continue. Assuring
macroeconomic and financial stability is central to protecting the income and wellbeing of the less
well-off and creating the basic conditions for private investment, growth, and shared prosperity. No
enhancement of growth or shared prosperity can be expected without macroeconomic stability, and
in that sense this is a foundational step that is necessary for other reforms to work.
3
What are the priorities for removing bottlenecks and maximizing pathway opportunities as the country moves
forward with its Second Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP II)?
Using the three pathways, the following specific priorities for policy actions can accelerate
sustainable growth and poverty reduction to achieve FYDP II objectives. Nine specific priority areas
that require policy actions through reforms and/or investments have been identified based on criteria
related to how these actions will contribute to growth acceleration, inclusion, sustainability of growth,
and poverty reduction. Consideration is also given to externality—how actions in such priority areas
remove blockages in other areas.
1. Develop a competitive business environment to boost private sector growth, particularly in
agribusiness and other job-creating sectors. The business environment in Tanzania is still not as
attractive as in other countries and state interventions in the market persist while competition is
limited. The Government needs to allow the private sector to become more competitive and drive
industrialization while it works to become a more efficient and effective regulator. It needs to
provide an enabling environment through reduction in regulatory burdens, which includes the
multiplicity of taxes and licenses in agribusiness and other job-creating sectors such as tourism.
Access to land, technologies and quality inputs are important to boost their productivity.
2. Improve the performance of the power sector through better planning and ensuring the
financial sustainability of the sector. Tanzania has a huge infrastructure gap in energy, a sector
that is critical to industrialization and improvement of the welfare of the poor. Action is urgently
needed to restore the financial sustainability of state-owned power utility Tanzania Electric Supply
Company (TANESCO), starting with implementation of the gas-to-power strategy to lower the
cost of power generation. Better advance planning and investment choices are vital to avoid a
future power crisis; private sector participation, through a competitive process, should be
promoted.
3. Expand access to finance by addressing unmet needs for financial inclusion. Despite the recent
opening of access by the mobile banking revolution, financial services are still largely informal.
Small businesses identify access to finance as their most binding constraint. Further efforts are
needed to improve the access to formal credit for women, the poor, and microenterprises.
Financial inclusion needs to be supported by a stronger domestic financial market, which would
help to lower the cost of credit for the private sector and make long-term financing available.
4. Enhance sustainability of natural resources through effective policy and institutional
frameworks. Leveraging natural resources for industrialization requires sustainable management
of natural resources, some of which are facing risks of depletion. Institutional capacity to manage
natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable as well as land, needs to be reinforced. This
includes building strong institutional capacity and inter-sectoral coordination to manage
competing demands, improved sectoral transparency and effective regulatory regime. The
institutional framework for gas also needs to be strengthened.
5. Strengthen rural-urban connectivity through enhanced rural transport and market linkages
between villages and secondary cities. Shared prosperity in Tanzania cannot be promoted unless
the current rural-urban divides in access to economic assets and opportunities are addressed.
Farmers in rural areas need to be better connected with markets in urban areas through adequate
development of rural roads. Also, linking rural areas with secondary cities near rural areas can be
fostered through development of regional value chains and key infrastructure in secondary cities.
6. Boost urban productivity through better urban planning and reduction in urban congestion.
Despite its rapid pace, urbanization in Tanzania is not generating productivity gains due to weak
management of the urbanization process. Better urban planning, proper infrastructure to facilitate
4
industrial agglomeration, and addressing urban congestion and environmental problems are key
to increase urban productivity.
7. Remove bottlenecks in trading across borders by building infrastructure for regional
connectivity and improving the business environment for trade. Despite its locational
advantage, Tanzania still faces challenges in business environment in trading across borders with
a number of behind-the-border bottlenecks. Efforts to remove both physical and institutional
barriers (nontariff barriers) needs to be scaled up. Trade logistics must become more efficient to
build Tanzania’s competitiveness as a transit hub; there is a particular need to enhance the capacity
and efficiency of its principal gateway, the Port of Dar es Salaam.
8. Improve delivery of public services by ensuring equitable allocation of resources, strengthening
accountability and leveraging ICT. The quality of social services is increasingly challenged. The
system for allocating resources across districts needs to be rectified and move beyond the current
spatial inequity in social services. Strong accountability framework for service delivery needs to
be put in place. ICT should be leveraged to improve efficiency and transparency in service
delivery.
9. Enhance mobilization of government revenue. Notwithstanding the recent effort to scale up
revenue collection, Tanzania still has a low tax revenue-to-GDP ratio by international standards.
The Government needs to step up its efforts to improve revenue collection through a combination
of tax policy and administration reforms, including rationalizing tax exemptions. Leveraging the
private sector through PPPs would complement tax revenue for financing public investments and
service provision.
In addressing those nine priorities, there are two foundational areas which the Government needs to
tackle to support Tanzania’s transformations through the pathways.
• Strengthen human capital development by promoting health, education, skills, and early
childhood development. Strengthening labor productivity and capability of human resources in
private and public sectors is fundamental in driving economic and institutional transformations.
The quality of human capital needs to be raised both in the current and future labor force through
effective and efficient health and education systems and skills development programs. With nearly
half of Tanzanian children under 5 still suffering from stunted growth, early childhood
development is an urgent agenda to build strong future labor force. Ensuring sufficient water and
effective sanitation will reduce stunting through preventing diarrhea and childhood infections.
Gender equity should be promoted through human capital development.
• Ensure macroeconomic stability in order to ensure fiscal sustainability for the implementation
of FYDP II. While Tanzania has kept its overall macroeconomic stability so far, the country needs
to step up its ability to steer macroeconomic policies in the increasingly turbulent global economy
including fluctuation of commodity prices and the slowdown of the Chinese economy. A
successful achievement of FYDP II objectives critically hinges on sound macroeconomic policies
that ensure fiscal sustainability in the implementation of the plan, including debt sustainability for
financing plans, while addressing prevailing fiscal risks in the country such as the mounting level
of arrears in the Government and in parastatals.
5
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The United Republic of Tanzania is a low-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa
(SSA) on the Indian Ocean. For SSA it is relatively large in terms of area (11th largest), population
(5th largest), and the economy (6th largest). With per capita gross national income (GNI) of US$910
as of 2015, Tanzania is still a low-income country but is moving toward middle-income country
(MIC) level of development.
2. Tanzania began its independence as a socialist country, but in the 1980s economic
difficulties pushed it to adopt macroeconomic reforms, among them removing direct controls
on prices and exchange and interest rates and opening up industry to private investment. Reforms
intensified in the second half of the 1990s with steep cuts in public spending, which helped the
Government to move from fiscal deficits to surpluses. Inflation was brought under control.
Exchange rate stability was restored, and the Government carried out structural reforms to boost
exports, liberalize domestic markets, and reduce public sector involvement in the economy.
3. In the early 1990s the country also adopted a multiparty democratic system although
the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has maintained its dominance. Julius Nyerere,
Tanzania’s first president, initially formed CCM as the sole legal political party for Tanzania. Once
the multiparty system was adopted, CCM secured the presidency and has held the majority in
Parliament through five multiparty general elections. Despite its continuous dominance, there has
been an orderly rotation of the presidency, with each president, after winning the initial presidential
election as the CCM nominee and being reelected for the second term, leaves the office after
serving two terms (10 years), the maximum allowed by the Constitution.
4. Tanzania has recorded solid growth and reduced poverty substantially in the past
decade. The economy has grown steadily at a relatively high annual rate of 6.5 percent, far above
the SSA average, and the most recent Household Budget Survey (HBS) found that the poverty rate
declined from 34 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2012. It also appears that growth has become
more pro-poor in the sense that the poorest income groups have experienced higher income growth
than the richest.
5. However, the country needs to accelerate growth and poverty reduction as it strides
toward MIC status. Because annual population growth is relatively high at 3 percent, annual per
capita income is growing slowly at 3.5 percent, and despite recent improvements, poverty is still
prevalent. Tanzania is one of the 10 countries in the world with the highest absolute number of
poor in its population and in the top four in SSA based on the international poverty line.
6. Tanzania Development Vision (TDV) 2025 describes the country’s planned route to
MIC status and high-quality livelihoods through peace, stability, and unity; good governance; a
well-educated and learning society; and a competitive economy capable of producing sustainable
growth and shared benefits.
7. With a goal of transforming Tanzania to a semi-industrialized economy, the
Government of the United Republic of Tanzania recently adopted the Second Five Year
6
Development Plan (FYDP II) 2016/17–2021/22.1 To further the objectives set by TDV 2025,
FYDP II has a dual focus: accelerating growth by transforming Tanzania into a middle-income
semi-industrialized economy, and accelerating poverty reduction, thus promoting human
development, by expanding access to social services and enhancing income security, social
protection, and responsive governance. A development strategy has also been under preparation
specifically for Zanzibar and expected to be finalized in 2016/17.2
8. The clear priorities of the current Tanzanian administration, led by President John
P. Magufuli, are scaling up investment in infrastructure and human development;
mobilizing more domestic resources, and ensuring public sector accountability. The pro-
growth FY2016/17 budget raised development spending to the equivalent of 10 percent of GDP.
The Magufuli administration is making a real effort to boost tax revenue and eliminate corruption.
9. This Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) provides an informed and integrative
perspective on what Tanzania can do to move its national goals forward. The primary aim of
the SCD is to analyze the country’s current opportunities and challenges and identify priority areas
for policy action. The findings will be the foundation for the Country Partnership Framework
(CPF), which will guide the engagement of the World Bank Group (WBG) with Tanzania for the
next five years.
10. The SCD builds on a wide range of analyses conducted by the WBG, the Government,
and other institutions. The World Bank’s Country Economic Memorandum (CEM) 2014 and
Poverty Assessment 2015 have contributed to the diagnostic, and the Policy Notes for the New
Administration, presented in December 2015, helped set the sector-specific policy agenda and
informed the analysis of binding constraints and potential solutions. Consultations for the SCD
brought in a broad range of stakeholders.
11. Among comparator countries used to benchmark Tanzania’s performance in this
SCD are SSA peers Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal,
Zambia, and Uganda. Many of them have structural features similar to Tanzania’s, such as
geography, income, and development experiences. Other comparators are benchmark countries
with successful growth histories to which Tanzania aspires, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia,
South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.
1
FYDP II is also a successor strategy of the Second National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (known
as MKUKUTA II in a Kiswahili acronym) as well as the First Five Year Development Plan.
2
This will be a successor strategy of Zanzibar’s poverty reduction strategy, MKUZA II.
7
II. TANZANIA’S UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS
13. Tanzania can leverage unique characteristics to maximize its growth and poverty
reduction potential. The SCD focuses on three: rich and diverse natural resources, advantageous
location, and sociopolitical stability.
A. Rich and Diverse Natural Resources
Tanzania is endowed with rich and diverse natural resources, renewable as well as nonrenewable.
14. Natural resources are the basis of many of Tanzania’s industries. A large expanse of
fertile land conducive to agriculture has high potential for future development. Among its diverse
renewable resources are also wildlife, forestry, and marine and inland fishery resources, which
create a comparative advantage both for tourism and to support livelihoods both in the Mainland
and Zanzibar. Water resources make it possible for hydroelectric power to supply about a third of
Tanzania’s electricity needs, while also serving agriculture.
15. Topping Tanzania’s wealth of nonrenewable resources are gold, diamonds, base
metals, and gemstones. Its top export is gold, which in 2014 supplied 20 percent of total export
value. Proven near and on-shore gas reserves at Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay and some smaller
fields are estimated at 1.4 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and may be as high as 8 TCF. The recent
offshore gas discoveries—estimated at about 50 TCF gas-in-place—could attract a large volume
of foreign direct investment (FDI) and also bring in substantial revenue once production starts.
Natural gas is also important as an alternative source of power generation.
16. It is estimated that in 2011 natural resource rents—their value net of extraction and
production costs and normal economic returns—added up to more than 9 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP).3 While declining commodity prices have reduced rents, particularly
from minerals and natural gas, the magnitude of Tanzania’s is still large for non-oil-exporting SSA
countries. These rents represent an additional substantial tax base from which to raise revenues.
B. Advantageous Location
Tanzania has a geographic advantage as a coastal economy, with many landlocked neighbors at its
borders.
17. Tanzania benefits from its strategic maritime location. Across the world, coastal
economies have been found to be likely to see faster economic growth than landlocked economies
because for them accessing global markets is faster and transports cost lower, which attracts
investment (Gallup, Sachs, and Mellinger 1999 and Collier and O’Connell 2008). With 1,424
kilometers of Indian Ocean coastline, Tanzania is well-situated for the growing South-South trade:
the Port of Dar es Salaam, which handles 95 percent of Tanzania’s container traffic, is on direct
shipping routes to East, Southeast, and South Asia and the Gulf. The location of Zanzibar, in the
3
World Development Indicators, based on the methodology by the World Bank (2011).
8
ocean and near the Mainland, means its economy can be integrated with both the rest of Tanzania
and regional and global markets.
18. Tanzania can become the maritime gateway for many landlocked neighbors. Except
for Kenya and Mozambique, all bordering neighbors are nearly or completely landlocked.4 Dar es
Salaam is the port of entry and exit for two of the three major Eastern Africa transport corridors,
the Central and Southern Corridors. About 36 percent of the cargo volume handled at the port in
2013 was in transit to neighboring countries like Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). At 1 million square kilometers, Tanzania’s land area is relatively vast; the corridors help
connect Tanzanian cities as well as connecting the country with its neighbors.
19. The fact that Tanzania shares access to the three major African Great Lakes—
Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyassa (Malawi)—also facilitates trade with neighbors. Reviving
transport on the lakes will reinforce transport links in the region and allow Tanzania to better reap
the benefits of integration with landlocked neighbors (World Bank and EAC 2015).
20. But to attract regional transit flows, Tanzania will have to compete with other coastal
neighbors. The Port of Dar es Salaam competes with the Ports of Nacala (Mozambique), Beira
(Mozambique), and Durban (South Africa) for Zambian and DRC traffic and with Mombasa
(Kenya) for containers to Rwanda and Burundi. In 2013, Mombasa accounted for 77 percent of
the cargo to Rwanda and 98 percent of that going to Burundi. On the other hand, Uganda is very
keen to maintain an avenue to the Indian Ocean other than through Mombasa. Recently Uganda
reversed an agreement with Kenya to construct a crude oil pipeline through Mombasa and signed
an agreement with Tanzania to run it through Tanga. Rwanda is also turning to Tanzania for rail
access to a maritime port.
C. Sociopolitical Stability
Tanzania’s long-term sociopolitical stability provides a sound foundation for economic growth.
21. Since independence Tanzania has been sociopolitically stable, with an inclusive
society. Under the slogan "one nation, one language, one people," Nyerere’s social policies forged
a powerful Tanzanian national identity that took priority over ethnic, regional, or linguistic
identities despite a social mosaic of 120 different ethnic groups. The dominance of the CCM party,
even in the current multiparty system, has reinforced political stability in a way unique in East
Africa. The number and the cumulative duration of conflicts in Tanzania between 1990 to 2011
was much smaller than that of other East African countries (figure 1).5, 6
22. Sociopolitical stability has provided a solid foundation for economic growth. Political
stability has been found to be a major determinant of growth in SSA (Easterly and Levine 1997;
Collier and Hoeffler 1998, 2004). While there are cases where growth has accelerated growth with
4
Landlocked neighbors are Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, and Malawi. The Democratic Republic of Congo is
nearly landlocked.
5
The Social Conflict in Africa Database (SCAD) includes over 7,900 social conflict events across Africa from 1990
to 2011, among them riots, strikes, protests, coups, and communal violence.
6
It has to be noted, however, that land-related conflicts among agriculturalists and between agriculturalists and
pastoralists are common.
9
determined post-conflict reform drives or political regime changes, sociopolitical stability is still
crucial to avoid growth collapses. Uncertainties associated with an unstable sociopolitical
environment have been shown to reduce investment and trade and slow the pace of economic
development. Tanzania’s history of stability has proved conducive to growth in private investment,
which has helped underpin its economic performance for the past two decades.
23. The stability has also made it possible to preserve and consolidate key public and
private institutions. One of the most serious costs of conflict is the damage to such institutions as
domestic businesses, which are important for employment and income generation, and public
institutions, which provide necessary social services, make essential investment in public goods
like infrastructure, and ensure orderly functioning of private markets through regulation. In
Tanzania, long-term stability has allowed those institutions to evolve gradually as the country
shifts from a socialist to a more market-oriented economic system.
Figure 1. Internal Conflicts and Incidents of Violence, SSA, 1990–2011
35,000 1,600
30,000 1,400
25,000 1,200
1,000
20,000
800
15,000
600
10,000 400
5,000 200
0 0
Democratic Republic of…
Gambia
Namibia
Tanzania
Eritrea
Malawi
Guinea
Zambia
Kenya
South Africa
Rwanda
Burundi
Somalia
Ethiopia
Mauritius
Burkina Faso
Lesotho
Togo
Swaziland
Guinea-Bissau
Benin
Gabon
Cameroon
Republic of Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Sierra Leone
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Chad
Sudan and South Sudan
Madagascar
Niger
Botswana
Mauritania
Ghana
Nigeria
Uganda
Mali
Senegal
Liberia
Angola
Central African Republic
Cummulative Days (Left Scale) No. of Incidence (Right Scale)
Source: Social Conflict in Africa Database, University of Denver.
D. Pathways to Growth and Poverty Reduction
The three unique characteristics underpin the three transformational pathways for Tanzania’s
growth and poverty reduction presented in this SCD.
24. This SCD identifies pathways for Tanzania to move to the next level of development,
which will accelerate growth, make growth more inclusive, and ensure sustainability of
growth and poverty reduction. As the country aims to achieve MIC-level of development as
envisioned in TDV 2025, those three are key priorities in considering how to foster growth in the
next decade.
25. The above three characteristics unique to Tanzania open up three transformational
and mutually reinforcing pathways to accelerated growth and development progress. The
three pathways are not mutually exclusive, but do overlap each other. Therefore, the set of those
three pathways has strong synergetic impacts on growth and poverty reduction.
• Structural transformation: Tanzania’s rich resource endowments offer high potential for
growth and poverty-reducing economic transformation through diversification and
productive upgrading. The first pathway can promote such a transformation, particularly
by identifying resource-based and labor-intensive sectors (e.g., agriculture, light
manufacturing) in which Tanzania has a comparative advantage, and determining how the
10
economy can diversify into more productive activities. Sociopolitical stability also invites
in FDI, which provide not only capital but also technology and know-how.
• Spatial transformation: The second pathway is realizing economies of scale by
leveraging Tanzania’s advantageous location and fostering economic integration both
internally and with neighboring countries (regional integration). Economies of scale can
also by realized by fostering industrial agglomeration as the country becomes more
urbanized. Empowering rural areas and boosting the development of secondary cities can
also help ensure equitable growth, which generates accessible opportunities for unskilled
labor.
• Institutional transformation: As the country moves to a higher development level, the
adequacy of institutions matters more. Tanzania’s sociopolitical stability has allowed the
country to build institutional capacity gradually. The third pathway is to make its
institutions more effective and efficient by building their capacity to deliver services and
make the public investments necessary to enhance the productivity of the entire economy.
26. The three pathways are supported by human capital and gender equity and
macroeconomic stability as their foundations. Each of the two foundations provides critical
bases for those pathways to successfully transform the country to the next level of development.
The country’s performance under the three pathways is dependent on adequate attentions to those
foundations.
27. The growth, poverty, and inclusion diagnostics discussed in the next chapter
underscore why Tanzania needs transformational pathways to accelerate growth, expand its
inclusiveness, and ensure its sustainability. For Tanzania to grow faster depends on economic
transformations that could leverage its advantages. However, given the country’s continuing
challenges, the transformations must ensure that growth and poverty reduction are inclusive and
sustainable.
11
III. GROWTH, POVERTY, AND INCLUSION
A. Growth
Key Points on Growth: Tanzania’s relatively high and stable growth in the past decade has been driven
by several modern service sectors. On the other hand, such labor-intensive sectors as agriculture and light
manufacturing contributed less to growth. Economic reforms in the 1990s led in the 2000s to growth in
investment and consequently in productivity. The growth impacts of the productivity gain were sustained
through the 2010s, helping the economy build growth buffers and offset the negative external shocks
caused by the global financial crisis. The country’s exports have become more diversified, making the
economy more resilient. On the other hand, investment, both public and private, contributed less to
growth in the 2010s than it had previously. To deal with Tanzania’s substantial infrastructure deficits,
reinvigorating investment is crucial.
Tanzania has enjoyed relatively high and stable growth in the past decade, but growth in per capita
income has been modest as population growth surged.
28. For the past decade Tanzania has averaged relatively high and stable annual
economic growth of 6.5 percent, even as the average growth rate for SSA was just 4.8 percent.
Compared to low- and middle-income countries, its track record was good (figures 2 and 3), but
its growth did trail SSA peers Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique, and Ghana (figure 4).
Zanzibar’s growth trend has been similar to, though slightly lower than, the national trend in terms
of both GDP and GDP per capita. Average annual growth between 2007 and 2015 was 6.2 percent;
thus with the island’s population growing at slightly less than 3 percent, per capita GDP was
growing annually at an average of 3.2 percent.
29. Because population growth has been rapid, however, per capita income growth is still
modest. The Tanzanian population is currently growing at just above 3 percent a year, higher than
the SSA average of 2.7 percent but lower than such regional comparators as Ethiopia, Rwanda,
Mali, Mozambique, and Ghana (figure 5). If the country maintains both high growth in both
average GDP and population, by 2025 GDP per capita will be about $1,450—approximately the
current level for Ghana and Kenya, and significantly lower than the current levels in South Africa,
Indonesia, and Thailand.
Figure 2. Real GDP Growth, 2005–15 Figure 3. Growth among Low- and Middle-Income
9.0% Countries, 2004–14
13
Average 6.5% Annual Growth Rate
8.0%
11
7.0%
9
6.0%
7
5.0% Volatile - High Growth
Volatile - Low Growth
5
4.0%
3
3.0%
1
Ave. Annual
2.0% -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 Growth
12 Rate
14
-1
Stable-Low Growth Stable - High Growth
1.0%
-3
0.0% Tanzania
-5
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Source: National Bureau of Statistics. Source: World Development Indicators.
12
Figure 4. Annual Average GDP Growth, Figure 5. Annual Average Per Capita GDP Growth.
Compounded, 2005–15 Compounded, 2005–15
Vietnam Vietnam
Thailand Thailand
South Africa South Africa
Malaysia Malaysia
Indonesia Indonesia
Zambia Zambia
Uganda Uganda
Senegal Senegal
Rwanda Rwanda
Mozambique Mozambique
Mali Mali
Malawi Malawi
Kenya Kenya
Ghana Ghana
Ethiopia Ethiopia
Cameroon Cameroon
Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzania Tanzania
0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0% 9.0%
.
Source: World Development Indicators. Source: World Development Indicators.
Economic growth in the last 10 years has been driven by modern services on the supply side and
consumption on the demand side; agriculture and investment have contributed little.
30. Economic growth in the past decade has been driven by expansion in
communications, financial services, and construction, with a contribution from agriculture
being limited. For example, the mobile phone subscription rate grew almost ten-fold between
2005 and 2015. More recently there has been some growth in manufacturing—in particular agro-
processing and basic metal industries—and retail trade, but growth in agriculture—the sector upon
which about 73 percent of Tanzanian households depend—is lower than it was 20 years ago
(figures 6 and 8; Integrated Labor Force Survey ILFS 2014). The services sector has outpaced
agriculture as the largest contributor to the national economy, accounting for about 45 percent of
total output (figure 6).
31. Tanzania’s export basket has also diversified considerably, adding resilience to the
economy. Figure 7 clearly shows how it has moved from raw commodities to manufactured
products, including food. African regional markets and Asia are primary destinations for the
manufactured products. Starting in 2009 gold exports expanded rapidly for a few years but then
fell along with commodity prices worldwide. As discussed later, Tanzanian manufactured products
have begun to be exported to the regional markets such as Eastern African Community (EAC) and
Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. Regional manufactured exports
helped the country balance negative shocks on commodity exports to global markets during the
global demand shocks due to the global financial crisis in 2008-2009.
32. On the demand side, consumption—particularly private—was the main driver of
annual GDP growth from 2006 to 2015, when it accounted on average for 74 percent of real
GDP growth (figure 9). Investment has not contributed much to growth during this period, in
contrast to early 2000s when there was a rapid increase in investment as discussed later. The
negative contribution from net exports (due to a continuing negative trade balance) declined in the
early 2010s as exports picked up and import bills fell when fuel prices dropped.
13
33. As in the Mainland, in recent years communications, financial services, and
construction drove growth in Zanzibar (figures 10 and 11). The jump in growth in 2011 was
driven by construction, which grew by almost 30 percent during the year; in 2014 and 2015 growth
was driven by information and communication services and financial services. The drop in growth
in 2012 was caused by the drop in the clove harvest, Zanzibar’s leading cash crop, which
rebounded in 2013.
Figure 6. GDP Share by Major Sector, Percent, Figure 7. Growth of Tanzanian Exports by
2004–14 Product, 2000–14
60 2,500
Agriculture Industry Services
50 2,000
40 1,500
1,000
30
500
20
0
10 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Agri Raw Materials Chemicals Food
Fuels Misc. Goods Ores & Metals
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Other manufactures Textiles Machinery & Trans Equip
Source: National Bureau of Statistics as of 2015. Source: UN-COMTRADE/WITS data
Figure 8. GDP Growth, Contribution by Major Figure 9. Demand-Side Contribution to GDP
Sector, 2006–15 Growth, 2006–15
15%
8%
7% 10%
6%
5%
5%
4%
3%
0%
2%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
1%
0% -5%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Agriculture Non-Manufacturing Industry Government consumption Private consumption Private investment
Manufacturing Services -10% Public investment Net exports
Source: National Bureau of Statistics as of 2015. Source: National Bureau of Statistics as of 2015.
Figure 10. Zanzibar: Annual Growth Rate by Figure 11. Zanzibar: Contribution to GDP Growth
Major Sector by Major Sector
20.0%
15.0%
8%
6%
10.0%
4%
5.0%
2%
0.0% 0%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
-5.0%
-2%
-4%
-10.0% Agriculture, forestry and fishing Agriculture Non-Manufacturing Industry
Industry and Construction Manufacturing Services
Services
Source: Zanzibar Office of Chief Government Statistician.
Source: Zanzibar Office of Chief Government Statistician.
34. Despite recent volatilities in inflation and the exchange rate, overall Tanzania’s
macroeconomic conditions have remained stable. The real effective exchange rate (REER) was
overvalued throughout the early 2010s, appreciating 35 percent between August 2011 and March
14
2015 (figure 12). The significant depreciation in the first half of 2015, mainly driven by a strong
dollar, brought the REER closer to equilibrium. Headline inflation has declined steadily since the
mid-1990s, though inflation shot up in the early 2010s, mainly due to the upsurge in global food
and fuel prices, reaching its highest point in two decades in January 2012 (figure 13). Since then,
however, inflation has eased steadily to about 5 percent, a reflection of a prudent monetary policy
and low imported fuel prices.
Figure 12. Real Effective Exchange Rate Figure 13. Inflation Dynamics (consumer price
index; CPI)
Source: World Development Indicators.
Source: IMF.
35. The current account deficit in recent years has fallen to less than 10 percent of GDP.
The current account deficit for 2015/16 was 8.6 percent of GDP. The decline reflects an increase
in the value of exports (primarily nontraditional) and a decrease in the value of all major imports.
As Tanzania is a net oil importer, markedly lower oil prices have represented a net gain. At the
same time, recovery of the prices of Tanzania’s major export commodities have been relatively
significant as well. The price of gold, for instance, in September 2016 was $1,327 per ounce, about
20 percent higher than in 2015.
The overall productivity level increased in the 2000s thanks to economic reforms and capital
accumulation in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the sustained growth effects from the productivity
growth created a buffer against exogenous shocks.
36. Economic reforms in the 1990s were followed by capital accumulation from the 1990s
to early 2000s, laying the foundation for macroeconomic stability. Following the earlier
reforms in the 1980s, the country introduced substantial structural reforms in the mid-1990s in the
real and financial sectors, and stabilization measures both reduced inflation and contained the
current account deficit and public debt, which lowered the risk of distress. The exchange rate was
liberalized and prices were deregulated. Market-oriented economic institutions, such as private
banking, were established. In the late 1990s and early 2000s these reforms resulted in rapid capital
accumulation (figure 14). Public investments grew annually by 9 percent in the 1990s and 31
percent in the 2000s. For example, the national road network expanded by more than 20 percent
between 2003 and 2013.
37. Such capital accumulation was followed by a large and sustained increase in total
factor productivity (TFP), more than doubling average growth in the 2000s. Throughout the
2000s, TFP accounted for more than a third of growth (figure 14). This was a significant change
from the previous decade, when growth resulted mostly from labor and capital contributions and
TFP accounted for only about 15 percent. The new pattern was sustained in the early 2010s.
38. The structural improvements in the early 2000s have had sustained impacts on
growth in the 2000s, creating a growth buffer during the global financial crisis in the late
2000s. Figure 15 shows that in the early 2010s a considerable fraction of growth (persistence) was
15
a lagged effect of previous structural improvements (e.g., infrastructure, financial intermediation,
education, trade, and governance). This effect and the continued contribution of structural
improvements offset the negative impacts associated with the 2008–09 global financial crisis as
captured in figure 15 by the negative external stabilization factor.7
Figure 14. Solow Growth Accounting, 1990–2014 Figure 15. Determinants of Growth Per Capita
Source: IMF 2013, Haile 2016. Source: IMF 2013, Haile 2016.
However, both public and private investment have been decelerating since the mid 2000s while
Tanzania’s large infrastructure deficiency has become more evident.
39. Since the mid 2000s, both public and private investments have played less role in
driving growth. As shown in Figure 13, consumption—particularly private consumption—was
the largest driver of annual GDP growth from 2006 to 2015. On the other hand, the growth
contribution from investment was smaller. Comparing the two sub-periods of 2006–2010 and
2011–2015, growth contribution from consumption grew, in particular government consumption.
Thus, growth contribution from investment declined (Figure 13). Both public and private
investment growth rates have declined since the peak period of 2001-2005 (Figure 16).
40. Scaling up infrastructure investments, as also stressed in FYDP II, will support higher
growth. Despite recent improvements, Tanzania still stands out as having comparatively low
provision of key infrastructure. The country maintains a strikingly low level of power and transport
infrastructure compared to other countries (Figure 17). In this context, FYDP II makes a right
emphasis on scaling up infrastructure investments in both power and transport sectors.
Figure 16. Average Growth Rates of Public and Figure 17. Average Values of Structural Factors for
Private Investments Tanzania and Comparators
Source: World Development Indicators Source: World Development Indicators and World Bank Africa
Development Indicators
7
Relatively limited integration of the domestic financial sector with the global market also provided some insulation
for Tanzania during the crisis.
16
B. Poverty
Key Points on Poverty: As the poverty rate fell from 34 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2012, equality
between income groups improved. Incomes of those in the bottom 40 percent grew at a higher rate than
the national average. However, though in Dar es Salaam, the pace of poverty reduction was rapid, it was
much slower in rural areas and the secondary cities. Improvements in asset ownership and engagements
in nonfarm business activities contributed to poverty reduction, as did financial transfers, including social
protection programs. On the other hand, large families, less education, and engagement in subsistence
agriculture have been associated with poverty. Despite the lower poverty rate, high population growth
has kept the total number of the poor (12 million) almost unchanged since 2007. A large proportion of
the population clusters just above and below the national poverty line, which could be either an
opportunity or a risk for poverty reduction.
Since 2007, there has been a tangible decline in poverty and inequality among income groups.
41. In the Mainland, poverty has declined since 2007. The national poverty headcount
declined from 34.4 percent in 2007 to 28.2 percent in 2012 while extreme poverty declined from
11.7 percent to 9.7 percent.8 The reduction of poverty appears to be even more substantial when
using the international poverty line of US$ 1.90 per person per day based on 2011 Purchasing
Power Parity (PPP) exchange rate. While the international poverty line shows a higher incidence
of poverty, it also reveals a higher pace of poverty decline, with the headcount dropping from 59.9
percent in 2007 to 48.8 percent in 2012 (Figure 18).
42. The recent household budget survey in Zanzibar (2014/15) also indicates a decline in
poverty rate in Zanzibar although at a slower pace. The Office of Chief Government
Statistician of Zanzibar reports a decline of poverty rate from 34.9 percent in 2010 to 30.4 percent
in 2015. The extreme poverty rate also dropped from 11.7 percent to 10.8 percent during the same
period. See Annex I for details.
Figure 18. National and International Poverty Incidence
59.9
60 48.8
34.4
40 28.2
11.7 9.7
20
0
2007 2012 2007 2012 2007 2012
National Poverty headcount Extreme poverty headcount International poverty rate ($1.9
(Basic needs poverty line) (Food poverty line) p.c./day, 2011 PPP)
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12. Poverty Assessment 2015 (World Bank 2015f)
43. Tanzania’s results on poverty reduction compared favorably to its SSA peers. With
the exception of Uganda, poverty in Tanzania declined faster than in most peer countries.
8
Except for those specifically referred to as figures from Zanzibar, the poverty figures discussed in this chapter are
for Tanzania Mainland only and come from HBS for 2007 and 2011/12 and analyzed in the 2015 Poverty Assessment
(World Bank 2015f); they are estimated using, respectively, the national basic needs poverty line of TZS 36,482 per
adult per month and the national food poverty line of TZS 26,085 per adult per month; the World Bank plans to
conduct a separate poverty assessment for Zanzibar in 2017 based on the Zanzibar household budget survey 2014/15.
17
However, the proportion of people living on less than US$ 1.90 per day remains higher than in
most peer countries except for Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Rwanda (Figure 19).
44. The reduction in poverty was uneven geographically with most of the decline in
poverty occurring in Dar es Salaam. Poverty incidence was reduced by over 70 percent in Dar
es Salaam against only 15 percent in the rural sector (Figure 20). Likewise, the poverty level
remained almost unchanged in the secondary cities and towns, declining by only 5 percent.9 On
the other hand, in Dar es Salaam, where most of the expanding and flourishing sectors—such as
telecommunications and finance—are concentrated, saw a significant decline in poverty.
Figure 19. Share of Population below US$ 1.90 A Figure 20. Poverty Rate by Location
Day (2011 PPP) (%)
39.4%
40% 33.4%
35%
30%
25% 22.7% 21.5%
20% 14.1%
15%
10% 4.0%
5%
0%
2007 2011/12 2007 2011/12 2007 2011/12
Source: World Development Indicators. Rural Other urban Dar es Salaam
Note: Years between brackets indicate the most recent set of
available poverty numbers. For example Uganda (2005-2012) means Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12.
that the poverty numbers are from the Uganda household surveys for
2005 and 2012.
45. Inequality between income groups was reduced as the poverty rate declined. Between
2007 and 2012, after previously being stagnant the Gini coefficient dropped from about 39 to 36
(figure 21). As shown in figure 22, less inequality in household consumption (redistribution)
explains about 60 percent (3.7 percentage point decline) of the decline in poverty rate during the
period while 40 percent (2.5 percentage point decline) the growth in average household
consumption.10
Figure 21. Inequality by Gini Coefficient Figure 22. Growth and Redistribution Effects of
Poverty Reduction, Percentage Points
38.8 38.5
35.8
2001 2007 2011/12
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12. Source: Poverty Assessment 2015 (World Bank 2015f)
9
While Dar es Salaam experienced the greatest decline in the poverty rate, the absolute number of poor people who
exited from poverty was higher in the rural areas given that substantially more people in poverty are in rural areas.
10
The decomposition method proposed by Datt and Ravallion (1992) was used to determine the growth and
redistribution components of the decline of poverty.
18
Increases in asset ownership and nonfarm business activities also helped to reduce poverty.
46. Ownership of communication and transportation assets and a higher economic return
from household business activities also helped reduce poverty. Unbundling the reasons for
household income growth (see annex II) indicates that possession of assets—particularly
communication and transportation equipment, larger land plots, and livestock—has increased for
the whole population, but particularly the poor. This is corroborated by the rapid growth of mobile
phone subscriptions in Tanzania, which grew ten-fold in the past 10 years. The analysis also shows
an increased return from household businesses among the poor.
47. The return to wage employment has increased in urban areas, particularly in Dar es
Salaam, explaining the rapid reduction in poverty in the city. Wage employment increased for
the whole population including the poor, who progressively moved away from agriculture and
household businesses towards wage employment. In contrast to urban areas, the return to wage
employment has declined in rural areas.
48. In rural areas, improvements in poverty has been observed among farming
households with greater commercial orientation and engagement in cash crops. These results
are further supported by the dynamic analysis of poverty using the panel data, which shows that
households who transitioned to nonfarm activities or worked in commercial agriculture have been
able to move out of poverty.
Large families, less education, and engagement in subsistence agriculture have been associated with
poverty.
49. The poor are concentrated in rural areas and have larger families and dependents,
less education, and less mobility. Annex III presents characteristics of both the poor and the entire
bottom 40 percent of Tanzania’s population.11 Of the 70 percent of the population who live in rural
areas in 2012, about 10 million were poor, and 14 million were in the bottom 40 percent; in urban
areas only 1.9 million people were poor and 2.8 million were in the bottom 40 percent. In the
bottom 40 percent, households, both poor and nonpoor, are likely to be large, averaging eight
members and four children younger than 15. There is also a considerable poverty gap between
households whose head has secondary or upper education and those whose heads have only a
primary education.
50. Wage employees and those in nonfarming businesses are less likely and those
employed in agriculture more likely to be poor. About 80 percent of the poor and those in the
bottom 40 percent are self-employed; and half of them depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Households that own only small plots used for subsistence farming suffer from high poverty rates;
those with more land who can commercialize their crops are less likely to be poor. Between 2007
and 2012 poverty among households relying on nonagricultural businesses dropped from 27 to 18
percent, suggesting that nonfarm employment can offer a pathway out of poverty.
Financial transfers, including social protection programs, have also helped reduce poverty.
11
In Tanzania the characteristics of the poor and the entire bottom 40 percent are very similar (annex III).
19
51. Households with transfers as their main source of income seem to have improved their
living standards. The proportion relying on transfers increased from about 5 to 20 percent
between 2007 and 2012, and the share of the unemployed and the inactive who relied on transfers
shot up from about 16 to over 35 percent. This indicates either that more of these groups are
covered by social protection programs (e.g., the Tanzania Social Action Fund, TASAF), or that
extended family members are sending more money thanks to expanded mobile transfer technology.
The share of the unemployed and the inactive who rely mainly on transfers and who are poor has
also declined, suggesting that transfers have helped reduce poverty.
52. To reduce extreme poverty, the Government has introduced TASAF, a productive
social safety net program. A central feature is conditional cash transfers to heighten the
consumption of extremely poor households in return for their utilization of education, health, and
nutrition services.12
53. Assessment of some TASAF sites suggests that the well-being of targeted households
has improved. An impact evaluation of the pilot sites shows that it raised education attainment,
especially among girls; expanded use of community health insurance; and improved children’s
health outcomes: the likelihood of children being ill fell by 11 percent for those younger than 4
and by 3 percent for those younger than 18. While beneficiary households did not spend more on
consumption, they significantly increased nonbank savings, which suggests that they diversified
their assets to better manage risk.
Despite the fall in the poverty rate, the absolute number of poor people remains very high, and a
large proportion of population are clustered around the poverty line.
54. Nevertheless, about 12 million Tanzanians still live in poverty based on the national
poverty line. Between 2007 and 2012 the absolute number of poor people remained almost
unchanged, declining by only 10 percent, from 13.2 million to 11.9 million, as the number of
extreme poor decreased by 7 percent, from 4.5 million to 4.2 million. Rapid population growth
explains the slow pace of reduction in the absolute number of poor people.
55. Analysis of poverty dynamics using panel data found that between 2007 and 2012 only
about 30 percent of the population significantly improved their economic status and moved
up in income. About 12 percent of households at the bottom of the consumption distribution are
trapped in chronic poverty, and as their economic situation worsened,13 percent of middle-class
households moved down to the lowest quintiles of the consumption distribution.
56. Because a large share of the population is clustered around the poverty line, economic
shocks or policy interventions could quickly push the poverty rate either up or down.13 About
30 percent of the non-poor population has a consumption level just above the poverty line, within
a range of TZS 400 per adult equivalent per day, and is therefore at risk of falling back into poverty
if there is an unexpected economic shock (figure 23). On the other hand, the 25 percent of poor
12
The other components of the TASAF are labor-intensive public works to smooth consumption during the lean season
and encourage beneficiary households to reduce negative coping strategies and avoid falling deeper into poverty, and
livelihoods enhancement programs to encourage beneficiaries to move intoself-sustaining activities.
13
Such clustering around the poverty line is common in SSA countries, where national poverty levels average about
30 percent. The pattern is ire similar for Zanzibar (see annex I).
20
people who live just below the line could move out of poverty if their income were to increase by
TZS 400 per adult equivalent per day.
Figure 23. How a Change in the Poverty Line Affects the Poverty Rate
Source: World Bank Poverty Assessment 2015 (World Bank 2015f).
57. The clustering around the poverty line translates into a significantly higher level of
poverty by international standards. Tanzania’s national poverty line is slightly lower than the
international line of US$1.90 per person per day in 2011 PPP.14 Based on the international poverty
line, about 48.8 percent of the population lived in poverty in 2012, which represents 20.6 million
Tanzanians, which is one of the largest shares of the poor in a country’s population not just in
Africa but in the entire world. There is a 21 percentage point difference between the poverty rates
based on international and national poverty lines, which represents 8.7 million people. This
discrepancy is the consequence of a large share of the population being clustered around the
national poverty line.
C. Inclusion and Human Development
Key Points on Inclusion and Human Development: Since 2007, signs of pro-poor growth have been
emerging, and poorer income groups have experience higher rates of consumption growth. However,
there are widening geographic disparities in poverty reduction. Tanzania’s Human Development Index
improved considerably in the past 15 years; gains in health were the driving force but there were also
robust gains in education. Since 2001 the life expectancy of Tanzanians has risen by 15 years. Access,
completion, and equity in primary education have improved. To sustain its gains, Tanzania must now
deal with problems of both access to and the quality of services as reflected in the Service Delivery
Indicators (SDIs) and regional disparities in service availability. Population growth due to the high
fertility rate is putting structural pressure on such dimensions as job markets and social service delivery.
With a high stunting rate among children, malnutrition is a serious problem. The country must also deal
with pervasive gender disparities in access to finance and land.
14
The international poverty line, developed by the World Bank, is used to evaluate a country’s poverty record in terms
of other low-income countries or developing regions The TZS 36,482 basic needs poverty line translates into about
US$1.4 per capita per day at 2011 PPP—in local currency about TZS 430 per adult per day, a lower level than the
international poverty line.
21
In recent years Tanzania’s growth has become more inclusive with bottom 40 percent experienced
higher income growth rate than the richer groups.
58. Poverty has become more responsive to growth since 2007. The growth elasticity of
poverty is estimated to have been –1.02 in 2007–12, which implies that a 10 percent increase in
the growth of per capita GDP growth would bring down the proportion of people living in poverty
by 10.2 percent.15 This is in sharp contrast to 2001–07 (figure 24), when the growth elasticity of
poverty was estimated at only –0.17.
59. Signs of pro-poor growth have been emerging. The rate of consumption growth in 2007–
2012 (figure 25) was higher among the bottom 40 percent than among the better-off, indicating
that poorer households benefitted disproportionately from economic growth.16 This pattern differs
from 2001–07, when growth benefitted mainly the country’s richer groups (figure 24). These
positive results are, however, tempered by the limited absolute gains accruing to the poor given
that their low baseline income. The additional consumption by the poor amounted to just TZS
4,000 per adult equivalent per month (about 10 percent of basic consumption needs).
Figure 24. Growth Incidence Curves, 2001–07 Figure 25. Growth Incidence Curves, 2007–12
Source: Hoogeveen and Ruhinduka 2009. Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12.
Although equality between income groups has increased, geographic disparities in poverty have
actually widened recently.
60. The incidence of poverty varies significantly across the country. The poverty mapping
analysis (figure 26) shows higher poverty rates for regions and districts in the South and West than
elsewhere in the country.17 Districts along the border seem to have higher poverty rates; the poorest
districts are those bordering Mozambique, Zambia, and Burundi. Districts with the lowest poverty
rates often overlap with national parks and game reserves, which are characterized by low
15
When growth is measured by survey mean consumption, the response of poverty to growth is found to be higher,
with an estimated elasticity of –4.
16
As a result of this progress, in 2012, around one third of the bottom 40 percent were above the national poverty line
and considered as non-poor, while in 2007 the bottom 40 percent were almost equivalent to the group of the poor.
17
The poverty mapping exercise uses the HBS 2011/12 and the short questionnaire of the Population and Housing
Census (PHC 2012) to produce welfare indicators and poverty estimates for geographical areas not covered by the
HBS and not available in the census data. Using the high-quality expenditure data of the HSB survey and the
geographical coverage of the PHC, the Poverty Map was constructed using the small area estimation methodology
developed by Elbers, Lanjouw and Lanjouw (2003). The basic idea is to use detailed survey expenditure/income data
to project welfare indicators into census records.
22
population densities and high tourism.18 In Zanzibar, regions in Pemba have substantially higher
poverty rates—47.7 to 69 percent—than those in Unguja, where poverty is lower than 26 percent.19
61. The uneven decline of poverty meant that geographic inequalities widened. While
economic growth has benefitted the whole population, the nature and composition of this growth
induced uneven improvements in regional welfare. Household consumption grew faster in Dar es
Salaam and other urban zones than in rural areas. Increases in interregional inequality were
observed for all income groups but were much more pronounced among the better-off.
62. The persistent geographic inequalities are largely driven by differences in household
characteristics, mostly due to the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Urban
households have higher living standards essentially because they have smaller families, more
education, more assets, and better access to services and employment opportunities. Rural
households have been able to partially catch up with their urban counterparts in terms of education
and asset ownership, but this has been partly offset by increasing differences in family structure
and access to services and job opportunities.
Figure 26. Poverty Map of Tanzania
(A) By District (B) By Region
Source
Source: 2012 Population Census data.
Both human development outcomes and living conditions have been improving at the national level.
63. Poverty reduction has been coupled with significant gains in human development
outcomes and modest gains in living conditions. The momentum of Tanzania’s Human
Development Index since 2000 has been positive.20 Gains in health and education and in income
have been robust (figure 27). The life expectancy of Tanzanians rose by 15 years between 2000
and 2014, reversing declines in the 1990s caused by HIV/AIDS and surpassing the peak of the
mid-1980s (World Development Indicator database). Tanzania made some progress toward the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs; table 1). Access to electricity, clean water, and sanitation
18
For example, Simiyu region with the Serengeti National Park and Morogoro region with Selous Game Reserve and
Mikumi National Park.
19
HBS 2014/2015, Office of the Chief Government Statistician. See more details in annex I.
20
The Human Development Index is a summary measure of achievement in human development across three
dimensions: health, education, and standard of living.
23
improved (figure 28). Asset ownership has increased, as has access to social and financial services
(see annex IV).
Figure 27. Trends in HDI and its Components Table 1. Progress on Selected MDG Indicators
for Tanzania, 1985–2015
Baseline Target Status
Indicator
(1990) (2015) (Year)
Net enrollment ratio in primary 89.7%
54.2% 100.0%
education (%) (2013)
Ratio of girls to boys in 1.02
0.98 1.00
primary school (2016)
Under-five mortality rate (per 81
191 64
1,000 live births) (2010)
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 51
115 38
live birth) (2010)
Proportion of children 84.5%
n.a. 90.0%
vaccinated against measles (%) (2010)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 15-24
6.0% <6% 2% (2012)
years (%)
Source: Tanzania Household Budget Survey 2011/2012, Tanzania
Source: Human Development Report 2015. Demographic and Health Survey 2010, Basic Education Statistics in Tanzania
2013 and UNESCO summary, Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator
Survey 2011/2012, 2015 and 2016 Basic Education Statistics Tanzania
(Ministry of Education, Science & Technology
Figure 28. Access to Basic Services Figure 29. Tanzania: Top 10 Causes of Death in 2015
and Percent Change, 2005–15
80
75
60 57
52 5452
46 48
42
36
26
18 19
12
8 9 11
2 2 4 4 2 3
2007 2012 2007 2012 2007 2012
Drinking Water Electricity Improved Sanitation
Total B40 Rural Urban
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12. Source: Healthdata.org
Note: Using WHO definitions, “drinking water” includes piped, Note: Red indicates communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional
public tap, protected dug well, and “improved sanitation” includes diseases, blue noncommunicable diseases.
flush, ventilated, and pit latrines.
64. The solid performance in health is partly due to the rapid expansion of preventive
and treatment services. This has helped to prevent many deaths from communicable diseases and
nutritional inadequacies. Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence is close to half of its 1997 peak. As access
to antiretroviral therapy was scaled up, between 2005 and 2015 HIV/AIDS-related deaths fell by
66 percent (figure 29). The prevalence of malaria—a leading cause of death for Tanzanian children
and mothers—has been declining. In the last decade, under-5 mortality was halved to below 50
per 1,000 live births. Reductions in child deaths can be attributed primarily to sustained high
immunization coverage and more malaria prevention initiatives.
24
But there are persistent gaps between urban and rural areas in terms of access to basic services.
65. Access to electricity in rural areas remains very low. The Government has adopted the
Rural Energy Act 2005 and has established Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to promote rural
electrification through the Rural Electrification Fund. However, the pace of rural electrification
has been slow. Based on the HBS 2012, only 4 percent of rural households were connected to
electricity, only a slight increase from 2 percent in the HBS 2007 (figure 28). This is in a sharp
contrast with the rapid expansion of electricity access in urban areas. The current rate of
electrification in rural areas is estimated to be 7 percent as of 2015 (World Bank 2016g).
66. Rural access to water and sanitation is also very limited. Only about a half of rural
population have access to safe water compared to three quarters of urban population (figure 28).
For sanitation, only 11 percent of rural population have access to sanitation services while 57
percent of urban population have (figure 28). The limited rural access to water and sanitation is a
serious constraint in improving health conditions in the rural areas, particularly among children.
There are also persistent human development challenges in health and nutrition.
67. Nutritional deficiencies are relatively high among women and children. Stunting fell
by just 2 percentage points between 2004 and 2010 and still affects 42 percent of children under 5
(about 2.7 million), with the proportion reaching more than 50 percent in certain regions.
Tanzania’s burden of stunting is among the highest in SSA, and levels in the poorest households
and in rural areas are almost double those in the wealthiest and urban households. Stunting is also
higher among males and the male-female gap widened between 2004 and 2010. Child underweight
is high at 16 percent, and micronutrient deficiencies are elevated among children, adolescent girls,
and women. Among women aged 15–49, 2 in 5 are anemic and 1 in 10 are undernourished
(Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey [DHS] 2010).
68. Tanzania currently performs poorly in terms of some of the “best-buys” in nutrition,
particularly exclusive breastfeeding in a child’s first six months, appropriate complementary
feeding, deworming, micronutrient supplementation, and fortification of food with micro-
nutrients. Only 3 in 5 households consume adequately iodized salt, leaving many unprotected from
such effects of iodine deficiency as poor physical and mental development. And micronutrient
intake is worse in rural and poor households.
69. Inadequate and unequally distributed water and sanitation services contribute to
persistent undernutrition. Despite some progress, poor and rural households suffer from serious
deprivation in access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation (see figure 28), which
heightens the risk of diarrheal disease and environmental enteropathy, inhibits nutrient absorption,
and leaves children vulnerable to infections, stunting, and death. 21 Unimproved water and
21
The odds of stunting at 24 months increases multiplicatively with each diarrheal episode and with each day of
diarrhea before 24 months. The adjusted odds of stunting increase by 1.13 for every five episodes, and by 1.16 for
every 5 percent unit increase in the proportion of time under diarrhea (longitudinal prevalence). (Checkley, W. et al.
2008).
25
sanitation are associated with higher rates of stunting among children under 5 (figures 30 and 31).
They are also more likely to be stunted the worse the sanitation in their communities.22
Figure 30. Stunting by Wealth Status and Access Figure 31. Stunting by Wealth Status and Access to
to Improved Water Improved Sanitation
70. Good nutrition early in life is critical for human development. When they have been
well-nourished, children become smarter, taller, and more productive and healthier adults.
Improved nutrition increases the returns to educational investments through its positive effect on
cognitive development and sets up children for lifelong health and higher productivity and earnings
in the labor market (Heckman 2008, Alderman et al. 2001). In Tanzania, nonstunted children are
more likely to start school on time—leading by about half a year—and complete almost a year
more schooling than stunted pupils (Alderman, Hoogeveen, and Rossi 2009). Supporting healthy
development in early childhood—a critical period for development—is one of the most cost-
effective ways to build human capital compared to primary or subsequent schooling alone
(Heckman et al. 2006).
71. Progress in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality has been slow, reflecting the
inadequacies of the health care system. Although maternal mortality per 100,000 births was
almost halved between 2005 and 2015, from 687 to 398, that is still far above its 2015 target of
193 and is almost twice as high as in lower-middle-income countries. Unlike the robust declines
in under-5 mortality, between 2005 and 2015 neonatal deaths declined only modestly, from 26 per
1,000 live births to 19. In 2015, over half of deaths before a child’s first birthday occurred within
the first 28 days of life, pointing to deficiencies in both maternal health and the quality of care in
the neonatal period.
72. Inequalities in access to and utilization of maternal and child health services are
closely linked to income and location. Costs and distance to a health facility make it difficult for
many Tanzanian women to access health care, and the problems are especially acute for those who
are rural residents, of low socioeconomic standing, older, and divorced, separated, or widowed
(DHS 2010). Only 3 in 5 births occur at a health facility or are attended by a skilled professional,
and the urban-rural differential is substantial—4 in 5 urban women have skilled assistance
compared to 1 in 2 for rural women (DHS 2010). Further, the odds of a maternal death in Tanzania
resulting from direct obstetric complications rise sharply with a household’s distance from the
hospital (Hansen et al. 2015).
22
Spears 2013, Fink et al. 2011, and Quattri 2015.
26
73. In the health sector Tanzania suffers from input shortages and imbalances in the
distribution of human resources. Staffing is largely skewed in favor of urban areas and private
facilities. Dar es Salaam, which represents 10 percent of the country’s population, hosts 45 percent
of its doctors; only 9 percent serve rural areas, where the vast majority of poor Tanzanians reside.
Only 50 percent of health facilities have access to clean water, improved toilets, and electricity,
and the urban-rural gap is immense—43 percentage points.
W hile Tanzania has made an impressive progress in terms of school enrollments, the quality of
education is increasingly challenged with the learning outcomes remain at a low level.
74. Tanzania has problems in education in terms of progression to higher levels. Universal
primary education is yet to be achieved, and education outcomes suggest that in any case quality
is poor at all levels. Despite a marked increase in the net primary enrollment rate to 86.5 percent
as of 2016, the completion rate remains low (73.7 percent as of 2013). Despite earlier gains, net
secondary enrollment also remains low at 32 percent. Less than half of entrants are completing
lower secondary school and enrollment in tertiary education is less than 4 percent—among the
lowest in SSA.
75. Recent surveys show a worrisome sign of low learning outcomes in schools. According
to a recent Uwezo assessment of children in Standard 3 in 2012, only 26 percent were able to read
Standard 2 level stories in Kiswahili, and only 44 percent were able to successfully complete
Standard 2 level multiplication problems (Uwezo Tanzania 2013). These poor outcomes mean
they have a weak foundation for further learning, particularly in science, mathematics, and
management. At the secondary level, Form IV pass rates for Division III and above have fallen
continuously since 2006 to almost 10 percent in 2012.
76. The average Tanzanian worker is still at a low level of education attainment. In fact,
despite steady growth since 1990 average education in Tanzania, a common measure of the
average skills of the workforce, is only five years (figure 32). Though that is about the SSA
average, it lags behind other middle-income SSA countries, such as Kenya and South Africa. At
the current pace, it would take Tanzania 45 years to attain an average of eight years of education.
Just 6 percent of the working population has a secondary education and 5 percent a tertiary
education. These are very low compared to Tanzania’s economic competitors.
77. The level of enrolment in higher education is low, the quality of the output is poor,
and the level of relevance to market needs is weak. While increasing, the rate of enrolment in
higher education is still less than 5 percent, which is lower than most other SSA countries of similar
levels of income. The demand for higher education is increasing rapidly with increases in the
number of students graduating from Form VI. A variety of technical and higher education facilities
need to be provided to build competencies among secondary school graduates and develop their
skills that are relevant to the growing sectors of the economy.
78. Every year estimated 800,000 youths enter the labor market with limited educational
attainments (figure 33). By 2030 it is projected that each year 1.6 million Tanzanians will enter
the labor market. There is thus a need to invest in building human capital and to promote economic
activities in which substantial numbers of young people can find decent and productive
employment.
27
Figure 32. Average Years of Education, Figure 33. Potential New Entrants into the Labor
Tanzania and Comparators Market by Education Level
Source: World Bank 2015. “Skill Use, Deficits and Firm
Performance in Formal Sector Enterprises: Evidence from the
Tanzania Enterprise Skills Survey Source: Moreno and Tanaka, Education Attainment Projections for
Tanzania, 2015.
The challenges in human development are evidenced in the quality of service delivery.
79. In both education and health, rapid expansion of services is making it difficult to
maintain their quality. On any given day in 2012 one in four teachers was absent (table 2). On
average pupils receive 2 hours 57 minutes of teaching a day—half the scheduled time. As for
health care, on average, providers could not diagnose a third of such common conditions as
malaria, diarrhea, and diabetes. Healthcare facilities lacked a third of the required critical life-
saving drugs. Absenteeism is also prevalent among health workers, especially in urban areas. As
a result, illness-induced costs put households at risk of falling below the extreme poverty line.
Table 2. Service Delivery Indicators (SDIs) 2014
Health Education
Teacher ability: Minimum knowledge (at least 80% in language and
Caseload (per provider per day) 7.3 21.5
mathematics)
Absence from facility (% providers) 14.3 Teacher ability: Test score (language, mathematics, and pedagogy) 48.3
Diagnostic accuracy (% clinical cases) 60.2 Teacher effort: School absence rate 14.4
Adherence to clinical guidelines (% cases) 43.8 Teacher effort: Classroom absence rate 46.7
Management of maternal and neonatal
30.4 Teacher effort: Scheduled teaching time 5h 54min
complications (% cases)
Drug availability (% drugs) 60.3 Teacher effort: Time spent teaching per day 2h 46min
Equipment availability (% facilities) 83.5 Availability of inputs: Observed pupil-teacher ratio 43.5
Infrastructure availability (% facilities) 50 Availability of inputs: Share of pupils with textbooks 25.3
Availability of inputs: Minimum equipment availability (90% with
61.4
pencils and notebooks)
Availability of inputs: Minimum infrastructure availability 40.4
Pupil learning: Test score out of 100 (language, mathematics) 40.1
Pupil learning: Language test score 36.5
Pupil learning: Mathematics test score 58.2
Source: Service Delivery Indicators.
The demographic transition has been sluggish with the fertility rate stubbornly high.
80. Demographic change can profoundly alter the trajectory of economic development
for the better. However, in Tanzania the demographic transition—the transition from high birth
and death rates to low rates—has been sluggish. Tanzania is still classified as a “pre-dividend
country” according to the 2015/16 Global Monitoring Report (World Bank 2016a). While its death
28
rates have been steadily falling, high fertility (5.2 per woman) has prevented a decline in birth
rates. Tanzania has one of the highest fertility rates in the world—in the 95th percentile globally—
and one of the lowest declines in fertility. Moreover, although the fertility rate is 3.2 for the richest
quintile, it is 7.0 for the poorest.
81. Given the persistently high fertility rate, the demographic dividend is yet to
materialize. The dividend occurs when there are more economically active workers supporting
fewer dependents, and the workers are saving more (mainly for retirement) and investing. The
economic benefits of a growing labor force can only materialize if the economy can absorb the
additional workers productively. The faster the reduction in fertility, the larger the demographic
gains. Tanzania would only begin to gain from a demographic dividend starting in 2020–30.
However, even if the fertility rate were to decline immediately, high population growth would
persist for some time because more women will enter the reproductive age group as the fertility
rate surpasses the replacement rate (figure 34).
82. Tanzania’s high fertility rate and the resulting high rate of population growth can
undermine pro-poor growth prospects. With the population growing annually by 3 percent—
slightly above the average of 2.7 percent for low-income and SSA countries—the country’s
population would double every 23 years, by 2040 reaching about 100 million (figure 35).
Population growth, a youthful age structure, and fiscal and operational burdens will make it hard
for Tanzania to deliver public services like education and health. There will also be pressure on
labor markets to create productive jobs for new entrants. Rapid population growth increases the
risks of land and resources shortages and can severely undermine per capita income growth.
Empowering women through education and employment support and family planning services,
would help to slow fertility and stimulate per capita economic growth.
Figure 34. Fertility and Mortality Rates Figure 35. Population Growth Projection
Source: Poverty Assessment 2015. Source: Poverty Assessment 2015.
83. With rapid population growth and urbanization, there is a pressing need to Tanzania
to create far more productive and decent jobs for the fast-growing workforce, particularly
in urban areas. Generating jobs for the 800,000 new entrants into the labor force every year is a
problem for promoting inclusive growth. Because of the large and rapidly growing number of
nonfarming businesses in urban Tanzania, unemployment is fairly low, but about 87 percent of
workers are still confined to marginally productive nonfarm businesses and subsistence farming,
which do not pay enough to alleviate poverty. Agriculture could absorb a significant portion of the
new entrants if concerted efforts are made to improve earnings per worker, e.g., through more
private investment. Improving the productivity of microenterprises via reduced transaction costs
and a lower regulatory burden would also support creation of more decent jobs.
29
84. With Tanzania’s high rate of population growth and current demographic trends,
environmental pollution will rapidly increase unless properly managed early on. Problems
such as solid waste, water and air pollution, and land contamination, are growing in importance,
and typically impact the poor disproportionally. In Dar es Salaam, the growing vehicle park,
together with road dust, industry and the domestic sector, contribute to increased air emissions.
Improper treatment and disposal of solid and liquid wastes, especially in congested areas, bring
additional risks to the most vulnerable. The combined results of these problems are that both air
and water have been contaminated with pollutants, which are detrimental to human health. The
knowledge basis in the country is still scant, and resources and expertise are needed at the National
Environment Management Council (NEMC) to improve monitoring networks and data analysis.
85. Tanzania’s high fertility rate and particularly its rapidly growing youth population
is putting upward pressure on social services, diluting their quality. The outcome of surging
demand for education and health services and the country’s limited supply capacity are now posing
challenges. Rapid urbanization and inefficiency in the parastatals that must provide social services
also contribute to lowering service delivery in urban areas.
There are numerous remaining gender gaps.
86. The gender-disaggregated poverty and development profile reveals that in some
dimensions poverty has a woman’s face. For example, in 2011/12 the food poverty rate for
female-headed households was 10.4 percent, compared to 9.6 percent for male-headed households.
The 2010 Tanzania DHS found that 19.1 percent of women aged 20–24 had no education at all,
compared with 10.5 percent of men. According to the 2014 Integrated Labor Force Survey (ILFS),
the female unemployment rate was 12.3 percent and the male rate 8.2 percent.
87. There are serious gender inequalities in the agricultural sector. A recent study of maize
markets in Tanzania highlights a number of differences between male and female maize farmers
(World Bank 2016b). Female farmers tended to own smaller plots, and have less educational
attainment, with more of them having none. Yields for women farmers were lower, likely because
of less use of agricultural technologies. Female farmers relied more on hand hoes for preparing
land; men were more likely to use improved technologies. Minimal use of improved seeds and
fertilizer by women farmers also seems to have lowered their yields.
88. Women mostly sell their maize to small traders at the farm gate. This marketing
approach is likely more accessible than others for women because they tend to perform the bulk
of home-based chores and production activities. Sales made to larger traders were likely to have
been made by men in locations away from the home. Men were also able to sell maize to
institutions such as the National Milling Corporation, which offer better prices than small traders.
However, such transactions can still cause farmers problems, such as delayed payments, lengthy
lines, and the requirement to sell in bulk.
89. There are large gender gaps in the profitability of household enterprises. In the
National Panel Survey (NPS) 2012–13, male-owned enterprises reported much higher net and
gross profits than female-owned enterprises (figure 36). Median monthly profits for female-owned
enterprises were TZS 56,600 (about US$35)—just 43 percent of male median profits (TZS
30
130,400, about US$82).23 The gender gap in profitability has widened since 2010/11, a time when
female entrepreneurs reported median profits equivalent to 47 percent of the profits of males.
90. The profitability of female-owned household enterprises seems to be responsive to
access to credit and level of education but limited access to communication and transport
equipment lowers their profitability. Female entrepreneurs were found to have less education
and less access to formal credit—only 3.4 percent of them had accessed formal credit over a period
of 12 months, compared to 5.7 percent of male entrepreneurs. Education and the receipt of formal
credit are more positively correlated with the profits of female-owned enterprises than those of
male-owned.24 Female entrepreneurs also have limited access to productive assets and technology
as well as access to market. They were less likely than their male counterparts to reside in a
household that owned a cell phone (77 vs. 85 percent), owned motorized transport (8 vs. 18
percent), or had electricity (27 vs. 33 percent).
Figure 36. Profits of Male- and Female-Owned Enterprises
Source: NPS 2012–13
Note: Profits per month. Gross profits are defined as turnover before deduction of input costs.
91. In terms of legal support for of gender equality, Tanzania has several significant
gender gaps. The intestate inheritance system often deprives women and girls of the opportunity
to hold property and assets that could be pledged as collateral for loans. Unlike in Kenya and
Rwanda, sons and daughters do not have equal rights to inherit assets from their parents (World
Bank 2016b). For example, under customary law, regardless of age female children are third-
degree heirs—inheritance rights belong first to the oldest son of the main house, then to other sons,
before they are conferred on daughters—and their share of an inheritance is smaller than that of
male heirs. Similarly, the rights of surviving spouses to inherit assets are not equal. Women also
face tougher constraints in terms of access to land and particularly in rural areas still suffer from
the strictures of customary law with reference to property and land rights.
92. Several Tanzanian laws enhance women’s rights, but they do little to protect women
against sexual and domestic violence. Tanzanian law addresses sexual harassment in the
workplace but not in the education system or in public places, and Tanzania has no laws on
domestic violence. 25 Domestic violence and sexual violence, which disproportionately affect
23
Based on an exchange rate of 1,600 T Sh/$ in early 2013.
24
Formal credit denotes that the business owner received a loan from a formal financial institution, including
microfinance lenders, over the past 12 months.
25
A husband is exempt from criminal penalties for rape when the wife is at least 15 years old, except when the couple
is separated.
31
women, are prevalent; an estimated 2 in 5 women aged 15–49 have experienced physical violence
at some point in their life and 1 in 5 has experienced sexual violence (DHS 2010).
Mobile finance has grown rapidly but there are still unmet needs for financial inclusion among the
poor and women.
93. Thanks to mobile technology, access to financial services has improved considerably
in recent years. According to the nationally representative Finscope 2013 survey, the share of
adult Tanzanians who are financially excluded fell by half between 2009 and 2013, from 55.3 to
26.8 percent—mostly thanks to the growth in microfinance institution (MFI) accounts, which rose
between 2009 and 2014 from 1 percent of adults to 50 percent. The expansion of MFIs has been
associated with a six-fold increase in access to nonbank formal services, cutting in half both
financial exclusion and reliance on informal financing.
94. Despite the recent growth, for the bottom 40 percent of households and micro- and
small businesses, access to banks and formal financial services is still very limited and is
almost nonexistent in rural areas. While the access of the bottom 40 percent to informal financial
services went up from 27 to 57 percent between 2007 and 2012, their access to formal banking
declined from 6 to 4 percent (Financial Sector Deepening Trust 2012).
95. Saving and borrowing in Tanzania are also largely informal. According to Findex data,
Fifty-nine percent of adults reported having saved in the past year, but only 9 percent of them
saved using financial system accounts—fewer than in Kenya and Uganda (figure 37). There is also
considerable informality on the investment side: 56 percent of adults reported having borrowed in
the previous year, close to the SSA average, but only 7 percent borrowed from financial
institutions, fewer than in Kenya and Uganda (figure 38). Small businesses depend heavily on
informal financial services.
Figure 37. Method of Saving, Percent Figure 38. Method of Borrowing, Percent
Source: Global Findex data 2014. Source: Global Findex data 2014.
96. Gender and income gaps have widened. In 2014, 40 percent of adults had a bank account,
up from 17 percent in 2011. However, between 2011 and 2014 the gap between men and women
account owners went from a 7 to an 11 percentage point difference (figure 39), and the gap between
rich and poor expanded from 16 to 26 percentage points. In fact, mobile money accounts, which
have been driving the increase in account penetration, so far do not seem to be disproportionately
helping adults traditionally excluded from the formal financial sector, such as the poor and women
(figure 40).
32
Figure 39. Account Penetration by Type, Percent Figure 40. Mobile Account Only, Percent, 2014
2011–14
30%
26%
24% 24%
25%
20%
17%
15% 13%
10%
5%
0%
Male Female Poorest 40% Richest 60% Male Female Poorest 40% Richest 60%
Financial insititution account Financial insititution account Mobile money accounts only Mobile money accounts only
Source: Global Findex data 2014. Source: Global Findex data 2014.
D. Risks to Sustainability
Key Points on Risks: Climate changes, population growth, and poor governance of natural resources are
exacerbating the depletion of nonrenewable resources. At the current pace of water depletion continues,
in 10 years Tanzania will become water-stressed. Climate change is already causing problems: changing
rain patterns are affecting a variety of sectors but especially agriculture and power. The deleterious
effects on agriculture could also push up food prices and thus inflation. Among emerging global
macroeconomic risks to Tanzania’s economy are the fluctuations in world commodity prices and the
slowing of Chinese economic growth, but there are also domestic fiscal risks to be dealt with, such as
increasing arrears in the public sector, especially among state-owned enterprises and other parastatals.
Pressures on Tanzania’s natural resources are heightening, with risks of depletion and emerging
climatic variability.
97. Tanzania’s economy depends heavily on natural resource-based sectors like tourism
(mostly nature-based), agriculture, fisheries, and mining. Tourism in 2013 generated US$4.3
billion in revenues and US$1.7 billion in foreign exchange. The majority of the poor depend on
natural resources for their livelihoods through agriculture and fishing. Small-scale fisheries—
which account for 98 percent of total fish production—represent 1.3 percent of GDP and contribute
up to 9.9 percent of fish exports. About 89 percent of the country's water withdrawals are for
irrigation, which takes up 6 percent of the land but contributes 20 percent of agricultural
production. As much as 90 percent of Tanzania's energy needs are served by water and wood fuels;
a third of its power supply is generated by hydropower, and charcoal and fuel wood are the
overwhelming source of energy for both urban and rural households.
98. Tanzania’s resources are coming under pressure as the economy and the population
grow; per capita freshwater is declining at an alarming rate—from 2,300 cubic meters in 2002
to 1,952 in 2014. This figure is projected to drop to 1,500 cubic meters by 2025, the level
considered to be “water-stressed.” Sustainability is a particular risk for water, forest, fishery, and
wildlife assets. Environmental pressures on the three Great Lakes are growing (see box 1). With
the growing pressure on hydraulic reserves, how to allocate water between agriculture, power
generation, and natural habitats is a critical policy choice. Illegal harvesting and poaching has
caused a dramatic plunge in wildlife populations, threatening Tanzania’s biodiversity. Increasing
33
anthropogenic pressures from habitat degradation, unsustainable fishing techniques (e.g.,
dynamite) and rapid deforestation are further undermining the country’s unique assets.
Box 1. Tanzania and the Great Lakes
Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Nyassa have some of the world’s greatest variety of endemic fish species. They
are also prime examples of population and economic pressures on natural resources in terms of both heavier
pollution loads within the basins and direct pressure on the fisheries all three lakes sustain. The lakes also have a
wider importance in the large-scale development of the country’s water resources, which will only be possible if
international integrated water resources are better managed. The lakes offers opportunities for enhanced agricultural
production and improved access to sanitation services—both necessary for Tanzania.
99. Resource depletion is exacerbated by both governance issues and increasing climatic
variability. Tanzania’s rich untapped resources offer opportunities for private as well as national
and foreign investment, but they also tempt corruption and rent-seeking. Climate change can be a
risk multiplier, intensifying pressure on water, energy, and food resources, which would heighten
societal vulnerability. And climatic variability (box 2) is already causing problems for the natural
resource base. A rise in sea level could have a devastating impact on the landscape and
livelihood of Mainland coastal areas, Zanzibar, and other islands.
100. Climatic variability generates significant economic costs because Tanzania depends
on climate-sensitive activities. About 70 percent of current natural disasters in Tanzania are
associated with climate change, and the economy is increasingly affected by prolonged droughts,
severe storms and floods, and rising temperatures, costing more than 1 percent of GDP. Current
annual weather-related losses in agricultural productivity are estimated to be at least US$200
million (World Bank 2013). A 2°C rise in temperature could reduce maize yields by 13 percent
and rice yields by over 7 percent (Manneh et al. 2007). Higher temperatures are also likely to
worsen the stresses on water resources.
Box 2. Climatic Variability in Tanzania
Across Tanzania’s complex landscape the climate varies considerably, from tropical at the coast to temperate in the
highlands; the two predominant precipitation regimes average annual rainfall of 600–800mm. The impacts of
climate change differ across these areas, with unpredictable variations in when rainy seasons begin (particularly in
the south) and seasonal fluctuations. Rainfall is likely to become heavier, particularly in the Lake Victoria basin,
coastal areas, and the northeast highlands. Other places, particularly many arid and semiarid areas, are likely to
experience less rainfall. Climatic conditions are predicted to continue worsening, with temperatures rising by 1–
3°C in the next 50 years, more warming during the dry season and in interior regions, more volatile precipitation,
higher drought risks, more frequent and more severe floods, and rising sea levels threatening coastal livelihoods
and assets.
101. Poor and vulnerable groups that rely on rainfed agriculture are particularly
susceptible to adverse climatic events, so is the power sector. Besides the effects on agriculture
and food security, climate variability undermines prospects for growth and poverty reduction
through its effects on energy supply and demand, human health, water and natural resources, and
ecosystem services. The power sector experienced major power shortages in 2005 and 2011, both
due to poor rainfalls which reduced hydropower generation.
102. There are also many second round impacts stemming from negative impacts on
agriculture and power through value chains. For example, given the large weight of food items
34
on the consumer price index (CPI), climatic variability impacts local inflation. Manufacturing,
particularly agro-processing industries are affective negatively for poor agriculture production
(raw materials) and power generation (energy source) (Ngowi 2016).
103. As the cost of adapting to climate change continues to rise, deferring climate
adaptation activities will be increasingly expensive. Tanzania’s costs of adaptation are estimated
at about US$ 500 million annually and by 2030 could hit US$1 billion annually (World Bank
2015h). Recognizing the looming risks, Tanzania in 2013 adopted the National Climate Change
Strategy (NCCS) and Zanzibar launched its Zanzibar Climate Change Strategy (ZCCS). Although
these are moves to integrate climate change into development planning, much work must still be
done to clearly identify priority investments in building up Tanzania’s resilience to climate change
in order to leverage and channel climate finance more strategically.
104. The Government of Tanzania has identified priorities for both mitigation and
adaptation. In its Intended National Defined Contribution (INDC) to the United Nations
Framework Convention for Climate Change 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in 2015, Tanzania
committed to supporting adaptation activities in water, agriculture, health, land use, land change
and forestry, the environment, energy, and urban and social development—recognizing that it
needs to build capacity. Tanzania specified coastal areas, transport, and tourism as priorities for
support (see annex V).
Tanzania’s macroeconomic risks are both external and internal.
105. While the economic outlook is generally positive, Tanzania will see numerous
macroeconomic and fiscal challenges in the medium term, related especially to fluctuations
in commodity prices and the slower and rebalanced growth of the Chinese economy.
• A major external risk is slower-than-expected economic growth in Tanzania’s major
trading partners, China in particular. Evidence suggests that if growth in investment in
China falls by 1 percentage point, Tanzania’s export growth would drop by 0.6 percentage
point (World Bank 2016c). Briefly, a slowdown in the economies of China and its other
trading partners would depress external demand for Tanzania’s exports, reduce investment
flows, and undermine its economic growth and external sustainability.
• A generalized economic slowdown in emerging markets could also push down
primary commodity prices, with important consequences for Tanzania. For example,
according to the World Bank commodity price database, the drop in the natural gas price
(2010=100) from 103 in October 2014 to 46 in March 2016 has delayed the final
investment decisions of investors in liquefied natural gas (LNG) development in Tanzania.
While commodity prices have been gradually recovering since early 2016, their possible
fluctuation adds more uncertainty to the macroeconomic outlook.
• External risks could also arise from changes in policies and economic conditions in
developed or emerging economies other than China. In particular, adverse shocks to
capital inflows, for example, from normalization of U.S. interest rates or negative
spillovers from other emerging economies, could also have serious effects on Tanzania’s
35
economy, given is dependence on such flows and its burden of foreign currency-
denominated debt.
106. Although there is very little Tanzania can do to control the exogenous risks, it can put
in place measures to mitigate their adverse impact. They include: (i) a careful mix of monetary
and fiscal policy; (ii) structural reforms to stimulate investment, improve private sector
competitiveness, and raise labor force participation and employment rates through fiscal and labor
market reforms; and (iii) where fiscally affordable, expanding and strengthening social assistance
programs to help protect the poor if the external risks do occur.
107. Internal sustainability risks revolve around fiscal sustainability. They arise from the
low revenue-to-GDP ratio, the significant accumulation of public sector payment arrears in recent
years, and rising public debt.
• Despite vigorous efforts by the current administration, domestic revenue is still
relatively low. The Government’s efforts to mobilize more domestic revenue, including
monitoring closely the performance of the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the
Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), have met with considerable success. Performance
accelerated enough in the second two quarters of 2015/16 that domestic revenue achieved
the target for the year. Because each tax type performed as expected, domestic revenue
edged up from 13.5 percent in 2014/15 to 14.5 percent of GDP in 2015/16. Even at that
level, however, domestic revenue as a ratio to GDP is still lower than the low-income
country (LIC) average (figure 41).
• For the Government and the public sector as a whole (including parastatals) payment
arrears are significant. Although revenue collection has risen significantly since
November 2015, progress on clearing arrears has been slow (figure 43). Arrears to
contractors and other suppliers, pension funds, and SOEs, among others, were 6.3 percent
of GDP (equivalent to about TZS 6.5 trillion) as of June 30, 2016, only about 0.2 percent
of GDP lower than a year earlier. The apparent stagnation conceals a significant reduction
in arrears to contractors and other suppliers because it was mostly offset by the rising
arrears of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), especially Tanzania Electric Supply Company
(TANESCO)’s to suppliers. Arrears to pension funds held steady at 3.3 percent of GDP,
pending Government issuance of non-cash bonds to clear arrears verified. It is urgent that
the Government clear these arrears to help restore budget credibility and the confidence of
suppliers and potential new investors, especially in infrastructure.
• Domestic debt has grown in importance relative to external debt, as have shorter-
term and more expensive instruments. Domestic public debt accounts for 8 percent of
total debt; it is mainly composed of Treasury Bonds held by commercial banks. However,
between September 2015 and 2016, domestic debt went up 22 percent year-to-date, while
external debt grew only 5 percent. The share of longer-term instruments (Treasury bonds)
continued to decline, from 70 percent to 62 percent year-on-year, reflecting weaker
performance in debt auctions and the rising cost of debt service. Unfortunately, growth of
credit to the public sector carries a risk of crowding out financing for more productive uses
by the private sector.
36
• Although Tanzania is low risk of debt distress, ambitious borrowing plans make it
important to monitor and manage its debt effectively. Public debt has risen by 10
percentage points since 2010/11, reaching 37 percent of GDP in 2015/16; this is on par
with most comparator countries and still manageable. The increase in external debt (figure
44) has in part been attributed to the dwindling of official development assistance in recent
years, which meant that Tanzania has been turning instead to nonconcessional external
borrowing (figure 42). Although the country’s debt distress level based on the World Bank-
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) in July 2016 is
low, the very fact that about 29 percent of it is external makes Tanzania vulnerable to
exchange rate risks and lack of fiscal consolidation. The rise in external debt tracked the
fall in external concessional aid, which has been declining steadily over the past 10 years
(figure 42). And with the high cost of borrowing, debt service is squeezing the fiscal space.
108. Mitigating internal macroeconomic risks will require a greater tax revenue effort,
firmer fiscal management to limit arrears and limit the growth of public debt, and improved
government capacity to address development needs through better execution of the public
investment contemplated in FYDP II.
Figure 41. Government Domestic Revenue, Percent Figure 42. External Aid and Nonconcessional
of GDP Financing, Percent of Total Expenditure
30
50%
45%
25
40%
35%
20 30%
25%
15
20%
15%
10%
10
5%
0%
5
0
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 External Grants & Concessional Borrowing
Kenya Rwanda Tanzania Uganda LIC External Non-Concessional Borrowing
Source: IMF, Fiscal Monitor Database 2016.
Source: Government of Tanzania, World Bank.
Figure 43. Public Sector Arrears, Percent of GDP Figure 44. Composition of Public Debt, Percent of
4%
GDP
3.3% 3.3%
3%
2.6%
2.1%
2.0%
2% 1.9%
1.8%
1.1% 1.1%
1%
0.6% 0.6%
0.4%
0%
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Construction and other suppliers Pension funds Others, incl. TANESCO
Source: Government of Tanzania, World Bank. Source: World Bank-IMF DSA 2016.
37
IV. PATHWAYS TO REDUCED POVERTY AND SHARED PROSPERITY
A. Pathways for Tanzania
109. In the past 10 to 15 years Tanzania’s growth, poverty reduction, and inclusion
achievements have been solid, but the country still has much to do to reach the level of
development envisioned in TDV 2025.26 For growth of per capita income is to accelerate, the
economy needs to grow faster than the population. Despite relatively stable and high growth and
progress in poverty reduction, this diagnostic found that the economic growth was not necessarily
creating jobs and many Tanzanians are still poor. Sequential economic transformations are
necessary to speed up growth and poverty reduction.
110. Given its unique characteristics, of particular relevance for Tanzania are structural
transformation, to leverage its resources, and spatial transformation, to leverage its
geographic advantages. Tanzania’s rich resource endowments offer high potential for
diversification and productive upgrading. Sociopolitical stability also attracts FDI, which would
enhance productivity by bringing in capital, technology, and know-how. Tanzania’s advantageous
location can help foster Tanzania’s economic integration both internally and regionally.
111. Economic transformation is needed to promote more inclusive growth. The diagnostic
of growth, poverty, and inclusion in Tanzania (chapter III) pointed to the need to look for more
paths to inclusion. Despite recent achievements, there are still gaps in rural access to services.
Geographic disparity in poverty reduction is emerging. Microenterprises could be empowered to
raise productivity. Since agriculture is the mainstay of the vast majority of the poor, it needs to be
made more productive. Rural-urban divides in terms of poverty reduction and access to services
need to be narrowed. Gender gaps remain; despite the recent growth in mobile finance, access to
land and finance for female entrepreneurs is still limited.
112. Building the capacity of public institutions is critical. Sociopolitical stability has
allowed Tanzania to preserve its institutions, but the shift from socialist to more market-based
institutions has been gradual. In the meantime, those institutions are confronted with pressures
from multiple sources, such as population growth, declining aid, and limited growth in domestic
revenue.
113. Therefore, this SCD identifies three linked and mutually reinforcing pathways of
transformation: structural, spatial, and institutional (figure 45). Each is discussed in detail in
what follows.
• Structural transformation: As an economy endowed with natural resources and abundant
labor Tanzania can accelerate structural transformation by harnessing its resource wealth
and building economic links between natural resources and higher-productivity activities.
Its abundant labor can also be leveraged to promote competitiveness by building skills to
raise labor productivity. Transformation strategy can be built around leveraging the
country’s assets to enhance productivity and diversify natural resource–based and labor-
26
TDV 2025 envisions Tanzania as a middle-income country in 2025, characterized by high-quality livelihoods;
peace, stability, and unity; good governance; a well-educated and learning society; and a competitive economy capable
of sustainable growth and shared benefits.
38
intensive sectors like agriculture, light manufacturing, and tradable services while
upgrading capabilities to move up the development ladder, such as capacity to export.
• Spatial transformation: Tanzania can also leverage its geographic advantages as a coastal
economy bordering eight other countries, six of which are nearly or completely landlocked.
Regional economic integration with them would enable Tanzania to benefit from wider
access to markets, seize opportunities to be a regional hub, and advance its economic
transformation. Such structural change is usually accompanied by rural-urban
transformation and better connectivity within the country and across the border, which
would boost local economies and foster industrial agglomeration and economic integration.
• Institutional transformation. As the country develops to a higher level, the capability of
institutions matters more. If Tanzania is to move to the next level, government institutions
need to be more efficient and more effective so that they can deliver better-quality services
and public investments. To drive economic transformations, these institutions must also
ensure a sound operating environment for the market and the private sector.
Figure 45. Pathways for Poverty Reduction and Shared Prosperity
114. Growth and poverty reduction through those three pathways can be sustained by
building solid foundations of human capital and gender equity and macroeconomic stability.
• Human capital and gender equity: Productivity growth depends on human capital. As
the diagnostic suggests, the quality of Tanzania’s human resources is worrisome despite
past human development gains. The magnitude of stunting affects both the cognitive skills
of very young children and their future productivity. Entrepreneurial capacity to raise
productivity and government capacity to deliver services are ultimately about building
human capability to manage and innovate. In all those aspects, it is crucial to emphasize
gender equity and the importance of building the human capital, and thus the contribution,
of women.
39
• Macroeconomic stability. While Tanzania has had a good track record of success in
maintaining macroeconomic stability, it cannot be taken for granted that this will continue.
In fact, assuring macroeconomic and financial stability is central to protecting the income
and wellbeing of the less well-off and creating the basic conditions for private investment,
growth, and shared prosperity. No enhancement of growth or shared prosperity can be
expected without macroeconomic stability—and in that sense this is a foundational step
that is necessary for other reforms to work.
B. Structural Transformation
115. The structural transformation pathway will accelerate growth through improving
overall productivity by reallocating resources to more growth enhancing sectors. For
Tanzania the process will require both transformation within agriculture through fostering
commercialization and economic diversification from agriculture to tradable and modern
manufacturing and services. The movement of resources toward new and more productive
activities will help increase general productivity. It can also generate higher-value agricultural
products for both domestic and export markets.
116. It will promote inclusiveness of growth by emphasizing creation of productive jobs
through agriculture and job-creating industry development. Previous extensive analytical
work leads to the conclusion that to address both growth and poverty reduction, Tanzania must
create more productive jobs. 27 The emphasis on agriculture-based structural transformation
through transformation of the agriculture sector itself, where the majority of poor households are
dependent on, as well as through agro-based industrialization (agro-processing manufacturing)
also enhance job creation. A successful structural transformation can create both more jobs of
higher quality and compensation and higher-value chains.
117. Its focus on job creation also address sustainability of growth and poverty reduction
so does its emphasis on sustainability of natural resources. Agriculture-based and resource-
based structural transformations will expand opportunities for poor households who are dependent
on agriculture and natural resources (e.g., livestock, fishery, forestry, artisanal mining) to
participate in value chains thereby raising their income earning opportunities. This will make the
previous achievement in poverty reduction, which is partly based on financial transfers (see
chapter III), to become more resilient to external shocks. The pathway also contributes to
sustainability of growth and poverty reduction by internalizing measures to address sustainability
of natural resources, which will face more competing demands through the transformation.
118. As the driver of economic transformation, the private sector has a crucial role in
sustaining growth and poverty reduction through job creation. Substantial reforms are
required to balance the roles of the Government and the private sector and bring the latter into the
center of development. The priority for the Government is to provide a sound operating
environment for the market to operate through improvements in the business environment,
including reducing regulatory burdens, and fostering more competition, as well as policies and
investments to remove infrastructure bottlenecks in energy and transport, which are constraining
27
The ILO definition of productive employment used here refers to jobs yielding sufficient returns to allow workers
and their dependents a level of consumption that is above the poverty line.
40
competitiveness of domestic industries. A concerted effort is important to strengthen the public-
private dialogue and improve the predictability in enforcing regulations.
There are signs of structural transformation as labor shifts from agriculture to industry and services.
119. While the sectoral composition of GDP has been relatively unchanged for the past
decade, labor has been gradually shifting from agriculture to industry and services. Between
2006 and 2014, 2.1 million of the 3.4 million jobs created were in services; agriculture accounted
for only 0.6 million and industry for 0.7 million (table 3).
Table 3. Employment and Labor Productivity by Sector
Employment by Employment by Sector. Percent of Value-Added per Worker,
Sector, Percent of Total Annual Growth Constant TZS Millions
2001 2006 2014 2000–2006 2006–2014 2001–2014 2001 2006 2014
Agriculture 82.4 76.5 66.9 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.48 0.55 0.71
Mining 0.2 0.5 1.1 44.7 19.8 56.7 20.64 10.15 6.15
Manufacturing 1.6 2.6 3.1 17.1 5.3 12.6 5.03 3.88 4.99
Utilities 0.1 0.1 0.2 3.9 11.7 10.1 26.38 26.80 19.62
Construction 1.0 1.1 2.1 4.5 17.0 14.6 6.81 10.47 10.13
Commerce 9.7 9.6 16.6 2.5 13.5 10.3 1.39 1.73 1.42
Transport 0.7 1.5 2.8 25.0 15.8 31.5 12.69 8.45 7.58
Finance 0.2 0.1 0.3 -6.1 30.8 10.8 14.08 35.29 27.78
Other services 4.2 8.1 7.0 23.6 0.6 9.9 7.77 4.63 6.73
Total 100 100 100 6.13 6.29 6.23 1.18 1.42 1.94
Source: Integrated Labor Force Surveys 2001, 2006, and 2014.
120. The shift away from agriculture has pushed up average labor productivity. As table 3
shows, average value-added per worker has been rising since 2001 because labor has moved from
less productive agriculture to more productive industry and services. Static structural change—
productivity growth due to shifts from sectors with below-average to those with above-average
productivity—has been shown to be the largest contributor to growth per capita (figure 46).
However, the contribution of dynamic structural change was relatively modest.28
Figure 46. Shapley Growth Decomposition 2006 –2014
Source: Haile 2016 b.
However, labor is shifting mainly to informal and nontradable services without raising productivity
growth within the sectors.
28
Dynamic structural change is defined as productivity gains from labor relocation from sectors with below-average
productivity growth to those with above-average productivity growth.
41
121. Reallocation of labor has not brought significant productivity growth within sectors.
Figure 47 shows the results of labor productivity decomposition for 2006–14. The modest
productivity growth between 2001 and 2006 can be traced to both static reallocation gains and the
within-sector effect. The within-sector growth has been due mainly to gains in the services sector.
During the more recent period of 2006–14, productivity growth was primarily attributable to static
structural change as workers moved from agriculture to services. In fact, wholesale and retail
services, where most of the jobs were created, saw very little within-sector increase in labor
productivity.
Figure 47. Decomposition of Labor Productivity Growth, Percent
(A) 2001–2006 (B) 2006–2014
Source: Integrated Labor Force Surveys 2001, 2006, and 2014.
122. In fact, labor expansion in services was largely in nontradable services, through
growth in informal employment. In 2014, 4.3 million workers were employed informally, up
from 1.7 million in 2006 (figure 48). In other words, about 80 percent (2.6 million) of the jobs
created between 2006 and 2014 were informal, mainly in wholesale and retail services (figure 49).
The pattern of structural change is characterized by the absence of labor movement to high-
productivity sectors, unlike in the historically fast-growing Asian economies that saw labor shift
rapidly from agriculture to manufacturing (McMillan et al. 2014; Timmer et al. 2014).
Figure 48. Trends in Employment, Formal and Figure 49. Formal and Informal Jobs in Services and
Informal Industry
2006 2014 4.0
2006 2014 3.5
3.5
15.7 3.0
14.9
2.4
2.5 2.1
2.0
1.5 1.3
0.9
1.0
0.4 0.4 0.3
4.3 0.5
1.7 0.0
Formal Informal Formal Informal
Formal Informal Industry Industry Services Services
Source: Integrated Labor Force Surveys 2006, and 2014. Source: Integrated Labor Force Surveys 2006, and 2014.
W ith rich agricultural resources, Tanzania has an opportunity to drive agriculture-based structural
transformation by heightening agricultural productivity.
123. Agriculture continues to be critical to growth and inclusiveness. Tanzania has huge
potential for greater agricultural production and productivity. Agriculture already accounts for
42
about 33 percent of GDP, provides about 47 percent of exports, and employs about 70 percent of
the work force.29 As the largest employer in the country, it is an entry point for job creation and
poverty reduction. Agriculture has also a growth multiplier effect on other sectors and contributes
to food security and ultimately to labor productivity (De Janvry and Sadoulet 2010).
124. Currently, small-scale and subsistence farming dominates agriculture in Tanzania.
According to the most recent census of agriculture in 2007/08, small-scale farms occupy 91 percent
of total farmland, with farm size averaging about 2 hectares. Smallholders mainly produce staples,
which constitute over 60 percent of their income, but also grow cash crops, mainly cotton, cashew
nuts, bananas, and coffee, though their sale brings in only 10 percent of their income. Beyond crop
production, about 40 percent of smallholder households engage in livestock, fishing, and forestry
production, which constitute about 9 percent of their sales.
125. Due to underused capacity and low productivity, agriculture is underperforming.
Growth in agriculture, averaging 4 percent a year for the last decade, was far lower than in the rest
of the economy. The lag can be linked to untapped potential: two-thirds of the land suitable for
agriculture is still underdeveloped and the vast network of inland water bodies could be harnessed
to support irrigation (World Bank 2014). There is still considerable informality, and most
villagers—80 percent of the rural population—lack security of tenure (World Bank 2015d). Also,
both land and labor productivity are below international levels. Cereal yields have been stagnant
since 1990 at an average of 1.4 metric tons per hectare (mt/ha), which is lower than regional peers
(figure 50). One factor limiting productivity is the minimal use of quality inputs, essentially
fertilizers and improved seeds, and modern technology (figures 51 and 52). Land, knowledge
(research and development), climate resilience, and market distortions through nuisance taxes also
limit agricultural productivity, as is discussed later and in annex VI.
Figure 50. Cereal Yields, Tanzania, Neighbors, and International, 2013
Source: World Development Indicators.
Figure 51. Fertilizer Use, Selected Countries in Figure 52. Smallholder Use of Improved
Africa, 2013 Technology, 2007/08, Percent
Source: World Development Indicators. Source: National Sample Census of Agriculture 2007/08.
29
World Development Indicators and the International Trade Center.
43
126. Tanzania can build a technically modern, competitive, dynamic, and interconnected
agricultural sector through structural transformation. To maximize the potential of agriculture
to reduce poverty will require structural transformation of the agricultural sector and building an
agro-processing industrial base while improving the value chain. Agricultural development policy
should also encourage women and youth (United Republic of Tanzania 2015).
127. The livestock and fisheries sub-sectors should be incorporated into agriculture-based
structural transformation. Not only does Tanzania have fairly extensive livestock and fishery
resources, tourism and population increase have given it a robust domestic market for meat, dairy,
and fish, which are also in demand in regional markets. The sector needs improved stock
management practices, more modern equipment, more knowledge of sustainable production
practices, and investment in transport, storage, and processing facilities.
Agricultural productivity can be boosted through sustainable intensification.
128. Heightening agricultural productivity will depend on better resource management,
enhanced access to quality inputs and technology, local research and development, land
reforms, and financial inclusion (box 3).
Box 3. Key Factors for Agriculture Intensification
Better resource management. Improved land management techniques usually involve enhancing the fertility of
cultivated areas through crop rotation, increasing the organic content of soils, leaving land fallow, using cultivation
methods that reduce erosion, and other methods that preserve and increase the nutrient content in soils. Water
management involves new methods to capture and store water for greater reliability and making use of water in
agriculture more efficient and sustainable.
Expanded access to quality inputs and technology. Modern agricultural inputs, implements, and machinery
enhance the output per unit of existing resources. In Tanzania investments that complement agriculture, as in
irrigation, and can help drive growth in agricultural productivity, are underdeveloped. Sustainable irrigation ensures
a more reliable water source for agriculture while building resilience to climate change. Such development would
both raise agricultural productivity and stabilize production, resulting in more stable food security and steadier
incomes. To date, though there are 7.1 million ha of high- and medium-potential land for irrigation, since 2010
only 331,490 ha have been developed.
Local research and development (R&D). Agricultural R&D has great potential to increase agricultural value-
added, e.g., by facilitating introduction of improved seeds, inputs, and technology. The value of returns to
agricultural R&D in Tanzania have been estimated at 12 to 1.1 While there are some encouraging signs of increased
government support for R&D, they are not commensurate with the importance of agriculture to economic outcomes
in coming years, particularly given natural resource game changers like climate change.2
Reform of land tenure security. Progress on land tenure reforms has been slow. Weak land tenure security for
smallholders is a major issue, discouraging their investment in sustainable and longer-term solutions to boost
productivity. Only 11 percent of land in Tanzania has been surveyed, and only 5 percent is registered—one of the
lowest registration percentages in the world for individually owned land—and the process is highly inefficient; it
takes days to transfer property. Investors opt out. Disputes between large-scale investors, small-scale farmers, and
pastoralists also are a threat to agricultural productivity.
Financial inclusion. A recent World Bank survey found that maize farmers have very little access to finance. Of
those who do, most obtained it through saving and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) and groups other than commercial
banks or government programs. Moreover, on the demand side, most farmers reported that they did not seek credit
for such reasons as lack of ability to repay and fear of loan recovery procedures. Strengthening the supervision and
capacity of local SACCOs and promoting financial literacy could be very important for rural farmers.
1
Fan, Mogues, and Benin 2009.
44
2
Agricultural R&D expenditures in Tanzania rose significantly in 2008 after many years of relatively low investment. That year, investment
reached US$78 million PPP (in 2005 constant prices) compared with US$ 29 million PPP in 2005. Spending in 2011 was US$ 97.7 million PPP
2005. Total spending on agricultural R&D in Tanzania reached 0.5 percent in 2011 (Beintema et al. 2013). For comparison, Brazil’s ratio in
2006 was 1.7 percent.
129. Tanzanian farmers need more access to technologies. The process for approving release
and registration of new seeds, fertilizers, and agrochemicals is leisurely and the requirements are
burdensome even for inputs that have worked well in similar environments elsewhere. Regulations
and enforcement should focus more on input quality than input suitability. According to Enabling
the Business of Agriculture 2016 (World Bank 2016d), Tanzania scored 56.3 (out of 100) on seed
registration and 60 on fertilizer registration. Each requires five to six procedures, among the
highest globally. Tanzania is also among the five surveyed countries that scored lowest in the EBA
Markets index, reflecting the significant obstacles confronting agri-businesses in Tanzania in
producing and marketing agricultural products and accessing foreign markets.
130. Land laws in Tanzania could provide a sound framework for securing use rights but
are not as effective as they could be. Within the laws, gaps, overlaps, and ambiguities increase
tenure insecurity and make it possible to transfer land in an opaque and costly manner that does
not benefit local communities and is difficult and potentially risky for responsible investors. The
Government drafted a Strategic Plan for the Implementation of Land Laws (SPILL) in 2005 and
updated it in 2013 but its application seems random and project-driven—partly due to insufficient
funding.
131. Land administration processes have considerable room for improvement. As table 4
shows, only 11 percent of Tanzania’s land has been surveyed, and only 5 percent is registered—
one of the lowest registration records in the world for individually owned land. Moreover,
registration is inefficient and takes too much time.
Table 4. Land Transfer System: Cross-Country Comparison
Country Percent of Land Registered Days to Transfer Property
Rwanda 70–100 25
Kenya 35 73
Uganda 18 52
Tanzania 5 68
Sub-Saharan Africa 10 65
OECD 70 30
Source: World Bank Country Economic Memorandum 2014.
132. Intensification needs to be supported by an effort to build climate resilience into
agriculture. To build resilience in food systems, adapt to climate change, and sustainably increase
food production, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is a highly promising approach. Tailored to local
needs and particularities, CSA can help reduce the emissions intensity of farming and animal
husbandry. The Government endorsed CSA prominently in its INDC and has developed a CSA
program (United Republic of Tanzania 2015). There is clearly a need for a holistic approach to
45
agriculture, based on productive partnerships between the public and private sectors, civil society,
and citizens.30
Structural transformation within agriculture can diversify the sector toward higher-value-added and
commercial activities
133. Encouraging farmers to be integrated into value chains and to become
commercialized would promote the growth of agricultural productivity. In fact, there is a close
correlation between commercialization and productivity (figure 53). Equally important is
strengthening market institutions to facilitate agriculture marketing, particularly cross-border trade
of food products (e.g., to avoid unnecessary overlaps between institutions in implementing sanitary
and phytosanitary standards).
Figure 53. Productivity and Commercialization
1000
kg/oplanted area in acres
634 700
quantity harvested in
667
513
500 353 325
0
Not commercialized (qsold = 0) Paddy
Maize
Semi commercialized (qsold <=0.5)
Source: Wane and Gaddis 2013.
134. Commercialization of agriculture requires expanding land use based on an
accountable and transparent mechanism. According to the 2007/08 Agriculture Sample Census
Survey, the doubling of maize production in Tanzania from 2.6 million metric tons in 2002/03 to
5.4 million metric tons in 2007/08 was attributable to an expansion in cultivated areas as well as
to yield increases. It is striking that only about 33 percent of arable land in Tanzania is cultivated
compared to over 95 percent in Malawi and Rwanda and more than 80 percent in Ghana, Uganda,
and Ethiopia. Large-scale agricultural investors have difficulty finding land due to inefficient land
management practices. Land valuation and compensation mechanisms do not function well, which
increases safeguard-related risks. The Government is discussing models for involving
smallholders in large-scale agricultural investments.
135. There is considerable scope for generating value-addition by developing the agro-
processing industry. Scaling up agro-processing can help reinforce and deepen the supply value
chain because there will be a greater need for post-harvest storage, handling, and transport
facilities, warehousing, and services that facilitate business links. A study of vegetable farmers in
Arusha showed that farmers would increase their production 71–100 percent if a processing plant
30
The policy documents build on Tanzania’s National Climate Change Strategy (2012) and the National Adaptation
Program of Action (NAPA), and focus on the following measures: (1) adopt climate-smart land management practices
to foster resilience; (2) adopt climate-smart technologies to increase the viability of The agricultural sector and foster
economic growth; (3) improve livestock management practices and more disease-resistant and drought-tolerant
livestock breeds to foster livestock resilience; and (4) adopt innovative weather forecast information systems in
addition to climate-smart soil and livestock management practices.
46
were located nearby (Mashinda, Kazi, and Mkenda 2011). At present, most Tanzanian food
processors are based in Dar es Salaam, which may limit integration of distant small-scale food
farmers into the value chain. Preserving, processing, and packaging agricultural products close to
the producers also provides an opportunity to mitigate agricultural waste.
136. Tanzania needs more efficient agricultural marketing, which must currently deal
with distortions from nuisance taxes and inefficient marketing organizations. Efficient
marketing systems encourage farmers to enter the value chains and become commercialized, but,
first, expansion of markets requires good transport infrastructure to better integrate rural and urban
sectors. Second, it is necessary to address the multiplicity of taxes and fees, including crop cess
and the inefficiency of marketing systems.31 Farmers are penalized by the cess tax collected by
local governments on the value of traded merchandise. Even though it is traders who pay the tax,
the effective tax burden is passed on to smallholders because the market power traders have allows
them to push down farm gate prices. Third, reducing nontariff barriers, such as overlaps between
institutions managing sanitary and phytosanitary standards, is equally important.
137. State interventions in agriculture remain prevalent in the agriculture sector. Despite
efforts since the 2000s to reform their functions, over-regulation and excessive interventions by
commodity boards continue to distort markets at the expense of farmers. Commodity boards and
other parastatals often engage in marketing and production in competition with the private sector
they regulate. Such conflicts of interest often lead to unfair regulations that are detrimental to the
sector as a whole. Moreover, government interventions related to particular products often
generate unintended consequences, as happened in 2014 when too many zero-tariff import permits
were issued for rice, ultimately depressing market prices and the revenue of local producers or the
maize export ban in 2011, which gave adverse impacts on maize markets in Tanzania (Baffes,
Kshirsagar, and Mitchell 2016). Agriculture trade policies need to be harmonized at the regional
level to ensure the consistency of policies related to sensitive items like rice and sugar.
Manufacturing and modern services offer another opportunity for structural transformation.
138. Transitioning away from agriculture into manufacturing and modern services offers
other opportunities. Manufacturing has been associated with economic growth in developing
countries and is still at the heart of catch-up development (Jones and Olken 2008; Gala 2007;
Rodrik 2013, 2014). Domestic manufacturing and industrial development are at the core of the
government’s agenda for FYDP II. While the country’s industrial footprint remains small, its rich
endowments are a substantial lever for industrialization and rapid economic development.
Manufacturing and services are central to sustainable job creation. Accelerated growth in these
sectors is critical, particularly given the need to create close to a million new jobs for a rapidly
growing young population.
Structural transformation into light manufacturing, notably agro-processing, could significantly
heighten job creation.
139. Tanzania’s manufacturing sector is small. At 6.2 percent the share of manufacturing in
GDP is below the SSA average and the shares of its comparators (figure 54). Indeed, the
31
In Tanzania, a trade tax called “cess” has been collected by local government on both cash and food crops as they
are traded in markets.
47
manufacturing share in Tanzania’s GDP has been declining since the early 2000s, shrinking from
9 percent in 1990 to about 6 percent in 2015, despite a slight rebound in the early 2010s (figure
55).
140. Labor-intensive manufacturing has solid potential for creating jobs and domestic
investment. It could be jumpstarted by promoting addition of value to agricultural products, such
as textiles and leather (box 4). Tanzania’s light manufacturing potential is supported by an analysis
of product space. Applying the analysis, developed by Hausmann, Hwang, and Rodrik (2007), to
Tanzanian customs data identified many agro-processed products that Tanzania does not currently
export but that are closely related to products Tanzania does export (see annex VII).32 Among them
are products related to leather and other animal-based products (e.g., guts, hair, and wax) and food
items (fruits, nuts, vegetables such as cucumber and lettuce, and eggs).33 In fact, food exports are
already growing rapidly while agricultural raw commodities are not (see figure 8 in chapter III).
Figure 54. Share of Manufacturing in GDP, Percent Figure 55. Tanzanian Manufacturing: Growth Rate
and Share in GDP, 2001–15
14
20
18 12
16
14 10
12
8
10
8 6
6
4
4
2 2
0
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Growth Rate Share in GDP
Source: World Development Indicators. Source: World Development Indicators.
Note: All figures are from 2015 except for Indonesia (1975), Thailand
(1979), and Vietnam (2002). The years for these three are those when
they were at the same level of real GDP per capita as Tanzania is today.
141. The agricultural sector would also benefit from a more fully-developed agro-
processing industry and tighter value chain links. Growing consumer demand for packaged and
processed agricultural products requires a shift from minimally processed to higher value-added
products. Achieving high standards in product conditioning and packaging could open up more
export markets. Since most of Tanzania’s agricultural exports are unprocessed, there is ample
potential to boost agro-processing by adding value to raw agricultural products.
Box 4. Potential Agro-Based Light Manufacturing Industries
Agro-processing, such as food and beverages, is a dominant manufacturing sector in Tanzania today. It contributes
about 55 percent of manufacturing value-added and accounts for over 60 percent of manufacturing employment.
Resource-based and labor-intensive, agro-processing has strong backward and forward links with other sectors. Yet
most agricultural exports are unprocessed. Tanzania has ample potential to boost agro-processing, but it must first
address such constraints as limited commercial farming, inadequate access to agricultural inputs and services,
32
Proximity to the current export basket is computed as average proximity to products Tanzania is currently exporting
weighted by the share of individual products in total Tanzanian exports.
33
This corroborates earlier World Bank findings on light manufacturing in Tanzania (Hinh and Monga 2013).
48
broken supply chains, and few agro-processing clusters. Two agro-based light manufacturing industries whose
potential Tanzania has not yet tapped are textiles and apparel and leather.
Textiles and apparel. As a major cotton producer Tanzania has a latent comparative advantage in textiles and
apparel. It exports more than 80 percent of the cotton produced without processing. The long value chain from
cotton to apparel is estimated to have value-added potential of 500–600 percent, for a number of reasons. The sector
is highly labor-intensive, and Tanzania’s vast pool of underemployed and trainable labor force could absorb for
this purpose a significant proportion of the workers leaving agriculture. Tanzania also has direct access to the Indian
Ocean and is eligible for duty-free preferential access to EU and U.S. markets, which it is not fully utilizing. Further,
its climate and soil conditions are conducive to developing a competitive cotton textiles industry. However, as
Tanzania has failed to seize these opportunities, technology and sophisticated global value chain developments are
making the global market highly competitive.
Leather and leather products. Although Tanzania has the third largest livestock population in Africa, its small
leather and leather products sector offers potential for light manufacturing. It is estimated that the country could
produce about 2.6 million hides and 2.5 million skins yearly. However, about three-quarters of the hides and skins
it produces are exported raw, and only a tiny proportion of the raw material reaches the high-value segment of the
production chain. Sector performance has been low and deteriorating, with persistent declines in production.
Revitalizing this sector is of critical importance to kick-start structural transformation, given its considerable
potential for value addition and exports.
There is also potential to add more value in the wood and wood products sector, which could promote job creation
and poverty alleviation. Forests cover about 40 percent of Tanzania’s land area. Forest- and wood-based activities
are labor-intensive and are already the mainstay of an estimated 800,000 people.
Source: Dinh and Monga 2013.
An enabling investment climate is crucial to drive structural transformation where reliable supply of
power, access to credit, and availability of skilled labor are among key constraints in raising the
productivity of the domestic manufacturing sector.
142. Success in building up manufacturing hinges on improving firm-level productivity,
which in Tanzania is low for the region. The World Bank Enterprise Survey for Tanzania
conducted in 2013 found average labor productivity in Tanzanian manufacturing firms to be only
28 percent of that of Kenyan firms (figure 56). TFP in Tanzania is low considering its per capita
income. Tanzanian firms are less capital-intensive (Clarke 2016), but the unit labor cost seems to
be high compared to labor productivity.
Figure 56. Labor Productivity Compared Figure 57. Major Investment Climate Constraints
$25,000 Perceived by Tanzanian Business Owners
Value-Added per Worker
$20,000 50.0
45.0 42.1
40.0
$15,000 35.0
37.9
30.0
24.3
$10,000 25.0
20.0
24.9
$3,536 15.0
$5,000 10.0 7.6
8.3
4.8 3.7
6.1 3.1 2.7
5.0 5.1 2.4 2.3 2.2 1.7 1.2 1.6
3.2 3.1 2.5 0.3 0.0
1.9 1.9 1.7
$0 0.0 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.0
Small (5-19) Medium (20-99) Large (100+) All
Source: Clarke 2016 based on World Bank Enterprise Surveys. Source: WBES 2013
49
143. Improvements in security, power supply, access to credit, and information
communication technology (ICT) could help heighten firm-level productivity. Further
analysis (table 5) points to potentially promising areas for productivity improvement, which would
significantly increase if Tanzania expanded access to bank credit, reduced losses due to power
outages, reduced losses associated with crimes, and improved access to the Internet. Improving
each of these dimensions to the levels corresponding to the median of over 100 developing
countries that the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBESs) cover would raise Tanzanian TFP by
about 20 percent.
Table 5. Productivity Growth Predicted from Improvements in the Business Environment, Percent
Median Productivity improvement if
Tanzania Tanzania improved to
Country
Losses to crime (% of sales) 1.72 0.35 median
4.6
Losses due to power outages (% of sales) 1.62 0.11 3.4
% of firms with bank credit 23.00 60.00 4.3
% of firms with own website 23.00 34.00 3.7
% of firms that license foreign technologies 11.00 14.00 0.4
Firm is an exporter (dummy) 0.15 0.24 1.7
Firm is foreign-owned (dummy) 0.03 0.08 1.3
Source: Clarke 2016 based on World Bank Enterprise Surveys.
Note: Predicted growth in TFP when Tanzania improves from where it currently stands to the level of a median country in the consolidated enterprise
surveys conducted by the World Bank in more than 100 countries.
144. Tanzanian businesses also see access to finance and electricity as major problems
(figure 57). Overall, 38 percent of business owners reported that access to finance is the biggest
constraint and 25 percent cited poor electricity service. In 2013, 46 percent of manufacturing firms
cited electricity supply as a major constraint (figure 57).
145. The quality of electricity supply in Tanzania is problematic. Tanzanian firms faced
power outages averaging 45 hours monthly, much higher than the SSA average of 38 (table 6).
Large businesses tend to perceive electricity service as most problematic; small businesses were
more troubled by the lack of affordable financing options. Tax rates, informal sector practices, and
access to land are also perceived as major constraints, with each voted as the biggest constraint by
about 10 percent of medium-sized enterprise owners.
Table 6. Electricity as a Major Constraint on Business in Tanzania
Tanzania SSA Average
Number of electrical outages in a typical month 8.9 8.3
Duration of a typical outage (hours) 5.1 4.6
Losses due to outages (% of annual sales) 5.5 4.4
Days to obtain an electrical connection after application 52.6 29
Percent of firms identifying electricity as a major constraint 45.8 43.6
Source: World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) for Tanzania 201.3
146. The Government launched the National Financial Inclusion Framework (NFIF) in
2013 and significant progress has been achieved by Tanzania already. The NFIF identified
four priority areas for achieving financial inclusion targets: (i) increasing proximity of financial
access points to where people live and transact; (ii) ensuring reliable and secure electronic payment
platforms to instill confidence in the store of value and means of payment functions they deliver;
50
(iii) ensuring robust electronic information infrastructure for individual and business profiles,
credit history and collateral; and (iv) ensuring that customers are informed and protected.
147. However, access to formal and affordable credit remains limited because of high
transaction costs for lenders because of limited economies of scale and higher risks, which
keep the interest rate high. For both a small and a large loan, information search and processing
time are similar, but for small amounts, the only option banks have to absorb the costs is through
high interest rates on loans. That is why loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) typically
carry interest rates of 18–22 percent, in addition to other fees. This is extremely high for small
businesses (Roe and Stone 2013).
148. The cost of credit also captures the inherent risk of financing small and mostly
informal businesses. Not only are small firms more vulnerable to economic shocks, they also
present asymmetric information risks. A commercial bank cannot easily obtain financial
information about borrowers who are informal and do not keep good financial records. Tanzania,
for example, does not have a consistent national ID system (table 7). The most common form of
documentation, held by 81 percent of households, is the voter identification card. Only 33 percent
of nonfarm businesses with 5–49 employees have a tax identification number (TIN) and only 14
percent are registered with the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA).
Table 7. Enabling Credit Environment Indicators Compared
Kenya Nigeria Rwanda South Africa Tanzania
Private credit bureau coverage (% of adults) 4.9 4.1 7.1 54.0 0.0
Positive and negative data shared? No Yes Yes Yes n/a
Depth of credit information index (out of 6) 4 4 6 6 0
Unique ID perceived as reliable? Yes No Yes Yes No
Movable collateral registry functional? Yes No Yes No No
Days required to enforce a contract 465 457 230 600 462
Source: Berg and Fuchs 2013.
Building up labor-intensive light manufacturing in Tanzania will require a larger number
of skilled workers. About 40 percent of firms identified an inadequately educated workforce as a
major constraint on their development (WBES 2013)—much higher than those in the SSA (23
percent) and the world as a whole (24 percent). Sabarwal (2013) found that 63 percent of failed
firms rated the shortage of workers with technical, behavioral and numeracy skills as a major factor
in their failure. According to the 2015 Skills Focused Enterprise Survey, for about 40 percent of
employers, the skills in greatest need were English and information technology (IT) skills (figure
58).
149. High-skill firms suffer more from skill shortages. Over 45 percent of employers in high-
skill firms identified skills shortages as a major operational obstacle compared to 37 percent of
low-skill firms (figure 59). Skill shortages affect production, quality control, and innovation. For
high-skill firms, innovation and use of new technologies are the areas where skills shortages are
more binding.
51
Figure 58. Skills Shortages Perceived by Businesses Figure 59. Operation Most Affected by Skills
Shortages
Source: World Bank 2015a. Source: World Bank 2015a.
Raising the productivity of small domestic enterprises is fundamental for long-term sustainable and
inclusive growth.
150. The majority of Tanzanian firms are small, operate informally, and have very low
productivity and value-addition. While 63 percent of the labor force is in agriculture, 24 percent
are employed or self-employed in informal microenterprises, and 5 percent in formal
microenterprises (figure 60). The average productivity of small firms is less than half that of
medium-large firms (figure 61).
Figure 60. Allocation of Workers by Type of Employer Figure 61. Labor Productivity by Firm Size and
Exporter Status
$8,000
$7,000
Value-Added per Worker
$6,000
$5,000
$4,000
$3,000
$2,000
$1,000
$0
Small Medium- Non- Exporters
Large exporters
Source: WBES.
151. High transaction costs undermine the growth of informal microenterprises and their
formalization. The limited education and skills of many proprietors lead to inefficient business
administration and missed opportunities for growth and diversification. High transaction costs
discourage formalization, among them congestion in urban areas which makes it difficult to access
suppliers, workers, and final markets, and business-unfriendly regulation with licenses and permits
costly in terms of both money and time.
152. Limited access to skilled labor and capital constrain the growth of formal micro,
small, and medium enterprises. About one million Tanzanians are formally employed in micro,
small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Many more would do so if some of the informal
microenterprises graduate into the formal sector. Financing is also the biggest business constraint
in Tanzania (see chapter III). In addition, most MSMEs operate in Dar es Salaam or other urban
centers, where lack of access to reliable infrastructure, such as electricity, the absence of industrial
zoning, and congestion create unnecessary costs.
52
Building the export capability of Tanzanian firms is a critical to raising the sophistication of their
products.
153. Tanzanian firms are increasingly active in export markets. The recent growth of
Tanzania exports is mostly explained by the country exporting new products or exporting existing
products to new destinations. The extensive margin (new export products and/or new export
destination) accounts for 62.1 percent of Tanzania’s export growth between 2000 and 2010
(Yoshino et al. 2014). Regional and Asian markets are important destinations, particularly for
manufactured products. 34 The recent growth of manufactured exports in the extensive margin,
largely driven by regional exports, is associated with higher average intensities in human and
physical capital.
154. Based on product space analysis Tanzanian exports are not very sophisticated. As
shown in figure 65, Tanzanian products with higher density (with more linkages with to other
goods) are less sophisticated (figure 62).35 This is both good and bad news: good because it means
fewer barriers to entry or scale-up of those products, but bad because low sophistication means a
much shorter segment of the value chain is within Tanzania, which implies lower skills
requirements, and lower incomes.
155. Productivity is essential for export firms. While it is difficult to conclude whether
exporting firms become more productive after they export or are more productive before they
export, the correlation between productivity and export performance of firms is a consistent pattern
among African countries (see, e.g., Roberts and Tybout 1996; Clerides, Lach, and Tybout 1998;
and Fafchamp, Hamine and Zeufack 2002). The pooled EAC firm-level data from the WBES show
that firm size and productivity—measured by labor productivity and TFP—are the main factors
explaining the success of exporting firms (figure 63). This correlates with the substantial
productivity gap between exporting and nonexporting firms in Tanzania (figure 61).
156. Expanding market access is important for facilitating export penetration. Foreign
ownership is another significant factor influencing firm export propensity because it is often
associated with global trade, since the owners’ connections reduce search cost (entry barriers) in
distant markets. For domestic Tanzanian firms, this implies that government policies to expand
market access are crucial. These firms struggle to integrate into global value chains and
opportunities provided by the country’s preferential trade agreements with Europe and the United
States can play a catalytic role (Collier and Venables 2007).
34
For example, paper, textiles and chemical products.
35
In the product space analysis by Hausman, Hwang and Rodrik (2006), sophistication of a product is a measurement
of average productivity calculated as an average of the income per capita of the countries exporting the good, weighted
by each country’s share in the global exports of the product.
53
Figure 62. Product Space of Tanzanian Exports: Figure 63. Factors that Raise Firm’s Probability to
Sophistication and Product Density Export
Source: Hidalgo 2011. Source: Yoshino et al. 2014.
Note: The reference group is medium-sized businesses.
Modern tradable services like tourism and logistics can also drive structural transformation.
157. Building dynamic competitive and exportable services, such as tourism or logistics, is
also important to structural transformation. Tourism, which contributes over 13 percent of
GDP, is the largest source of foreign exchange for both Mainland and Zanzibar. Given the
locational advantage of Tanzania as a potential regional hub for East Africa and the government’s
interest in building up the competitiveness of the Central Corridor, there is a potential for growth
in logistics services that could be exportable to foreign clients.
158. Tourism-related services (travel) are growing steadily. The industry appears to be fully
recovered from the global financial crisis in 2009 both in absolute and relative (to GDP) terms.
For most of the past decade tourism was Tanzania’s top export item, until gold surpassed it in
2010. While the sector’s growth performance is impressive, the country has not yet fully leveraged
tourism’s potential, particularly compared with other countries with similar tourism resources.
159. Building up tourism will have job-creating potential through the development of local
value chains in manufacturing and services. According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council, direct tourism in Tanzania was responsible for 3.8 percent of total employment in 2013,
or about a half million direct jobs. Not only do hotels and restaurants provide direct services to
tourists but manufacturers also produce products (e.g., handicrafts, food) for sale to tourists,
making them are part of local value chains that can be based on tourism.
160. The highly complex system of taxes and licenses is reducing the competitiveness of
tourism. Tanzania's current tourism policy and regulation does not reflect the good practices
necessary for the economy to benefit fully from this sector. The multiplicity and unpredictability
of the taxes, levies, and fees collected from the tourism sector are an excessive burden for many
operators, discouraging further investment and job generation. There are 53 different taxes, levies,
and charges that apply to tourism-related businesses (World Bank 2015g). Yet not many of them
generate revenue for the public sector: of the 53 tourism levies, just 29 account for 96 percent of
expected revenues.
161. Diversification of tourism in Tanzania is also important for its growth. Hobbled by
outdated policies, an unclear vision, and a disabling business environment, Tanzania does not
benefit fully from tourism. The tourism Master Plan was issued in 2002: since then, there has been
no comprehensive tourism strategy to guide policy. As a result, Tanzania trails its neighbors in
terms of offering good value for a variety of tourism products that are in demand. Beyond its heavy
54
reliance on wildlife tourism. Tanzania can generate jobs by offering beach, adventure, conference,
and cultural heritage tourism, diversifying beyond the current low-volume high-value strategy and
away from the congested wildlife-based Northern Circuit. Vast potential still remains in the much
less developed Southern Circuit.
The country can also leverage extractive industries in mining and natural gas to foster structural
transformation by capturing opportunities to develop local contents with large investments.
162. Although extractive industries are capital-intensive and may create few direct jobs,
there are opportunities for constructing local value chains or local content around such
investments. Such opportunities are captured through local sourcing of goods and services for
investment projects and project staff, such as construction, transportation, catering, and lodging.
Economic returns for local communities should be enhanced as well. As the country waits for final
decisions on LNG investment, it is important that it begin to design a strategy to capture such local
content in relation to LNG. Other investment projects in extractive industries like mining and the
new Uganda-Tanzania oil pipeline project may provide similar opportunities.
163. Experiences from large-scale gold mining show that development of local suppliers,
which are capable of producing quality products and services, is important to develop
extractive industries’ linkages with the local economy. The 2009 Mining Policy and 2010
Mining Act recognize the importance of creating upstream linkages with the local economy and
set a framework for mining companies to prioritize their procurement of goods and services
locally.36 Following the Policy and the Act, supplies for exploration, mine development, mining
and refining operations have increasingly been sourced from companies that are registered in
Tanzania. However, the reality is that these companies often only act as trade intermediaries with
little value added generated domestically. Local value added is limited to few goods and services
given that there is a scarcity of domestic suppliers that can satisfy the high standard requirements
of large-scale mining companies (World Bank 2016f).
164. Formalization of artisanal mining (ASM) is another channel of adding more values
to natural resources. The ASM sector is one of the major employers in rural Tanzania, employing
about 700,000 according to the 2012 Population Census, 60 percent of which are in gold
production. A significant portion of goods and services for ASM is sourced locally—for example,
handheld tools, rudimentary grinding mills, blast services, timbering work, and courier services
(bags of ore from pits downhill to distribution centers) (World Bank 2016f). In order to address
problems of ASM related to conflicts with large-scale mining, environmental degradation, health
and safety, and low revenue collection from ASM activities, the Government has embarked on
formalization of the ASM sector under the 2010 Act (e.g., provision of mineral rights reserved for
the ASM sector). While lack of awareness and other factors hinder the effective implementation
of the formalization process, formalization of ASM is also expected to formalize its value-chain
linkages with the rest of the economy, thereby improving their efficiency and productivity.
36
For the petroleum sub-sector (oil and gas), a similar policy framework has been set under the 2014 Local Content
Policy for Oil and Gas and the 2015 Petroleum Act.
55
FDI is a major enabler of structural transformation, presenting opportunities for technological
transfers as well as local content development.
165. Experiences around the world point to a substantial role FDI can play in developing
local industrial base. When southeast Asian economies such as Malaysia and Thailand at the time
of their rapid industrial development in the 1980s and 90s, FDI from countries like Japan played a
pivotal role in transferring not only capital, but also technology and skills to the host countries.
Through backward and forward linkages with the local economy, FDI had made substantial
contributions to local industrial development including formation of local industrial clusters (see
e.g., Kuchiki and Tsuji 2005 and Sonobe and Otsuka 2006). FDI from an American IT industry
also played a similar role in the formation of IT cluster in Bangalore, India (Pack and Saggi 2006).
166. FDI inflows have a critical role for Tanzania’s industrialization. FDI inflows to
Tanzania have so far been concentrated in extractive industries—natural gas and mining accounted
for about 50 percent of FDI in 2011, compared to about 15 percent for manufacturing—and the
trend will continue in the near future as new gas reserves and unexploited mineral resources are
discovered. By improving the local investment climate such as enabling business environment,
availability of skilled labor, and reliable infrastructure services particularly power and transport,
Tanzania has a potential to attract more FDI in manufacturing given its geographic advantages
(chapter II). Even from FDI in extractive industries, there are opportunities for local content
development as discussed above.
167. Comprehensive policies are needed to better harness the technological and
employment opportunities FDI carries with it. Although the country offers low-wage labor to
foreign investors, the overall labor cost is high compared to other African countries (e.g., Kenya,
Ethiopia) due to lack of skills and low productivity. Beyond the mere offer of factory space and
cheap labor, the economy needs front-loaded and well-targeted policy actions to internalize skills,
knowledge, and technology transfers. Substantial new FDI, preferably by joint venture,
particularly in agriculture, is needed in all stages of the supply chain to replace old equipment and
upgrade technology.
A strategy for structural transformation requires a focused approach on industries where the country
has comparative advantages.
168. Structural transformation can be driven by promoting the activities that best build
on the country’s comparative advantage—both existing assets (natural resources) and assets
that can be built (skills)—supported by effective policies to facilitate the process. Structural
transformation can begin by (1) promoting labor- and resource-intensive industries, particularly
light manufacturing; then (2) enhancing diversification of production and exports and building
competitiveness, and (3) adopting more effective policies to facilitate competitiveness. Latent
comparative advantages for industrialization can be realized by assessing existing but
underutilized manufacturing bases and industrial assets. It can also be developed through policies
to enhance certain assets (e.g., skill development for abundant labor).
169. Given Tanzania’s resource constraints, prioritizing interventions is vital. The
Government will have to make strategic choices for facilitating transformation and
industrialization in light of what the private sector itself can provide. The Government needs to
redress some market failures by removing barriers to entry, encouraging new entrants, and
56
increasing competition. Econometric analysis using data from NBS Annual Surveys of Industrial
Production demonstrates that concentration lowers the profitability of individual sectors due to
inefficiency (see annex VIII). Even though Tanzania has the institutional framework in place,
implementation is slow (box 5).
Box 5. A Strategy for Industrialization
A successful forward-looking structural transformation strategy can be adopted in steps. The priority is to
identify industries or sectors with high growth potential, given existing resource endowments and production
structures; the industry’s potential for creating jobs; and likely effects on the environment, gender mainstreaming,
etc. The second step is to assess the country’s relative performance in the promising industries identified and to
explore unused potential and latent comparative advantages as well as future potential that can be enhanced. Given
limited resources and the difficulty of simultaneously taking on all lagging manufacturing activities, the priorities
are based on how the sector has evolved, its current capabilities, and the feasibility of the reforms.
As a latecomer, Tanzania should move promptly to climb the comparative advantage ladder. Tanzanian firms
can leverage their latecomer advantage by diversifying into new sectors or lines of business that are growing fast
in more advanced countries and that are consistent with Tanzania’s comparative advantages, based on both its
natural resources assets and the skills assets it can grow. However, this step requires substantial enhancement of
the technological and managerial capabilities to ensure the viability of accumulating the requisite skills and scale
economies to promote competitiveness in the globalized world. Targeted infrastructure investments and other
incentives can help create clusters and foster links between the new entrepreneurs and domestic producers that
strengthen inter-sectoral and inter-industry collaboration and complementarity. Domestic firms can then expand
along the value chain, enter new markets, and move up with a new business built on solid capabilities.
Tanzania’s vision of a semi-industrialized economy needs to be backed by realistic industrial strategies and
private sector involvement. A clear roadmap to industrialization is necessary to inform and guide investors and
policymakers, supported by institutional capacity to follow up on the vision. Formulating policies to cope
effectively with problems in the era of globalization is still difficult. Production and investment should be led by
the private sector; growth should be driven by skills and technology, with the support of the state in coordination
with the private sector. How to fund the plans is also problematic since only half of the first FYDP has been funded,
limiting its impact. The undertaking can succeed if there is a collaborative decision-making process based on close
consultation between government and private sector, with a committed and visionary leader and a supporting
technocratic elite to prepare policy decisions.
Lessons can be drawn from successful experiences elsewhere in Africa. The Government of Ethiopia has
tailored its policy to support the leather and floriculture industries. In the former, the Government addressed
coordination failures by creating training centers to facilitate acquisition of technical capabilities. It also provided
infrastructure facilities in industrial zones. For floriculture, the Government addressed the logistic problems by
facilitating acquisition of storage facilities close to the airport and providing refrigeration facilities at the airport.
Regular flights to Europe helped Ethiopian cut flowers to quickly penetrate European markets. Mauritius had
similar experiences in facilitating textile exports and Mali with mango production and export.
For the private sector to drive structural transformation successfully, improvements in the business
environment generally and fostering market competition are fundamental.
170. In Tanzania initial privatization in the 1990s and early 2000s did not bring in enough
new domestic market entrants. Data from the Annual Surveys of Industrial Production (ASIP)
by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that formal manufacturing in Tanzania is still
highly concentrated (figure 64). Concentration is also evident in rapidly growing services like
finance. Although there are now 57 banks operating in Tanzania, their distribution is skewed: the
57
two largest hold almost 50 percent of total bank assets. The sector is also segmented by client
characteristics, products, and geography.
171. The policy framework for market competition is in place but not fully implemented.
Competition policy was originally launched with the 2003 Fair Competition Act, which established
the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) and the Fair Competition Tribunal (FCT). While the
institutional framework for competition is in place, the implementation is lagging and not
effectively promoting competition in the markets.
172. While overall level of market competition remains limited, firm-level data show
competition fosters investments and innovations. Without investments and innovation,
oligopolistic firms cannot sustain their profitability against import competition without resorting
to rent-seeking behavior. Firm-level data from WBESs do show that firms with more competitors
on average made more investments in machinery and land acquisition and were more active in
introducing new products and new processes (annex VIII).
173. Heavy regulatory burdens post-privatization have also suppressed growth. High
transaction costs and a segmented market give cost advantages to incumbent large firms, which
have the means to overcome the regulatory burdens by exploiting network affiliations with
government regulators. Figure 65 shows the distance-to-frontier score for Tanzania and
neighboring countries over time. The score helps in assessing absolute regulatory performance and
how it improves over time. Clearly, Tanzania has been very slow to improve its business
environment.
174. Although Tanzania moved up 12 places in Doing Business 2017, on the cost of doing
business it ranks 132nd of 190 countries. It is also still near the bottom of the Global
Competitiveness ranking (125th of 148 countries). According to the 2013 WBES, on average it
takes 19 days to obtain an operating license, and 24 days to obtain an import license. Stringent
business and labor regulations make it prohibitively difficult to launch new job-creating activities.
Figure 64. Average Concentration among Figure 65. Doing Business Distance-to-
Manufacturing Industries Frontier Index, 2010–2017 (est.)
75
Kenya Mozambique Rwanda
Tanzania Uganda Zambia
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
DB2010 DB2011 DB2012 DB2013 DB2014 DB2015 DB2016 DB2017
Source: Yoshino et al. 2014 based on data from NBS Annual Surveys of Source: Doing Business (various years).
Industrial Production.
Tanzania continues to face large infrastructure gaps in power and transport which need to be filled
for successful economic transformation.
175. Despite the progress in the past decades, Tanzania still faces large infrastructure
deficits, particularly in power and transport. Tanzania remains low in some key infrastructure
58
indicators relative to its peers such as road density and power generation per capita (figure 17).
On average, Tanzanian manufacturing firms faced power outages of 45 hours per month, much
higher than the SSA average of 38 hours per month (table 6). Similarly, the country’s road density
(length of roads per 100 sq. km) stands at an average of about 9 km, which is starkly lower than
roughly 37 km and 49 km for Uganda and Ghana, respectively. Such infrastructure needs to expand
to support the future growth path and improve the welfare of the poor.
176. For the last decade the Government has been working to reform the power sector.
The Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) became operational in 2006. The
Power Sector Reform Strategy drafted in 2007 envisaged the evolution of the sector over time
from the market structure in which state-owned power utility, TANESCO, acts as the only buyer
and seller of electricity to a more liberalized and more competitive wholesale market in which
producers would sell directly (or through a pool or voluntary electricity exchange) to distribution
companies and large consumers. This reform was updated in 2014 with a new Electricity Supply
Industry Reform Strategy and Roadmap 2014–2025, which envisages gradual unbundling of
TANESCO and creation of competitive wholesale and retail electricity markets and greater
participation of the private sector in generation and distribution.
177. However, the reforms introduced in the past decade have still fallen short in putting
the power sub-sector on a firmer financial footing. This has led to lack of proper planning and
implementation of an adequate investment program, or establishing a strong, performance-based
and transparent sectoral and corporate governance system. The electricity supply is constrained
due to delayed investments in generation and suboptimal generation technology mix. Only about
210 mega-watt (MW) in new generation capacity has been installed in the past three years.
Investment planning needs to be improved, both institutionally and technically. There is a need for
more transparency and competition in selection of investors. The financial situation of TANESCO
remains a serious concern. Governance arrangements and practices also need to be improved
through stronger separation of the policy, ownership, and regulatory functions, and better public
reporting on the progress.
178. The financial sustainability of TANESCO remains a serious concern. In FY2010/11,
when low rainfall reduced hydropower production, the resultant power shortage pushed
TANESCO into a financial crisis. To compensate for the hydropower shortage, TANESCO bought
expensive power generated by liquid fuel from emergency power producers (EPPs). Its tariffs were
not sufficient to recover these costs, and it was in any case chronically inefficient. By 2012
TANESCO had accumulated arrears to EPPs and other independent power producers (IPPs) as
high as $450 million. A 40-percent tariff increase in 2014 brought arrears down to $140 million,
but since then, partly due to exchange rate fluctuations, arrears have again accumulated, to $400
million.
179. Private sector participation in the energy sector has been introduced mostly without
proper competition, compromising potential efficiency gains from leveraging private sector
resources. Private sector participation, through independent power producer (IPP) arrangements
and/or public private partnerships (PPPs), is rightly viewed as necessary to complement public
funding to meet the country’s needs in infrastructure, including in the energy sector, over the years
to come. However, the private sector participation has mostly materialized without going through
a proper competitive selection process, thereby lowering value for money.
59
180. Tanzania’s transport infrastructure still requires more investment to close the
current gaps and improve connectivity within the country and with neighboring countries.
As discussed more extensively under the next section on spatial transformation, connectivity
between Tanzania and global markets remains low due to the limited capacity at the Port of Dar
es Salaam, the crucial anchor connecting Tanzania and the landlocked neighbors with global
markets. Connectivity between Tanzania and regional markets is challenged due to insufficient
maintenance. Rural roads are not of adequate quality, contributing to the low performance of
agriculture. Transport infrastructure is not catching up with the speed of rapid urbanization.
181. Coordination and planning within the transport sector remain weak. There is currently
no integrated Master Plan to guide the development of the transport sector in Tanzania over the
next 20 years. In a context of conflicting demands, both within and across the sub-sectors, and
finite resources, the determination of priorities needs to be given careful consideration, with the
involvement of the full range of stakeholders. While a port Master Plan for the maritime and inland
lakes was prepared in 2009, this needs to be updated to reflect recent developments and to provide
a strategic framework to guide the discrete initiatives.
182. The distribution of transport demand is skewed towards the road mode, contributing
to excessive congestion and other social and environmental costs. Until 1990, the rail mode
was a major mode of transport for freight to and from Dar es Salaam port. During the last two
decades, the proportion of freight transported by rail has declined drastically, with this
transportation mode now accounting for less than 5 percent of the total volume of transported
exports and imports. The performance of the two railways has declined significantly over the past
seven years. Operationally, rail transport services are now characterized by slow and unreliable
freight and passenger movement, the frequent suspension of services, speed restrictions, a high
rate of accidents, and the complete closure of some parts of the network.
Sustainability of natural resources is a critical condition for the country to better leverage its rich
natural assets for successful structural transformation.
183. Natural resources provide critical inputs to the country’s structural transformation
that is to be based on stronger and more competitive agriculture and job-creating industries.
Land and water are important factors of production, not only for agriculture but also for
manufacture. Water has been an important source of power generation as well. Wildlife and other
environmental resources (e.g., marine environment) are natural “capitals” for tourism. Forestry
and fishery resources also provide raw materials for agro-processing industries. While direct
employment creation may be limited from mineral resources (mining products and natural gas)
given the capital-intensive nature of the industries, local content development opportunities can be
explored as discussed earlier. Onshore natural gas is also a new source of power generation, which
will support the industrialization process.
184. Sustainability of natural resources is of paramount importance, particularly in the
context of the emerging risks of depletion for some resources (see chapter III). Economic
growth generates more outputs but at the same time requires more inputs even though economic
growth is often accompanied by increased productivity therefore requiring less inputs per output.
Lack of sustainability of natural resources will undermine the prospect of resource-based
transformations. If not properly managed, the mounting pressures on natural resources will
60
degrade the very ecosystems and resources on which the economic growth is based and will be
based through resource-based structural transformation.
185. Sustainability of natural resources also has strong poverty implications. The
overwhelming majority of the poor in the country depend on natural resources, through agriculture
and other resource-intensive sectors, including artisanal mining. The five coastal regions of
Tanzania are home to approximately 10 million people, most of whose livelihoods are dependent
to some extent on fishing and who therefore depend directly on the integrity of the coastal and
marine natural resource base. Moreover, the rural poor depend overwhelmingly on charcoal and
fuel wood from forests to meet their energy needs where access to electricity is still very limited.
Therefore, appropriate and sustainable use of natural resources is critically important to maintain
their food security and main source of income.
186. Sustainable use of natural resources requires careful balancing of competing
demands over resources, which are expected to increase as the country pursues an
industrialization path. With the economy so heavily dependent on its natural resources base and
will continue to be so through economic transformations, pressures on natural resources from
competing demands will rise. Water is already facing a visible threat of depletion due to competing
demands from agriculture, power generation, and others. A similar tension exists for land.
Disputes occur between large-scale investors and small-scale farmers or pastoralists, between
smallholders and pastoralists, and between smallholders themselves. 37 For both renewable and
non-renewable resources, benefits as well as usage are cross-sectoral. Therefore balancing
competing demands require strong inter-sectoral coordination in planning and implementation of
sectoral programs.
187. Environmental sustainability also needs to be ensured in the process of
industrialization. Industrialization inevitably involves environmental pollution, a negative
byproduct. The timely management of environmental pollution is essential to avoid costly future
health impacts. Population growth and agglomeration around urbanized centers will create
additional pressures related to increased environmental pollution and deteriorating public health
conditions. A key area demanding immediate attention is air pollution. Ensuring proper safeguard
policies to protect the environment and natural resources during the transformation process,
including green development strategies, as far as possible.
C. Spatial Transformation
188. Spatial transformation is another avenue to speed growth by leveraging economies of
scale and expansion of markets through from industrial agglomeration in urban areas and
economic integration, both domestically and regionally. The 2014 CEM highlights the need for
structural and spatial transformation to create more jobs, shift workers to better and more
productive jobs, and improve labor productivity. Rapid urbanization and high density is typical in
countries undergoing structural transformation from agrarian to industrial economies. Positive
externalities from industrial agglomeration, based on strong urban planning, will raise urban
productivity growth. Domestic and regional economic integration through better infrastructure
37
The World Bank Local Government Assessment Framework study (2015d) found land disputes to be increasing,
and land and governance institutions lack resources to address them.
61
connectivity and reduced regulatory bottlenecks will expand markets for Tanzania’s existing and
potential industries.
189. The spatial transformation pathway also enhances inclusiveness of growth by
strengthening rural-urban connectivity, which will help reduce the current rural-urban gaps
in economic opportunities. While rapid urbanization in Tanzania is helping the country to reduce
the overall poverty rate, there is an increasing divergence between urban and rural areas in terms
of poverty, infrastructure, and social services, which then affects human development outcomes.
This pathway specifically looks at how to link rural areas with urban growth centers, especially in
secondary cities, through strengthening physical infrastructure linkages and developing market
linkages. This will facilitate rural households’ integration in agriculture value chains and will
enhance their income earning opportunities.
190. It will also make growth and poverty reduction more sustainable by addressing
negative congestion externalities from agglomeration. Rapid urbanization usually increases
traffic congestion and urban environmental problems such as air pollution. The spatial
transformation pathway addresses those negative externalities from urbanization by emphasizing
the importance of proper urban planning and investments in essential urban infrastructure
including the quality of infrastructure services (e.g., water and sanitation).
Managed properly, urbanization can generate industrial agglomeration, which by creating jobs
fosters sustained growth and poverty reduction.
191. Urbanization offers major opportunities for sustained growth and poverty reduction
through migration and positive urban externalities. With the right institutional foundations,
especially sound property rights, urbanization can foster agglomeration effects within and between
industries and economies of scale in production and transport.
192. Industrial agglomeration promotes creation of more productive firms. Clustering can
help promote information spillovers and foster agglomeration effects that generate economies of
scale. Clusters can also facilitate access to infrastructure, such as electricity or roads, reducing the
costs of production and commercialization for firms in the cluster. Clusters can be built around
products as firms come to see some benefits from working together. They can also be developed
around locations, where firms join to cut infrastructure cost.
Rapid urbanization in Tanzania has not yet led to industrial agglomeration that generates sufficient
economic density to raise productivity in the cities.
193. The urban population is growing rapidly. While Tanzania’s population is growing at
slightly above 3 percent a year, for the last decade growth of the urban population has averaged
5.5 percent a year (figure 66). In 2012, about 30 percent of the population was living in urban
areas; by 2045 this share is expected to reach 50 percent (United Nations 2014). Dar es Salaam is
the third-fastest-growing city in Africa.
194. The urbanization rate in Tanzania is rapid but the country lacks resources to build
its cities. While Tanzania’s GDP per capita is higher than most SSA countries with similar
urbanization, it is much lower than East Asian countries whose GDP per capita was more than
double that of Tanzania when they were as urbanized as Tanzania is now (figures 67). Like other
62
African countries dealing with rapid urbanization, how to afford the necessary infrastructure to
support viable urbanization is a challenge for Tanzania.
195. While nontradable services have grown along with urbanization, industrial activities
have not yet expanded commensurately. Firms are dispersed and economic density is low in Dar
es Salaam (figure 68).38 In Dar es Salaam, less than half the firms produce tradables; in many East
Asian cities tradable sectors account for about 80 percent (figure 69). The growing concentration
of firms in low-value-added services and the informal sector is dampening productivity and the
economic benefits of urbanization.
Figure 66. Average Annual Urban Population Figure 67: Urbanization Rate and GDP Per Capita,
Growth, 2004–13, Percent Global Benchmarks
12
PUS$)
10
P per capita (PP
8
Ln GD
6
0 20 40 60 80 100
Urban population (% of total)
All countries, 2014 95% CI
Fitted values Tanzania
Source: WDI
Source: UN World Urban Prospects, The 2014 Revision. Source: World Development Indicators.
Figure 68. Economic Density Figure 69. Production Mix in Selected Cities
100
88
90
80
GDP / sq.km (US$ million)
70
60
50
40
40
30
20
10
0.65 0.5
0
Bangkok New Delhi Accra Dar es Salaam
Source: World Bank staff.
Source: World Bank 2016.
196. Urbanization is not yet driven by productivity gains from economic density and
industrial agglomeration. Tanzania’s urbanization seems to be driven by economic booms from
natural resources rather than industrialization. While urban workers earn about 30 percent more in
nominal wages than rural workers, when wages are deflated to adjust for cost-of-living differences,
the magnitude of the urban wage premium falls and loses statistical significance.39 This implies
that higher nominal urban wages are largely driven by higher prices rather than higher productivity.
197. Urbanization has led to enormous congestion problems in Dar es Salaam; the transport
problems are particularly challenging. Currently, urban transport in Dar es Salaam, and to a lesser
38
Over the past 20 years, it is estimated that the Dar es Salaam population grew by more than 263 percent, but “night
lights growth” (density of economic activities) grew only 118 percent.
39
This is based on a study by Jones et al. (2016) drawing on NPS and HBS databases.
63
extent in other urban areas, is characterized by high levels of congestion; long, uncomfortable
journeys; overcrowded buses; substantial air pollution; lack of road safety; a poor pedestrian
environment; limited parking facilities; and poor traffic management. Dar es Salaam residents
spend an average of 82 minutes commuting one way. The problems are the result of increasing
numbers of vehicles coupled with limited resources and weak administration and planning.
198. Water, sanitation, and other urban infrastructure is also under pressure. The
Tanzania NPS (2010-11) found that 58 percent of households in Dar es Salaam share their toilet
facilities, compared to 46 percent in other urban areas and 20 percent in rural areas. Only 12
percent of households in Dar es Salaam and 8 percent in other urban areas have access to a flush
toilet. Access to water is not much better: less than 9 percent of urban households use piped water
inside their dwellings as the main source of drinking water, compared to 6.3 percent of rural
households. The growing medium-sized cities are following these trends.
199. Urban planning and management are essential for effectively connecting people,
industries, and markets and driving productivity growth. Not only do poor urban infrastructure
and limited availability of basic services of adequate quality constrain productivity and adversely
affect livability, they also limit further urban densification, which could result in lower unit
infrastructure costs and give firms access to larger consumer markets and to labor. Improving the
quality of transportation and other infrastructure services in these areas is a critical prerequisite for
greater agglomeration benefits and creating many more-productive jobs.
200. Opening special economic zones (SEZs) is clearly at the center of the Government’s
growth strategy as reflected in FYDP II. SEZs in specific geographic areas will promote more
competitive industries by making the investment climate more attractive and reducing
infrastructure-related bottlenecks (for example, in power supply and other utility connections). As
SEZs promote formal work and skill development, human capital and competitiveness will also
increase. SEZs have proved their usefulness in many developing countries in offering private
enterprises access to land and infrastructure and streamlining administrative procedures when
national reforms are likely to move slowly.
201. Better regulation and infrastructure services are central to the success of SEZs. In
Tanzania export processing zones (EPZs) coexist with SEZs. EPZs are based on tax incentives for
enterprises to engage in exporting; most Tanzanian EPZs are single-site factories. SEZs are based
on development of physical zones that have improved infrastructure and simplified regulatory
procedures. A number of studies have shown that foreign investors are more attracted by a better
investment climate than by tax incentives (see e.g., Morisset and Pirnia 2000). The Government
intends, according to FYDP II, to develop large-scale SEZs in a few areas. In improving the
regulatory environment for SEZs, the Government should gradually prioritize acting as regulator
of zones that would be developed by the private sector or through PPPs.
The Tanzanian economy has become more integrated internally through better transport and
communication networks but rural-urban divides persist.
202. Tanzania has succeeded in building a good national trunk road network. For the last
20 years, the road network has consumed the lion’s share of transport investment resources,
reflecting its centrality to the transport system. There has also been a significant effort to pave
64
trunk roads, in line with the Transport Sector Investment Plan and Transport Policy goals of having
all regional centers connected by paved roads by 2018.
203. Mobile telephone-based technology has quickly reinforced economic connectivity.
Tanzania has grown into the largest market in the world for mobile finance by numbers of users
and transactions. Kenya still leads in terms of the value of mobile money transfers, but Tanzania
is also set to overtake on this indicator. The variety of mobile money products and providers has
also led to a much greater innovation: Tanzania was the first country to deliver mobile savings,
loans, and interest-bearing products and also the first to develop an inter-operability framework.
Figure 70 shows the origin and destination of mobile money flows, highlighting how the
technology has established economic links between Dar es Salaam and the regions.
204. Tanzania needs to put in place connective infrastructure—connecting leading and
lagging areas—so that the benefits of economic density are widely shared; however, poor
rural roads are deterring connectivity between rural areas and urban markets. Tanzania has
about 56,000 km of tertiary roads. In rural areas most carry few motorized vehicles but a high
volume of pedestrians and nonmotorized transport. At least 15,000 km are accessible only by four-
wheel drive vehicles, and 20,000–30,000 km are not accessible by motorized vehicles during the
rainy seasons (see table 8). Because transport services and facilities are unreliable and inadequate,
in many remote parts of the country post-harvest losses are high at an estimated 35 percent of total
production. Thus, limited and poorly maintained rural roads are a severe constraint on the
development of commercial agriculture.
205. With the concentration of economic activities and spatial inequalities, achieving
inclusive development has been challenging for Tanzania, like many other developing
countries. Regional disparities and income divergences are widening, with Dar es Salaam growing
much faster than the rest of the country. The poverty rate has fallen substantially in Dar es Salaam
but remains high in rural areas. Social service delivery and public spending also tend to vary
considerably across districts. Infrastructure in rural areas needs to be strengthened to improve
living conditions and ensure that rural areas are well connected with the rest of the country (World
Development Report 2009).
Figure 70. Directions of Money Table 8. Selected Indicators for Different Classes of Roads
Transfers through Mobile Phones Trunk District
roads roads
Road length (km thousands) 10.6 56.6
National budget for road development (TZS billions) 1,247 12
Road Fund for road maintenance (TZS billions) 365 111
Tarmacking (paved proportion, %) 42 <1
Road condition (good or fair, %) >90 <60
Source: World Bank Rapid Budget Analysis 2012.
206. Secondary cities are the connective tissue between rural and urban areas. They act as
markets for agricultural and rural output, as stimulators of rural nonfarm activities, as places for
low-skilled job opportunities, and as facilitators of economies of scale in healthcare services and
post-primary education. Secondary cities draw sustenance from the agricultural activity of rural
areas, but their prosperity also spills over to small villages and rural hinterlands through the
65
generation of nonfarm employment opportunities, consumption linkages, and remittances. The
development of secondary towns can lead to more inclusive and pro-poor growth patterns because
the poor find their way more easily to the nonfarm economy and secondary cities, than to distant
metropolitan ones.40
Effective connectivity both within Tanzania and with neighboring countries fosters economic
integration.
207. Regional integration has already been an important force to the development of firms
in Tanzania, mainly through diversification of destinations and products and growth in regional
manufactured exports. Tanzanian businesses could benefit from the EAC common market process.
EAC, of which Tanzania is a member, is an entry point for small firms to start exporting,
facilitating their access to global markets. Yet, to exploit these opportunities, the infrastructure for
domestic and cross-border regional trade and transport must be efficient.
208. Tanzania’s location could be leveraged to help sustain growth. By providing a virtual
landing station for several countries, including landlocked neighbors, Tanzania can gain transit
fees from handling Internet traffic to those countries. The concentration of high-value agricultural
land near the borders of Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Zambia, and Mozambique also offers opportunities
for Tanzanian farmers to access new regional markets.
Regional integration is deepening but the competitiveness of regional corridors needs to be built up.
209. The EAC is the most integrated regional economic community (REC) in Sub-Saharan
Africa. Intra-EAC exports account for 21 percent of the total exports of EAC members and their
volume has been rising since the EAC customs union was established in 2005 (figure 71). The
share of intra-REC trade in EAC is much higher than in other African RECs.
210. The EAC countries are committed to advancing economic integration. Besides their
trade integration through a common market, EAC countries have also decided to move ahead with
monetary integration by creating a monetary union: In November 2013, all EAC member states
signed the protocol to establish the monetary union and agreed on completing the preliminary
stages of integration within two years and laying the fiscal foundation for a common currency in
less than 10 years (in 2024). The protocol sets out the process and convergence criteria.
211. Regional integration has facilitated Tanzania’s diversification of manufactured
exports, which today are a larger share of Tanzania’s exports to other EAC and SADC countries.
For example, in 1993–95 manufactured exports to other EAC countries constituted only 2.4
percent of total Tanzanian exports and to SADC countries just 1.1 percent. In 2008–10 5 percent
of total exports went to other EAC countries and 5.5 percent to the SADC.
212. Outbound and inbound transfers of goods with the Mainland constitute a substantial
part of Zanzibar’s “merchandise trade” (figure 72). This suggests the importance of transport
connectivity between Zanzibar and the Mainland. Relative to Zanzibar’s GDP in the past five
years, trade and transfers have averaged about 38 percent, almost the same as in the Mainland.
40
See WDR (2009) and Christiaensen et al. (2013)
66
However, there are more year-to-year fluctuations due to the small size of the economy (2–3
percent of the Mainland’s), they can be a source of vulnerability for Zanzibar.
213. Improving the regional transport network is essential for both competitiveness and
closer regional and global economic integration. Since about 90 percent of Tanzania’s
international transactions transit through the port of Dar es Salaam, and 35 percent of the total
throughput of the port is intended for the landlocked countries of the interior, making this maritime
gateway more efficient is essential to regional transport. Recent research points to predictability
as being ever more important for logistical performance (Arvis, Raballand, and Marteau 2010).
Measured by standard deviation from mean clearance times, delivery of exports in Eastern Africa
is only half as predictable as in the average emerging country. The cost of each additional day of
delay is estimated to be as high as US$200-400, worsening already high transport costs, and
ultimately raising prices.
Figure 71. Export Destinations of Four Major Regional Figure 72. Zanzibar’s Trade and Transfers of
Economic Communities (RECs), Percent Goods with the Mainland and Other Countries,
Percent of GDP
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Zanzibar's Transfers from Mainland Zanzibar's Transfers to Mainland
Zanzibar Direct Imports Zanzibar Direct Exports
Mainland Direct Exports & Imports and Transfers with Zanzibar
Source: IMF Direction of Trade data. Source: Zanzibar Office of Chief Government Statistician and
National Bureau of Statistics.
214. Efficient port infrastructure is a critical catalyst for connecting Tanzania with global
markets. The Port of Dar es Salaam is crucial for connecting landlocked countries to global
markets, but it is becoming increasingly unable to do so. Over the last five years, the volume of
goods passing through the port has been growing on average by 9 percent a year, with liquid bulk
and container volumes increasing even faster. Fourteen percent of the trade of the six neighboring
landlocked countries transits through the port, and the volume has been growing at an average
annual rate of 16.5 percent. The rapid growth is placing a heavy strain on the port. There is an
urgent need to enlarge its capacity, improve its operational efficiency, and heighten the
participation of the private sector.
215. Central Corridor railway infrastructure needs improvements. The Port of Dar es
Salaam is connected by rail to Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria and serves Rwanda and Burundi
via the Central line, operated by Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL). The port is connected to the
Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which serves Zambia, the DRC, and Malawi.
However, neither railway operates efficiently or close to its design capacity: Freight carried by
TRL fell 87 percent between 2002 and 2011 and now amounts to just 200,000 tons a year; it had
peaked in 2002 at 1.5 million tons. The Government is now prioritizing revitalization of both lines
and has invested in new locomotives and rolling stock for TRL.
216. However, integration between the modes has to be closer and a modern logistical
chain has to be in place to make the Central Corridor more competitive. The 2014 Logistic
67
Performance Index ranks Tanzania 138th out of 160 countries surveyed. Logistics is vital to the
economy because it supports the flow of many economic transactions and helps facilitate the sale
of practically all goods and services: If goods do not arrive on time, in good condition, in the
correct place, at the correct price, customers will not buy. Currently, the links in the logistical chain
in Tanzania and the region are essentially operating independently, and there is minimal
integration between stakeholders within and outside the port.
217. In addition to transport connectivity and logistics problems, in Tanzania the business
environment for cross-border trade is not good. The business environment for cross-border
trading supports deeper regional integration and increased trade between Tanzania and
neighboring countries. The Doing Business 2017 survey ranks Tanzania 180th out of 190 countries
for trading across borders, below the median even for the SSA regional average and lowest among
the EAC countries. Tanzania performs particularly poorly in terms of the length of time required
to export and import. Nontariff barriers (NTBs) are prevalent, but recently Tanzania has made
notable progress in strengthening governance to address NTMs. 41 However, further efforts are
needed to control NTBs. The EAC Common Market Score Card (CMS) released in October 2016
reveals that of EAC members Tanzania has the highest number of NTBs, having introduced 17
new measures since the previous CMS in 2014 and retained 7 from 2014.
D. Institutional Transformation
218. The pathway of institutional transformation contributes to growth acceleration
through building strong public institutions to provide enabling environment for private
sector growth, including effective pubic investments in infrastructure. In doing so, this
pathway complements both structural and spatial transformation, which requires vibrant private
sector to drive the transformation process. This pathway helps the country establish strong public
sector, which nurtures private sector markets rather than constrains them, and provides a stable
predictable policy and institutional environment for private sector operations. It also builds the
capability of public sector to make effective public investments in infrastructure to improve
Tanzania’s investment climate.
219. The pathway also promotes more inclusion in the country’s development by
improving the quality of service delivery in social sectors. The pathway addresses the current
unsatisfactory performance in service delivery as reflected in the SDIs in health and education.
Inequitable distribution of resources, fiscal and human, among local governments is related to the
varying level of quantity and quality of service delivery among different locations in the country.
220. Sustainability of growth and poverty reduction will be pursued under this pathway
by enhancing accountability in the public sector, leveraging ICT. Improved accountability in
the public sector will solidify the relationship between the Government and the public—citizens
and private businesses—s the former providing services to the latter in exchange to taxes the latter
pay to the former. This will provide a stable basis for the Government to play its role in fostering
growth and poverty reduction through its policies and investments.
41
The Government has set up and is applying mechanisms to address the prevalence and impact of NTBs and nontariff
measures (NTMs) through a functional national NTB committee.
68
Tanzania has made good progress in reforming the public sector since the late 1990s.
221. Reforms since the late 1990s have significantly improved management of the public
sector. Four major government programs now address binding constraints and problems within
the public service, public financial management (PFM), local governments, and the justice system.
Notable progress has been made in installing a Human Resource Management Information System
(HRMIS) and an Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS).
222. The PFM reforms in the 1990s improved expenditure control. A particular success of
this period was roll-out of the IFMS implementation, which helped bring arrears under control.
Much of the motivation for reform was due to the need to reach the Highly Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) completion point, which was achieved in November 2001. Such motivation coincided with
a reformist presidency.
223. Tanzania’s governance is above average among countries at the same level of income.
Since 2001, the country’s scores on the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA)
assessments rank it fourth highest of 18 SSA countries, after Burkina Faso, Mali, and Zambia. In
2013, Tanzania performed substantially better than other SSA and low-income countries on
external audit and accounting and reporting, though less well on budget credibility and
comprehensiveness and transparency (figure 73). The Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance
ranks Tanzania 15th of 52 countries.
Figure 73. Average PEFA scores for 2006, 2010, and 2013
Source: PEFA assessments
Note: Averages were used for each dimension, based on performance as captured in the most recent PEFA and calculated as follows: A=7, B+ =
6, B=5, etc. Higher scores indicate better performance.
Improvements in public sector performance stalled in the mid-2000s but the current administration
has committed to improving governance and making the public sector more effective.
224. The reform momentum began to slow in the mid-2000s and the performance of the
public sector generally declined. It has been difficult to maintain the quality of public services,
especially in vital social sectors such as health, education, and water and sanitation (chapter III).
Areas of marked improvement between the 2005 and 2013 PEFAs include transparency,
competition, and procurement complaints handling; the scope, nature, and follow-up of external
audit; and annual budget scrutiny. But many other areas seem to have deteriorated.42 Since 2008,
42
Changes in the PEFA methodology and different perceptions of progress and system status make accurate assessments of trends
problematic.
69
as the fiscal deficit grew, aggregate fiscal discipline worsened, and despite the IFMS commitment
controls, supplier arrears that had again accumulated.
225. Both World Governance Indicators (WGI) and the Country Policy and Institutional
Assessment (CPIA) show a decline in public sector performance. According to the WGI,
Tanzania’s performance has generally declined since 2009 and was most severe in terms of the
erosion of political stability, government effectiveness, and control of corruption (figure 74). The
CPIA identified a similar decline (figure 75). Public satisfaction with the delivery of government
services in health, education, water/sanitation, and other social sectors has been falling in recent
years, according to the 2015 AfroBarometer estimates (figure 76).
226. Public sector reforms will require much more government innovation to adapt to
changing development contexts and overcome capacity constraints. The capacity constraints
will also make it hard for Tanzania to implement second-generation reforms. Although more
money has been allotted to local governments, their accountability to central authorities has
weakened. Measures to curb corruption have also failed to meet their targets. Similarly, few
improvements have been achieved in resource management and service delivery.
Figure 74. Worldwide Governance Indicators Figure 75. Country Policy and Institutional Assessment
4.5
50
4
40 3.5
30 3
2.5
20
2
10 1.5
0 1
Control of Government Political Stability Regulatory Quality Voice and Rule of Law 0.5
Corruption Effectiveness and Absence of Accountability
0
Violence/Terrorism 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total CPIA Score
[2007] [2010] [2014] Average Score for Cluster D (Public sector management and institutions)
Source: World Governance Indicators.
Figure 76. The Afrobarometer Estimate of Tanzania’s Performance
(A) Government Management of Service Delivery (B) Citizen Perceptions of the Government’s Ability
to Handle the Most Important Problems
Source: Afrobarometer 2015. Source: Afrobarometer 2015.
227. Elite capture and rent-seeking are still rife. The Transparency International Corruption
Perceptions Index ranks Tanzania 119 out of 175 countries. Elite capture emerges when there is a
concentration of power in the executive, an uneven allocation of economic opportunities, and civil
society organizations are unable to take collective action. Inefficient competition within the formal
private sector reinforces incentives for rent-seeking behaviors.
70
228. The current administration has initiated numerous efforts reform key institutions to
fight corruption. The new administration has started to cut back on nonpriority expenditures, and
tax exemptions and evasions have been significantly reduced. Despite its drastic measures to curb
corruption, however, anticorruption efforts cannot be fully effective unless they address corruption
in service delivery and by senior public officials. It is important to tackle the deep structural issues
that have enabled corrupt practices over the past decade.
The quality of service delivery hinges on the financial performance of the public sector including the
credibility of the Government budget and financial sustainability of SOEs.
229. The Government budget credibility has declined in recent years. The Government
continues to experience difficulties in raising the budget execution rate, which is to reduce the gap
between actual and budgeted spending. In FY2014/15, the overall budget execution rate was only
86 percent. While the execution rate rose in FY2015/16 partly reflecting the election cycle, the
preliminary data for the first semester of FY2016/17 indicates resurgence of underspending. The
high level of arrears (chapter III) also undermines the budget credibility. While the 2013 PEFA
scores show improvements in some PFM indicators from previous years, key budget credibility
measures have declined and remained lower than the SSA average (figure 73).
230. The under-performance of budget is stemming from continued weakness in some
PFM areas including procurement. The continued problem of under-execution of the budget
has been partly due to overly optimistic revenue projection for budgeting, which the current
administration is making efforts to rectify. But there are other PFM factors such as inefficiency in
procurement and weaknesses in non-salary internal control systems.
231. The current weakness in budget execution, including procurement, is affecting the
quality of service delivery. Poor predictability in the availability of funds and weak procurement
planning and processes have impeded the acquisition of key inputs for service delivery. For
example, some donor-funded education projects, which seek to improve the quality of basic
education through the provision of capitation grants, have faced difficulty in timely
implementation due to lack of counterpart funding. Similar cases have been observed in other
sectors.
232. Weak financial positions of SOEs also affect their delivery of services to the public.
Many SOEs and parastatals, with TANESCO and the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage
Corporation (DAWASCO) as primary examples, continue facing difficulties in their financial
performance. The Treasury Registry in the Ministry of Finance Planning is mandated to oversee
financial performance of SOEs through Treasury Registrar, but their oversight function has not
been sufficiently strong. The accountability system of SOEs has not been strong enough either
although the current administration is making.
Inequitable allocation of resources across districts also affects the overall service delivery
performance.
233. There is a visible disparity in resource allocation in social services among districts
(figure 77). Unequal allocation of public resources in health and education explains the disparities
in human development outcomes as discussed chapter III. Those in the poorest and most
underprivileged areas receive significantly fewer human and financial resources than more affluent
71
areas. Over half the regions fall below the national average in terms of the density of clinicians
and nurses, and on average, the doctor-population ratio is 17 times higher in urban areas in rural
areas. In education, under-resourced districts have worse learning outcomes. Deploying teachers
in hard-to-reach areas is difficult; incentive measures and beneficiary engagement and
accountability are extremely scarce.
234. Lack of sufficient incentives for public sector workers has been identified as the main
driver of intra- and inter-local government fiscal inequity based on the recent study on fiscal
inequity under the Public Expenditure Review (PER) process in Tanzania (Coffey 2014). The
study found that not only are recurrent grants to local government authorities (LGAs) very uneven,
in particular salary-related transfers for basic education, health, and agriculture, but that there are
similar significant inequities within LGAs: typically, facilities on the periphery of LGAs receive
far fewer staff resources than those near the center. The study also found that Central Government
staff allocations to relatively underserved areas are often not accompanied with additional
incentives and that wage bill resources are closely linked to availability of infrastructure, which
further widens existing inequalities by allotting a higher wage bill budget to well-off districts.
235. The pay incentive system for civil servants still needs more reforms. Although a new
Pay and Incentives Policy was approved in 2010, it is fairly similar to the old one despite its relative
emphasis on incentives for public servants working in remote and underserved areas. In particular,
insufficient pay and incentives to middle-level public servants continue to demotivate staff.
Training and allowances have often been used to compensate staff for a lower salary.
Figure 77. Per Capita Recurrent Spending across Districts in 2014
Source: Public Expenditure Review Rapid Budget Analysis 2014.
Leveraging ICT could help raise public sector capability while also improving the transparency of
government activities.
236. The Government has made significant progress on ICT. The National ICT Broadband
Backbone is up and running, all telecommunications operators have open access to it, and both
wholesale and retail Internet connectivity prices have plunged by more than 90 percent. More than
70 percent of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are now connected to the Government
network, and economies of scale are achieved through pre-purchase of international access
capacity. The successful government universal access program has resulted in more than 50
unserved or under-served wards in rural Tanzania gaining access to mobile telephony services. In
Africa Tanzania is leading the way in pushing forward the Open Data agenda.
237. Fiscal transparency has improved and budget transparency is reasonable,
particularly compared to other SSA countries. Continued pressure for transparency from civil
72
society can be credited with bringing about these improvements. Recent reforms include the Open
Government Partnership (OGP), which is committed to increasing the transparency of fiscal and
budgetary data (box 6). Some difficulties remain, however, as indicated by PEFA scores for
transparency, information availability, external audit, and legislative oversight. Some data are not
available and those that are often are incomplete and in a form that is not user-friendly.
238. There are still substantial needs to improve services, leveraging ICT or e-government.
ICT could be very useful in exploiting market opportunities and raising agricultural productivity,
for example, through electronic agricultural extension, mobile payments, and using open data to
develop sector-specific e-services and applications and learning platforms. Evidence of the impact
of Open Data in developed economies shows good returns in sectors like agriculture, transport,
and health care, which are of high priority in Tanzania.
Box 6. Tanzania and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative
In 2011, Tanzania joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a unique multilateral initiative where to make
government more effective governments pledge to engage citizens, equally and without discrimination, in decision
making and policy formulation. The idea behind the initiative is that a more transparent environment with easier
access to information would make policy formulation and decision making more transparent and evidence-based,
and would create space for mechanisms to foster greater collaboration between governments and citizens. To
achieve this open government vision, Tanzania has committed to (1) promoting increased access to information
and disclosure about activities at every level of government; (2) increasing efforts to systematically collect and
publish data on government performance and spending for essential public services and activities; (3) proactively
providing timely high-value information, including raw data, in formats the public can easily locate, understand,
and use and that facilitate reuse; and (4) providing access to effective remedies when information or the
corresponding records are improperly withheld, and effectively overseeing the recourse process.
The role of state versus market needs to be balanced with the Government’s ability to provide
enabling environment for the private sector strengthened and robust public-private dialogue
established.
239. In past transitions from a planned economy under a socialist regime to a market-
based system, the balance between the state and the market has not always been well-settled.
The Government provides public goods and intervenes to correct market failures; its regulation is
necessary to ensure that the market functions properly and efficiently. However, over-regulation
pushes up transaction costs for market participants—the private sector.
240. The still-substantial presence of parastatals in Tanzania is weighing ever more
heavily on the government fiscal envelope while crowding out private sector growth by
limiting market competition. State dominance manifests itself in inefficient SOEs that benefit
from government-sanctioned market distortions like monopolies, subsidies, and protectionist tax
schemes. As with the state-owned power company, TANESCO, SOE operational inefficiency and
financial problems are burdens on the government budget.
241. The Government also has a critical need to make the business environment more
supportive by upgrading the quality of regulations and how they are implemented. Among
initiatives the Government has launched to improve the business environment are Business
Environment Strengthening in Tanzania (BEST) and the Big Results Now (BRN) Business
Environment Lab. However, they have not yet had much impact.
73
242. The failure of the private sector to grow post-privatization is due to the compounded
effects of anemic market institutions and a poor business environment, which have kept
transaction costs high and markets segmented. High transaction costs and segmented markets
give cost advantages to large incumbent firms, some of which were formerly state-owned. They
have the means to remain in the market, overcome high regulatory burdens, and possibly network
with government regulators.
243. The country also has a mixed experience in handling PPPs. According to the World
Bank Private Partnership Initiative Database, it has had at least 27 PPP projects in
telecommunications, power, water, ports, rail, roads, and airports, in addition to those in local
government, health, and other sectors. However, these were generally not very successful (World
Bank 2016c). Although the country has a PPP framework in place (2009 PPP Policy and 2010 PPP
Act), PPP projects continued to be selected ad hoc. The awards of many of the projects were
noncompetitive and nontransparent, which undermined their chances of success.
244. Predictable and transparent regulation based on strong public private dialogue is of
paramount importance to an enabling environment for businesses. Lack of consistency and
reliability in applying formal rules over time raises business transaction costs and is a disincentive
to private investment. The private sector in Tanzania continues to voice concerns about ad hoc
government interventions and policy reversals. Enterprise surveys show that only half of firms
think application of rules is consistent in Tanzania; regulatory inconsistency has been a substantial
burden on the private sector. The quality of public-private dialogue needs to be established to foster
mutual understanding between the two sectors on objectives and implications of policies which
affect the private sector and improve predictability of policy implementation by the Government.
E. Foundations
Building current and future human capital is fundamental for growth and poverty reduction on
through all three pathways.
245. The strength—in terms of both health and education—of the human capital in the
population, including children, matters greatly to enhancing the productivity of the current
and future labor force. Today average labor productivity is low in firms and this chapter has
already discussed the shortages in skills. While part of the problem is related to the lack of adequate
training programs and the low quality of the few that exist, it is also the result of inadequate social
services in terms of health and nutrition as well as education. The low quality of human
development outcomes has been evident in recent years and the stunting level is high (chapter III).
Poor nutrition affects the cognitive skills of very young children and minimizes their future
productivity.
246. Human capital is basic for economic transformations because it fosters innovation
and knowledge flows within and across industries. The empirical analyses in chapter III
demonstrated that the education levels of entrepreneurs and farmers are correlated with their
productivity and participation in value-addition. Building the managerial skills of micro-
entrepreneurs in such aspects as finance, marketing, and production management helps make their
businesses more profitable by fostering more innovations (e.g., Sonobe and Otsuka 2014).
74
247. Human capital is at the core of both spatial and institutional transformation.
Reducing disparities in human development is a key objective of spatial transformation. Despite
the national achievements in human development, there are still rural-urban disparities in such
central indicators as access to maternity health facilities and services and water and sanitation
services, let alone the gap in income poverty (chapter III). The institutional capacity of the public
sector also depends on solid human resources. Properly skilled and trained staff resources enhance
the quality of services provided by the Government and other public institutions such as SOEs.
248. Addressing gender gaps is critical to all three pathways. A number of empirical studies
show micro-level evidence from different parts in the world on how empowerment of women
contributes to poverty reduction and stimulates growth by improving child well-being and
increasing women’s participation in productive activities (see Morrison, Raju, and Sinha (2007)
for a review). It is crucial to emphasize gender equity in terms of human development outcomes,
entrepreneurship development, and access to economic opportunities such as finance and land
(chapter III).
249. Generating more formal employment for women in labor-intensive industries is
important for mainstreaming gender aspects in structural transformation. More women than
men are represented in the recent surge in informal employment (table 9), particularly in trade
(wholesale and retail) and in hotels and restaurants. Fostering female acquisition of skills and
turning their informal employment into formal wage employment, possibly in light manufacturing
(e.g., agro-processing, textiles and garments) will have substantial impacts on women’s economic
opportunities to enhance structural transformation.
Table 9. Contribution to Growth in Informal Employment (%)
Male Female Total
Total 45.0 55.0 100.0
Location
Dar es Salaam 12.8 14.4 27.2
Other Urban 22.3 29.6 51.8
Rural 10.0 11.0 21.0
Sector
Mining and quarry 3.8 1.3 5.1
Manufacturing 3.5 3.4 6.9
Construction 8.1 0.1 8.2
Wholesale and Retail Trade 16.1 25.6 41.8
Hotels and Restaurants 2.2 13.4 15.6
Transport 8.6 -0.4 8.2
Other services 3.1 11.7 14.9
Age Category
15-24 8.6 15.4 24.0
25-34 13.5 16.3 29.8
35-64 22.0 21.9 43.9
65+ 0.9 1.4 2.3
Source: Integrated Labor Force Surveys 2001, 2006, and 2014
W ithout macroeconomic stability, Tanzania’s achievements in growth and poverty reduction could
be easily lost and its future prospects dissipated.
250. Given the current external and internal risks, there is no guarantee that Tanzania’s
stable growth path will be automatically extended. Although the macroeconomic environment
may be positive, the country must still deal with minimizing all the macroeconomic risks discussed
in chapter III. External risks mainly relate especially to fluctuations in commodity prices and the
75
slower growth of the Chinese economy. The low revenue-GDP ratio, mounting arrears throughout
the public sector, and high public debt are the main internal risks.
251. Macroeconomic stability is a prerequisite for economic transformations. Stability and
predictability in domestic prices, the foreign exchange rate, interest rates, and execution of the
government budget are important elements of a conducive business environment for the domestic
and foreign investors who must drive economic transformations. These transformations will have
macroeconomic implications—not only positive implications for growth and the external balance
but also potentially negative implications, such as growth in the deficit and higher inflation as the
Government scales up its spending to support transformation. Sound macroeconomic management
has to be internalized in the transformation process.
252. With the EAC countries committed to adopting a single currency by 2024,
maintaining macroeconomic stability must be part of Tanzania’s agenda for regional
integration. Sound macroeconomic policy is crucial if Tanzania is to meet the convergence
criteria.43 A monetary union brings both benefits and challenges. The major benefits are a credibly
independent central bank, the reduced possibility of importing recessions, and lower trade costs.
But a monetary union also limits the effectiveness of independent monetary policy and raises the
risk of sovereign default. Sound macroeconomic policy will become even more important as the
EAC countries proceed with monetary integration.
43
The EAC single currency is expected to be introduced by 2024 by member states that comply with four primary
convergence criteria, complemented by three non-binding, indicative convergence criteria that will serve as early
warning indicators. Primary convergence criteria are: ceiling on headline inflation of 8 percent; fiscal deficit (including
grants) ceiling of 3 percent of GDP; ceiling on gross public debt of 50 percent of GDP in net present value terms; and
reserve cover of 4.5 months of imports. Indicative criteria are: core inflation ceiling of 5 percent; fiscal deficit
(excluding grants) ceiling of 6 percent of GDP; and tax- to-GDP ratio of 25 percent
76
V. PRIORITY AREAS FOR POLICY ACTIONS TO ACCELERATE
GROWTH AND POVERTY REDUCTION
A. Identification and Prioritization
253. The SCD seeks to identify priority areas for policy action to enable Tanzania’s
economic transformation, guided by the FYDP II. It takes into account Tanzania’s unique
characteristics; what has been learned about its growth, poverty, and inclusion; and the risks to the
sustainability of its growth and the poverty reduction achieved so far. It has also identified three
pathways of transformation: structural, spatial, and institutional.
254. Potential barriers along each pathway were first identified, based on the diagnostic
findings and an analysis of pathway performance (see annex IX for the list). The analyses in
the diagnostics and the pathway performance use the results of African country typologies to
examine differences between Tanzania and comparators and what factors promote successful
transformations. The analyses also use cross-country econometric analyses to investigate
determinants of growth by estimating the impact of a large number of explanatory variables on
GDP growth. They also call up WBESs and estimation results from micro-econometric analyses
using Enterprise Surveys data, ILFS, HBS, and NPS data.44
255. Priorities for action, through reforms or investments, are identified in terms of their
relative short- to medium-term contributions to growth acceleration, inclusion, and the
sustainability of growth and poverty reduction. Priority areas for growth are identified based
on variables with the most significant impact on investment, employment, and business
performance. Those for inclusion are based on how they will affect the income opportunities of
the bottom 40 percent and women. Those promoting sustainability and resilience rely on how well
Tanzania can mitigate sustainability risks by building resilience into the economy and by
generating growth and reducing poverty.
256. In addition, the analysis considered how the solution to a specific constraint can help
unlock or otherwise affect other constraints at the same time. For example, if the Government
mobilizes more revenue, it could invest in more adequate infrastructure to make services more
available to the public. The better services resulting will then support better human development
outcomes, helping to build a more skilled labor force; such investment will also make services
more accessible in rural areas. This kind of “externality” filter helps identify priority areas that
have positive spillovers to other areas, maximizing the impact on growth and poverty reduction.
257. Using these criteria, complemented by consultations with stakeholders, 9 priorities
have been identified based on the three pathways presented in chapter IV (table 10). The SCD
team consulted government officials, development partners, and representatives of research
institutes, civil society organizations, local community groups, and the private and informal
sectors, and met several times with the WBG Tanzania Country Team to validate the selection of
priority areas.
44
See, e.g., the regression results in the CEM (2014) and the Poverty Assessment (2015).
77
258. The selection of priorities does not mean that other areas are insignificant; the
priorities were selected with a view to promoting progress toward the WBG’s twin goals of
eradicating extreme poverty and enhancing shared prosperity. While these goals are closely related
to national development priorities, the Government is also working to address other constraints.
259. Supporting the 9 priority areas are the 2 foundational areas, corresponding to human
capital and macroeconomic stability foundations in the pathway framework (chapter IV).
Table 10. Priority Areas and Foundational Areas
Growth
Pathway Priority Area Externality Inclusion Sustainability
Acceleration
1: Develop a competitive business environment to boost private sector
Large Large Medium
growth, particularly in agribusiness and other job-creating sectors. High
Transformation
2: Improve the performance of the power sector through better planning
Medium Large Medium Large
Structural
and ensuring the financial sustainability of the sector.
3: Expand access to finance by addressing unmet needs for financial
High Medium Large Large
inclusion.
4: Enhance sustainability of natural resources through effective policy
Medium Medium Large Large
and institutional frameworks.
5: Strengthen rural-urban connectivity through enhanced rural transport
Spatial Transformation
High Medium Large Large
and market linkages between villages and secondary cities.
6: Boost urban productivity through better urban planning and reduction
High Large Medium Large
in urban congestion.
7: Remove bottlenecks in trading across borders by building up
infrastructure for regional connectivity and improving the business High Large Medium Medium
environment for trade.
8: Improve delivery of public services by ensuring equitable allocation
Transformation
Institutional
of resources, strengthening accountability and leveraging ICT. High Medium Large Large
9: Enhance mobilization of government revenue. High Large Large Large
Foundational Area
F1: Strengthen human capital development by promoting health, education, skills, and early childhood development.
F2: Ensure macroeconomic stability in order to ensure fiscal sustainability for the implementation of FYDP II.
B. Specific Priority Areas
Priority 1: Develop a competitive business environment to boost private sector growth, particularly
in agribusiness and other job-creating sectors.
260. Building an attractive business environment is fundamental for structural
transformation. Tanzania’s slow progress in business environment reforms, as reflected in its
Doing Business scores, dampens the growth of firm and farm productivity (chapter IV). Special
attention is needed to the business environment in agriculture, since agriculture is the most critical
foundation for structural transformation (chapter IV).
261. A concerted effort to improve the general business environment is crucial for
realizing private sector growth and job creation. Given that job creation is the most immediate
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avenue to promoting pro-poor growth and the private sector employs the bulk of Tanzania’s
workforce, a significant improvement in the business environment is necessary to accelerate
growth and promote shared prosperity.
262. To facilitate structural transformation and industrialization, the Government should
defer to the private sector by limiting its market interventions to its regulator role and
ensuring an enabling environment for private sector growth. As a regulator it can be helpful
by enabling the market to function effectively and efficiently. Investments in public goods should
include building the infrastructure that is crucial for industrialization, such as for power and gas.
For government investments in infrastructure investments, global experiences show that
leveraging private resources through competitively selected PPPs has often proved successful not
only in reducing the fiscal burdens on governments but also in managing projects more efficiently
(World Bank 2016c).
263. To make Tanzania’s business environment more attractive for both domestic and
international investors, business regulations need to be rationalized and their enforcement
needs to be more predictable. In Tanzania, administrative procedures in taxation, licensing,
inspections, and other compliance requirements are burdensome, particularly in agriculture and
tourism (chapter IV). Improving how regulations and policies are implemented to ensure
predictability would also improve the business environment. Inefficiency in tax administration
may be more burdensome for business than high tax rates. Frequent and ad hoc changes in
regulations and policies also negatively impact the investment decisions and performance of
businesses.
264. The business environment for agriculture has to be more conducive by reducing
regulatory burdens in the sector and state interventions to the market in order to enhance
the sector’s productivity and commercialization. Agricultural productivity and
commercialization are closely correlated (see chapter IV). Efficient marketing will be particularly
important. The Government should minimize its interventions in the sector to reduce market
distortions (chapter IV). This includes rationalization of functions of the commodity boards and
the market licensing regime in the sector such as export licenses. The multiplicity of taxes and
fees, including crop cess, have to be addressed as well in order to raise the prices farmers net. The
FY2016/17 Budget Speech (July 2016) expressed a commitment to rationalize agricultural
nuisance taxes; speedy action on the commitment is crucial.
265. Agricultural marketing must be improved through setting up necessary market
institutions such as quality standards. Quality standards and certifications are crucial for
building competitive value chains and complying with global market requirements. The national
quality infrastructure (e.g., metrology, certification, standardization, and accreditation services)
must be modernized. It is also important to address current institutional failures: The lack of
harmonization between national and regional standards for agricultural inputs and products and
costly regulatory overlaps—such as that of the Tanzania Bureau of Standards and the Tanzania
Food and Drugs Authority on food safety matters—compromise the local and international
competitiveness of agricultural goods (World Bank 2016e).
266. Access to land needs to be improved both for agriculture and manufacturing.
Difficulty in securing land is also perceived as a major investment climate constraint, particularly
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by medium-sized enterprises (chapter IV), and is often a bottleneck for foreign industrial investors.
Commercializing agriculture requires more land, which needs to be based on an accountable and
transparent mechanism for registrations and transfers (chapter IV).
267. The Government should proactively introduce more competition into the market,
through a strong competition regime, procurement, and PPPs, in order to improve efficiency
and give industries incentives to deliver the best deals for consumers and the Government.
Implementation of the competition policy framework (Fair Competition Act, FCT, FCC) has to be
strengthened (chapter IV). The Government should also encourage more competition in its
procurement of goods and services as well as in public investments when PPPs is explored.
Priority 2: Improve the performance of the power sector through better planning and ensuring the
financial sustainability of the sector.
268. Earlier diagnostics revealed the fact that unreliable power is a significant impediment
to structural transformation (chapter IV). At the same time, Tanzania still has a large
infrastructure deficit in power with access to electricity is still low, in particular in rural areas
(chapters III and IV). The poor performance of TANESCO is not only constraining productivity
growth of the private sector but also raising fiscal risks in the economy (chapters III and IV).
269. It is urgent for the Government to adopt a credible strategy to bring TANESCO back
onto a sustainable financial path. This includes clearance of large stock of arrears TANESCO
owes to IPPs and EPPs of about $400 million. Rigorous efforts are needed to improve the overall
efficiency of the system to reduce technical and commercial losses, enhance its revenue, and
reduce the overall cost of power supply.
270. The Government’s strategy to leverage onshore natural gas for power generation has
to be implemented without delays to reduce the overall cost of power generation. The gas
pipeline between Mtwara and Dar es Salaam was completed in 2015 and the 150-MW Kinyerezi
I gas-fired power plant was commissioned in March 2016. Getting the gas-to-power investment
program launched, although with some delay, has improved the operational balance of TANESCO
this year. The program will continue under the FYDP II. However, in order to substantially change
the cost structure before another major shock arrives, progress in moving the gas-to-power
program forward must be expedited.
271. Given that twice in the past decade, too little rainfall has pushed TANESCO into
financial crisis, sector investment planning has to be strengthened to ensure that services are
reliable. Legal, regulatory, institutional, and policy reforms in the past 10 years have failed to put
the power sector on firmer financial footing. This demonstrates poor planning and an inadequate
investment program. Electricity generation is constrained by delays in investment and a suboptimal
technology mix. The past three years have seen only about 210 megawatts in new generation
capacity installed. Investment planning needs to be improved both institutionally and technically.
272. Greater private participation in investments in energy—through competitive
processes—will narrow service-delivery gaps and relieve pressures on government
resources. Private participation, through IPP arrangements and PPPs, is rightly viewed as
necessary in years to come to complement public funding of the infrastructure needed, especially
in the energy sector. However, private sector participation has mostly materialized without a
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proper process of competitive selection, which lessens the likelihood of the country receiving value
for money.
273. The country also needs to strengthen the power sector structure and the governance.
The Government has adopted its strategy to unbundle the power sector in the long run (chapter
IV). In implementing such strategy, a plan for strengthening corporate management and
performance of TANESCO has to be prepared. Such plan should contain governance and
efficiency improvements measures, including management reorganization, competitive
appointments, internal decentralization, reduction in technical, billing and collection losses,
strengthening of management information systems, and increased use of pre-paid meters and
advanced metering.
274. The Government should also scale up efforts to improve rural access to electricity,
which remains low (chapter III). This includes ensuring adequate budget contributions to the
Rural Energy Fund to implement projects outlined in the National Electrification Prospectus and
complete the National Rural Electrification Master Plan to lay out an annual investment plan.
Priority 3: Expand access to finance by addressing unmet needs for financial inclusion.
275. Although access to financial services is much better today, it has been dominated by
informal financial services, and the needs of the poor and women are still unmet while limited
access to finance is one of the top business constraints. There are still not enough banks and
formal financial services, and according to the 2014 Findex Survey (chapter III), gender and
income gaps have even widened. Given their limited access to formal banking and high interest
rates they would face, small businesses consider access to finance to be their top constraint (chapter
IV).
276. Scaling up access to finance through the implementation of NFIF is of high priority.
Access to finance is basic to economic activities, especially investment. If private businesses are
to grow or poor households to generate income to break the cycle of poverty, both need external
financing to invest. The effective implementation of NFIF, which was launched in 2013 (chapter
IV), is critical in scaling up access to finance in the country, particularly among women and SMEs.
277. As a key pillar of NFIF, reliable and secure electronic payment platforms have to be
established. In Tanzania, the payment ecosystem is fragmented with multiple platforms and
limited interoperability for financial institutions. This is keeping the cost of access to electronic
payments high. A national switch could be established as a common electronic platform among
all other existing switches in the country, thus increasing the degree of inter-connectivity among
providers.
278. Measures should be taken to address information asymmetry between potential
lenders and borrowers, in particular by strengthening credit reference bureaus or credit
verification systems, which will lower the cost of credit. Recent initiatives in Nigeria, South
Africa, and Rwanda have proved the benefits of establishing private credit bureaus (Berg and
Fuchs 2013). In Tanzania, the Credit Reference System was created by BoT in 2012 consisting of
the Credit Reference Databank administered by the BoT itself and private credit reference bureaus.
The coverage of credit reference bureaus has expanded recently as reflected in its recent positive
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outcome in Doing Business 2017 ranking. Further efforts are important to scale up the coverage.
Availability of a robust national ID system is also an important infrastructure for credit verification
systems.
279. A robust legal and regulatory framework to govern secured transactions in the
country, including development of a central collateral registry, should be established.
Tanzania currently lacks an effective collateral management system. As a result, financial service
providers are forced to rely on a fragmented and rudimental process of registering collateral thus
negatively impacting their credit risk mitigation measures and increasing the cost of credit to
borrowers. Lenders are averse to using movable assets as collateral and largely demand immovable
property, which most MSMEs do not have. It is essential to ensure the enactment of an appropriate
legal and regulatory framework and the establishment of a centralized electronic collateral
database that will create efficiency in the registration of collateral, making it accessible to all
providers.
280. Financial inclusion efforts must go beyond financing to promote financial literacy. In
addition to expanding access to credit to the poor or microenterprises, inclusion implies a need to
empower them by heightening their financial literacy, and educating them on the best available
financial options, saving for life events, and using insurance or other insurance products to
anticipate unexpected events.
281. Availability of term financing in Tanzania should be enhanced to improve access to
finance in Tanzania for SMEs. The availability of financing for investment remains critical, as
shown by the enterprise survey data which indicate that access to finance is the biggest constraint
for SMEs. The mortgage market has developed very quickly as a result of the credit line managed
by Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company Limited. Pension funds can provide a very important
source of long term assets which could be used to finance the rest of the economy.
Priority 4: Enhance sustainability of natural resource through effective policy and institutional
frameworks.
282. Sustainability of natural resources is critically needed for structural transformation
while the country faces risks of resource depletion for some resources (chapters III and IV).
The average annual per capita volume of renewable freshwater is falling alarmingly to a level
characterized as water-stressed (chapter III). Climate variability, resource degradation, and
pollution threaten the sustainability of such critical water-using sectors as hydropower, irrigation,
mining, tourism, livestock, and urban and rural water supply.
283. The country must strengthen its natural resource management by carefully balancing
competing demands on the resources through effective inter-sectoral coordination in
resource uses. As the country continues to benefit from its rich natural resources, such frameworks
should ensure a higher level of efficiency in managing and leveraging natural resources. This
includes well-coordinated planning of resource uses across sectors given the risk of resource
depletion has been propelled by uncoordinated resource exploitation in the context of resource-
based economic growth (chapter IV). For instance, the planning and development of water basins
needs to be synchronized with the plans of other sectors.
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284. Institutional capacity of managing natural resources has to be strengthened
particularly at the central level. The Government’s environmental agency (Vice President’s
Office – Environment) has a cross-sectoral mandate and works to mainstream environmental
issues across government. Some sectoral ministries have developed sectoral environmental action
plans. However, ministries lack sufficient capacity in terms of budget, staffing, and expertise to
adequately address the issues related to environment and natural resource management, including
climate change. Having strong institutions, capacitated with the right skill set to integrate natural
resource into the Government’s implementation of its development policies. In addition, the
agency entrusted with environmental protection and stewardship, and oversight of environmental
impacts assessments (NEMC) needs substantial support to keep pace with other developments at
the sector level.
285. Transparency in the natural resource sectors has to be strengthened. For example,
the effectiveness of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), which are designed to promote
community-level stewardship of natural resources, can be enhanced by increasing transparency of
the flow of funds to involved stakeholders. Given the significance of the tourism industry to
Tanzania’s economy, enhancing the effectiveness of WMAs to achieve the better protection of
wildlife and to indirectly tackle the poaching crisis is critically important. The experiences from
the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Tanzania as well as elsewhere in the
world show that the improved transparency in revenue collections also lead to improved revenues
for governments.
286. Regulations to govern natural resources have to be well designed for effective impacts
for conservation while avoiding unnecessarily burdens on the side of private sector. For
example, controlling fishing activities through the imposition of a well-designed licensing system
and of spatial and/or temporal closures will reduce the current pressures on fishery resources.
Using stock assessments as the basis for determinations, limiting licensing and strengthening the
management of priority fisheries will ensure maximum levels of sustainable production and
revenues into the future. At the same time, regulations in managing natural resources also need to
be designed in a way to avoid excessive burdens on the private sector. The Government needs to
take a holistic approach in setting an effective regulatory regime so that overlaps among
regulations are removed to address multiplicity in taxes, licenses, and fees in tourism (chapter IV).
287. There is a need for concerted and sustained efforts to establish a growth strategy that
is resilient to climate variability. The Government identifies that priority sectors for adaptation
are agriculture, livestock, coastal and marine environments, fisheries, water resources, forestry,
health, tourism, human settlement and energy, while priority sectors for mitigation are energy,
transport, forestry and waste management. Therefore, implementation of Tanzania’s INDCs
(annex V) requires substantial coordination of efforts across ministries. Tanzania is highly
vulnerable to climate change, with the average temperature rising and precipitation becoming
increasingly unpredictable. Given these threats, Tanzania needs to further develop its strategy for
climate change adaptation and to implement the strategy effectively through targeted programs
and investments.
288. Inter-sectoral coordination needs to be strengthened for non-renewable resources
such as natural gas as well. Effective development of gas requires the consideration of fiscal
issues, environmental issues, educational issues and more. For example, the environmental
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obligations placed upon oil and gas companies must be harmonized with the Government’s broader
environmental management goals and priorities (see box 7). Similarly, local content and local
training obligations placed on oil and gas companies should be coordinated with the Government’s
broader goals to increase skills and capacity that will be applicable beyond the gas sector.
Box 7: Integrating Environmental and Social Sustainability Issues in Extractive Sector Investments.
Many of the oil and gas concessions in Tanzania overlap with protected areas. Several offshore concessions overlap
with areas designated as wetlands of international importance under the RAMSAR convention, and several others
could affect key biodiversity areas. A number of onshore concessions fall within the boundaries of national parks
and several could affect the Serengeti and Selous World Heritage Sites. More coordinated approaches are needed
to ensure proper implementation of Environmental Impact Assessments before investments are made and provide
incentives to investors on corporate social responsibility to address investment-induced risks to the local
environment and social structure (e.g., local inflation, in-migration, and related health problems).
289. Further strengthening of the legal and institutional framework is required for natural
gas. Tanzania has recently adopted the Petroleum Act and the Oil and Gas Revenues Management
Act. The new Petroleum Act is intended to introduce a long-awaited and comprehensive legal
framework for the petroleum business chain. However, the Act includes a series of elements which
are likely to discourage or delay the massive investment needed in petroleum exploration and
development as well as implementing the LNG project. The legal, fiscal and institutional
framework in the Act will still need to be updated and benchmarked to ensure that it is
internationally competitive and in line with best practices, whilst taking into account the
Government’s need to maximize potential revenues from gas.
290. Implementation of land laws needs to be strengthen to ensure not only improved
access to but sustainable management of land. The weak implementation of land laws is the
primary problem in enhancing effectiveness in land management (chapter IV). Large-scale
agricultural investments need to be accountable and transparent and, where appropriate, to operate
in collaboration with smallholders to expand economic growth and benefits. Foreign companies
can obtain rights of occupancy or Tanzania Investment Center (TIC) derivative rights on general
land only. Any village land in which they are interested must first be transferred to general land
before it is allocated to them; these transfers in particular need to be accountable and transparent
(box 8).
Box 8: Transfers of Village Land to General Land.
While derivative rights may be easier to obtain than rights of occupancy, in practice very little land is readily
available in the TIC Land Bank, whose land parcels are too few and too small. Property rights in land that might
be available for investment need to be clarified before the Government takes land from villagers to lease it to
investors; otherwise, the consequence, as recently in Ethiopia, may be upheaval and outbreaks of violence. If both
villagers and investors are to benefit, transfers must be based on voluntary and informed agreements, fair
compensation, and avoidance of resettlement. The internationally accepted Principles for Responsible Investment
in Agriculture provide a framework for avoiding possible pitfalls. The Government of Tanzania is already
discussing options for business models that include and benefit both small- and large-scale farmers
291. Smallholder land security needs to be more reliable to encourage farmers to invest in
long-term sustainable solutions. Farmers claim to have title to 12 percent of the plots they own,
but only a third of the titles are officially recognized, among them Certificates of Customary Rights
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of Occupancy or Granted Rights of Occupancy. Others are semiformal inheritance letters or letters
of allocation from the village government, which do not provide full security. This limited
recognition of land holdings undermines farmers’ ability to buy and sell land and use it as
collateral. Secure land tenure could help not only to build agricultural productivity—and therefore
food security—but also to mitigate climate change.
Priority 5: Strengthen rural-urban connectivity through enhanced rural transport and market
linkages between villages and secondary cities.
292. Having achieved substantial national trunk road improvements in the past decade,
Tanzania now needs to turn its attention to linking local roads effectively to the trunk road
system to facilitate farmers in rural areas better connected with markets in urban areas.
Access to roads is identified as an important factor for growth in rural incomes based on 2012
Household Budget Survey data (chapter III). Better rural roads will reduce the costs of moving
agricultural products and foster agriculture marketing and commercialization, thus increasing
farm-gate prices.
293. The Government needs to prioritize improvements in the quality and quantity of
rural roads, which will enhance living conditions and economic opportunities in rural areas.
Both the quantity and the quality of rural road development is far behind those of trunk roads
(chapter IV). Rural transport is crucial for local communities to access not only goods but also
services such as health care, education, business facilities, and governmental and nongovernmental
development projects. Limited and poorly maintained rural roads deter the development of
commercial agriculture by raising the costs of producing and marketing agricultural products and
worsen post-harvest losses.
294. Adequate financial resources need to be secured for rural road development. Rural
roads are seriously underfunded (chapter IV). It is important to allocate a sufficient, reliable level
of budgeting to upgrading and maintaining these facilities. The allocation of these funds is essential
to reduce or eliminate the extent of the network that is impassable during the rainy seasons. PPPs
and a dedicated rural road fund could be considered as options to fund the construction and
maintenance of transport infrastructure.
295. Regional value chains should be developed to strengthen connectivity between
secondary cities and surrounding rural areas. Investments in rural roads will not themselves
improve the economy. Tanzania should support the creation of value chains by focusing on
processing industries in secondary cities that are reliant on rural agricultural or natural resource
inputs (chapter IV). These industries should be selected and specialized to the specific advantages
and disadvantages of the urban center and its transport conditions. Strategic investments in
infrastructure and public goods in promising cities (that promote access to markets) can accelerate
their potential for economic growth and shared prosperity, while limiting the negative externalities
of urbanization such as congestion, geographic concentration or poverty.
296. Sustained investments in basic infrastructure, solid institutions, and adequate
financing systems will be required in secondary cities to facilitate their transformation into
more productive, job-creating cities that can connect with rural areas. Some medium-sized
cities are already making significant gains. For example, Arusha has adopted new e-government
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systems for its own-source revenue collection, which has significantly improved revenue
collection, almost doubling revenues within one year. Together with well-designed strategic
investment plans, improvements in transport infrastructure, logistics, and connectivity can
facilitate more balanced regional growth. A network of efficient cities across the country will also
support delivery of services to rural areas.
Priority 6: Boost urban productivity through better urban planning and reduction in urban
congestion.
297. Given its critical role in the national economy and in job creation, transforming Dar
es Salaam, which will have about 10 million population in 15 years, into an efficient
metropolitan area is a major national priority. The quality of its recent growth is questionable
given its inability to provide the services and infrastructure required to meet the needs of its
burgeoning population (chapter IV). Global experience shows that only a very small number of
cities have been able to address the issues associated with urban growth once they reach that size.
Without swift action to address gaps in investments, planning, and institutions, the city is likely to
become simply a sprawling network of informal settlements.
298. There is an urgent need to address problems created by badly managed urbanization
by building appropriate institutions, better planning, and sound enforcement of zoning and
related laws. Dar es Salaam has outgrown its current governance model. None of Tanzania’s
largest cities has a valid master plan or a strategic development plan. The problem is especially
acute in Dar es Salaam, where the last formal strategic development plan was approved in 1978.
Implementing evidence-based plans and more robust enforcement of zoning and building permits
will help guide major investments, support private enterprises, and enable better land
administration.
299. Reduction in urban congestion continues to require serious attentions to improve to
boost urban productivity and strengthen rural-urban connectivity. Better urban transport
systems, particularly in Dar es Salaam, will help reduce congestion The Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid
Transit project, launched in 2015, has made a noticeable contribution to resolving the ever-
growing challenge of congestion. However, most initiatives to deal with highly congested urban
transport systems, especially in Dar es Salaam, still are not incorporated into the broader context
of urban planning. A strategic approach to identifying, planning, and effectuating urban transport
interventions is vital.
Priority 7: Remove bottlenecks in trading across borders by building up infrastructure for regional
connectivity and improving the business environment for trade.
300. If Tanzania is to exploit its potential as a regional transit hub, it is urgent that it
address behind-the-border constraints on regional and international trade. This includes both
trade logistics and the general environment for trading within Tanzania (chapter IV).
301. The capacity and the efficiency at the Port of Dar es Salaam have to be improved to
raise the competitiveness of the Central Corridor. Connectivity between Tanzania and global
markets is low due to the limited capacity of the port—which is central to connecting Tanzania
and its landlocked neighbors with global markets (chapter IV). Urgent actions are needed to
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expand the port capacity while improving efficiency of the port management function by the
Government through TPA.
302. As an important trade facilitation system, the Government should expedite the
introduction of electronic single window (ESW) at the Port of Dar es Salam, which will
improve efficiency and transparency of port operations. The introduction of ESW, a critical
platform to promote inter-agency coordination at the port, would substantially accelerate the
transactions required by several agencies and reduce cost for traders. Total ESW will integrate the
existing platforms of the Port Community System managed by TPA and the customs-clearance
system called TANCIS managed by TRA. The Government has set up the inter-agency task force
to implement ESW and identified 31 core institutions to participate in the system. However, the
overall pace of the preparation has been slow.
303. A competitive inter-modal transport system has to be developed to effectively link the
Port of Dar es Salaam with other modes of transport. In particular, the railways need to be
revitalize in order to establish linkages with the ports on the inland lakes and to strengthen the
overall efficiency of the Central Corridor. Development of feeder roads around the Port of Dar es
Salaam also improves the regional connectivity while alleviating traffic congestion in Dar es
Salaam.
304. The Government needs to make rigorous efforts to control NTBs to improve the
marketing environment at the border. On the Doing Business indicators, Tanzania is doing
particularly badly on trading across borders (chapter IV). Despite recent efforts to improve
processing through the One-Stop Border Posts Initiative, inadequate policy and institutional
incentives (such as less-transparent NTBs) continue to cause market distortions. On the recent
EAC CMS, Tanzania had the largest number of NTBs (chapter IV). NTBs are particularly
restricting agriculture trade. Addressing such barriers will enhance competitiveness of agriculture
sector in Tanzania.
Priority 8: Improve delivery of public services by ensuring equitable allocation of resources,
strengthening accountability and leveraging ICT.
305. Tanzania continues to find it difficult to deliver high-quality health and education
services, which has deleterious effects on progress on human development. This is reflected
in the service delivery indicators (SDIs; chapter III).
306. To improve the quality of basic services, the Government needs to ensure an efficient
public finance system is in place particularly at the local level. With the funding of social
services decentralized, about 72 percent of the total LGAs budget is allocated to education and
health sectors, with the rest going to other sectors and general administration. With increased
national resources directed to LGAs, it is important to ensure that they are used efficiently through
a sound system of local government finance and consistent on expenditures. It will also be
necessary to resolve the chronic problem of delays and wide variability in social science resource
transfers to districts and schools.
307. Distribution of resources for social services has to become more equitable across
districts by restoring functionality and consistency in applying formula-based system for
allocations to LGAs. The formula for allocating development grants and other charges among
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LGAs is both need- and performance-based. Salaries and wages are largely allocated on the
number of current staff, which is simple but highly inefficient. The inequity in recurrent allocations
indicates not only that the formula based system is inconsistently applied and not well understood
but also that staffing varies by region, with more staff in urban areas (Tanscott Associates 2013).
308. The Government should also review the current incentive framework of service
providers and introduce a robust performance-based HR management system to improve
the quality of service delivery. Currently, salaries and benefits for public servants encourage
absenteeism and minimal effort (see the SDIs for health and education, chapter III). Accordingly,
addressing systems both for providing incentives and for supervising and overseeing how public
services are delivered is of paramount importance to ensure enough services of appropriate quality.
Overhauling incentive systems and strengthening oversight and supervision of public service
performance is important to ensure sufficient quality and quantity of services. Instituting
performance-based criteria for hiring managers and staff and ensuring adequate funding for social
services through transfers to local governments are also critically important.
309. Information technology has to be leveraged more effectively in the public sector to
improve the overall efficiency and transparency of service delivery. Major investments have
been made in the IFMS and the HCMIS, among many others. The Government also laid the fiber
optic cable that now links all regional headquarters. It should now scale up these initiatives to
improve efficiency, reduce service transactional costs, and minimize discretionary behavior.
Future efforts could focus on lowering service transaction costs by improving HCMIS, IFMS, and
other systems and fiber optic connectivity. More robust ICT systems can also improve
government-citizen dialogue through both service delivery dashboards and ICT-enabled citizen
voice platforms.
310. The Government needs to make rigorous efforts to ensure transparency and
accountability in the use of public resources and the delivery of public services. Studies by
nongovernment organizations like Twaweza and Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) found
that in recent years citizens have increasingly spoken up on major issues of concern. This has led
them to demand more information from the Government, which in coming years will need to be
more responsive and accountable to citizens. Government commitment to the Open Government
Partnership and the Tanzania Open Data Initiative are major steps in the right direction. The
Government has also adopted an Access to Information Act. Making data on service delivery
available to both decision makers and citizens will enable honest discussion and appreciation of
government performance and improve accountability and service.
Priority 9: Enhance mobilization of government revenue.
311. The Government’s revenue constraint is a binding constraint in many aspects that
are key to the three pathways and limits the prospect of accelerating pro-poor growth.
Notwithstanding recent government efforts to enhance revenue collection, the tax revenue ratio in
Tanzania is among the lowest anywhere (chapter III). The Government’s budget allocation
continues to emphasize fiscal decentralization, particularly for health and education. However,
with the fiscal situation tight, transfers to LGAs are often delayed, as has happened in the last few
fiscal years, which negatively affects delivery of those services. The tight fiscal situation could
88
also undermine the effectiveness of targeted social safety net programs. Significant scaling up of
public investments as FYDP II envisaged will also require growth in domestic revenue.
312. The Government needs to continue scaling up efforts for mobilize domestic revenue
through a combination of tax policy and administration efforts. Such reforms include further
elimination of exemptions, rationalization of a number of taxes and fees, and an efficient taxation
regime for the natural resource sector, will be needed to broaden the tax base and raise more
revenues. Specifically, the value-added tax (VAT) system would benefit from elimination of some
remaining exemptions and strengthening of the refund mechanism; income taxes could be
simplified, exemptions (including for export processing and special economic zones) minimized
and the tax base broadened; and for excise duties, some distortionary exemptions should be
removed.
313. The efforts to increase domestic revenue has to be based on robust public-private
dialogue. While the Government should strengthen measures to improve tax collection, these
measures should be implemented in a business-friendly way in order to ensure that taxation does
not become a heavy burden on businesses to the extent that it depress their growth. Also, changes
in taxes without proper prior consultations will also reduce policy predictability and weaken
investment climate. In order for businesses to collaborate with the Government in scaling up tax
collections, they have to have confidence in the Government making sound public investments
and properly delivering services to the citizens. Therefore, any government measures to scale up
revenue mobilization has to be underpinned by strong public-private dialogue.
314. The capacity to develop and manage PPPs has to be built urgently. PPPs could
supplement limited public resources. However, the country has not been fully successful in
leveraging PPPs (chapter IV). It is important that Tanzania’s experience and its comprehensive
PPP framework be informed by lessons from global best practices to ensure that PPPs contribute
fully to Tanzania’s economic development.45 The current administration has decided to mandate
the Ministry of Finance and Planning to provide the overall oversight on PPPs. This will facilitate
the Government to ensure that PPPs are well integrated in the Government’s public investment
strategy (as reflected in FYDP II) and annual budgets. However, substantial capacity gaps remain
both at the Ministry Finance and Planning and sectoral ministries in developing and managing PPP
projects.
C. Foundations
Foundation 1: Strengthen human capital development by promoting health, education, skills, and
early childhood development.
315. Health and education systems need to become more efficient and effective to raise the
quality of human capital and therefore current and future labor productivity. High- and
medium-skilled workers currently account for less than 20 percent of Tanzania’s labor force
(chapter III). It is possible that, by 2030, this figure can reach almost 35 percent because of
increased use of technology and more workers having the skills needed to heighten productivity.
45 See, for example, 8th Tanzania Economic Update (World Bank 2016c).
89
However, skills enhancement will require significant improvements in the quality of Tanzanian
education and health outcomes.
316. Orientation on results needs to be given priority to improve the quality of education
and health services, including family planning. One way to achieve this would be to realign
incentives to require attainment of tangible results. The Government needs to intensify its efforts
to emphasize service orientation and expected results by introducing results-based financing. This
should provide incentives for good performance and increase the accountability of local
governments.
317. More equitable and timely budget disbursements and deployment of human
resources to local governments need to be ensured for more effective health and education
systems. For example, the current delays in distribution of capitation grants to schools constrain
effective delivery of education services at those delivery points. Improving health and education
outcomes for the poorest and most underserved will require reforms in the collection and
redistribution of revenues and a revision of the current regional allocations of public resources
across regions (see earlier discussion on service delivery (priority 8).
318. Gender equity must be ensured in human development efforts. Gender gaps are
prevalent in many aspects of human development (chapter III). For example, the 2010 Tanzania
Demographic Health Survey (DHS) found that 19.1 percent of women aged 20–24 had no
education at all, compared with 10.5 percent of men. Efforts are needed to improve access to
maternal health services, particularly in rural areas where only half of births occur at health
facilities or are attended by skilled professionals (chapter III).
319. A determined multisectoral effort must be high on the early childhood development
agenda. To reduce the persistently high stunting rate, Tanzania first needs to capture the “best-
buys” in nutrition quickly, including exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of childhood,
and micronutrient supplementation (chapter III). Tanzania will soon launch its Multisectoral
Nutrition Action Plan, which calls for investments in nutrition interventions in the health sector
and beyond, such as community-centered investment in, e.g., early education, access to better
water and sanitation, food fortification, and nutrition-smart agriculture. Also needed are cross-
sectoral actions to make better nutrition a national priority.
320. Sufficient water and effective sanitation need to be ensured for preventing diarrhea
and childhood infections and therefore reducing the high stunting rate. There are wide gaps
between urban and rural areas in terms of access to water and sanitation (chapter III). A rural
water-point mapping exercise showed that about 38 percent of water points in rural areas are not
functional. In a country where more than 75 percent of the population live in rural areas and rural
water supply coverage is only about 50 percent, clearly a considerable number of rural residents
do not have access to a safe water supply.
321. Substantial skill shortages and gaps need to be filled for successful structural
transformation. About 40 percent of all firms identified an inadequately educated workforce as a
major constraint—much higher than the SSA average of 23 percent (chapter IV). For faster growth
and creation of high-productivity jobs it is thus imperative to improve the quality, quantity, and
relevance of skills.
90
322. Significant expansion and diversification of both formal technical and vocational
education and training and university pre-employment training are needed to ensure an
appropriately skilled labor force. This will require national and sectoral coordination by the
private sector and the Government to define skills priorities; direct resources accordingly; improve
education system governance and regulation; and build partnerships between training providers
and employers to ensure that programs, curricula, and standards are relevant.
323. The private sector needs incentives to invest in skills development. On-the-job training
is an important alternative source of training, though few firms currently offer it: WBES 2013
found that only about 30 percent of firms provided training to at least some employees, and this
rate had not significantly changed by the 2015 TESS (World Bank 2015a).46 It is important that
substantial opportunities be created for the private sector to advise on management of the Skills
Development Levy and to access the fund for employee training.
Foundation 2: Ensure macroeconomic stability in order to ensure fiscal sustainability for the
implementation of FY DP II.
324. While it has kept its overall economy stable so far, Tanzania needs to heighten its
ability to steer macroeconomic policies in the increasingly turbulent global economy. The
global uncertainties include fluctuations of commodity prices and the slowdown of the Chinese
economy (see chapter III). The Government needs to build up its macroeconomic monitoring
capacity in order to make robust macroeconomic projections, analyze the potential impacts of
changing external factors on the Tanzanian economy, and better inform macroeconomic and
sectoral policies to support FYPD II.
325. The Government needs to address its external vulnerability because of the current
account deficit (CAD), which is increasingly financed on market terms. After a surge in
2011/12 partly related to the energy crisis, the CAD has come down to about 9 percent of GDP
(chapter III), but part of the still-high deficit reflects FDI-related import flows. However, CAD
financing increasingly comes from commercial sources, and the falling share of aid brings new
risks. Gross official reserves have grown steadily since 2000 in dollar terms, but their ratio to
prospective imports of goods and services is still low (less than 4 months). Further accumulation
of reserves must be facilitated to address this vulnerability.
326. Successful achievement of the FYDP II objectives hinges critically on sound
macroeconomic policies that ensure fiscal sustainability as the plan is implemented. That will
require annual financing of about 20 percent of GDP—twice as much as what the Government is
current spending on development (development expenditure). While the Government intends to
leverage private sector and external donors to finance the gap, inevitably the Government will need
to closely monitor fiscal and debt sustainability as it proceeds with FYDP II. This will be in
addition to its current fiscal risks, such as the mounting arrears.
327. It is also important that the budget is properly executed to ensure that the underlying
growth assumption of FYDP II materializes. The Government’s assumption of 8-10 percent
growth per year depends on successful implementation of FYDP II through annual budget, in
46
The prevalence of training was slightly higher in manufacturing than in services, and large and medium-sized firms
were more likely to train than small firms with fewer than 20 employees.
91
particular execution of development expenditure. The much more substantial development budget
for FY2016/17 compared to previous FYs is expected to provide a major boost to the economy in
both the short and long runs. The Government revenue performance is successfully increasing in
FY2016/17, but the recent slowdown in budget execution poses a risk of underspending, which
could take a toll on economic growth.
328. Sound monetary and foreign exchange policies are necessary key to ensure
macroeconomic stability. Better policy coordination between the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) and
the Ministry of Finance and Planning will facilitate liquidity management and minimize the need
for monetary financing of the deficit. This in turn will provide more stable financial conditions for
the private sector, which should be the principal driver of economic transformations. The exchange
rate should continue to be market-driven, with BoT intervention in the foreign exchange market
limited to smoothing excessive fluctuations.
92
VI. REMAINING KNOWLEDGE GAPS
329. Preparation of this SCD has identified gaps in both data and analysis that should be
filled in to facilitate more evidence-based policymaking. Additional knowledge will also attract
more targeted support from the WBG and other development partners.
D. Data Gaps
330. Tanzania still has massive needs for quality data that allows for comparability. This
is particularly true for household data, much of which seems available but suffers from serious
comparability problems over time and between surveys that often result in misleading statistics.
For instance, NPS and HBS that collect data on household living standards give significantly
different pictures of poverty levels and trends. Due to changes in survey methods HBS and ILFS
also suffer from comparability problems over time. While this is inevitable as the quality of the
surveys is improved, there should be methods to better record and address how the changes affect
the statistics. None of the household surveys (NPS, HBS and ILFS) is representative of either rural
or urban areas except for Dar es Salaam, which causes serious problems for policy design and
operational work for targeted regions or districts. Data allowing assessment of the quality of
education is very rare. There is no survey similar to the Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study database that allows assessment of students’ cognitive skills in mathematics and
sciences and comparison with other developing countries.
331. The quality of administrative data also falls short. Institutional transformation to build
government capacity to deliver quality services and make sound investments hinges critically on
the quality of the data on which it relies. The Open Data Initiative as piloted in health, education,
and water has revealed the magnitude of the need to improve data quality.
332. It is also necessary to collect better data on the private sector. Private industry and firm
data are limited in coverage and availability, especially in the informal sector. Gaps are particularly
serious in data on (1) the manufacturing base; (2) informality in manufacturing, services,
agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and livestock and in cross-border trade; (3) geo-coded data on
enterprise activities; (4) private sector financing channels; and (5) employment data. All are crucial
to facilitate better understanding of market dynamics and firm-level constraints in raising
productivity, making investments, and expanding employment opportunities.
333. As Tanzania moves to middle-income-country level, it is important that high-
frequency data be made available. There is a particular need for more frequent data on (1) the
poverty trajectory; (2) industrial production; (3) labor surveys, including informal labor and
entrepreneurship; and (4) agricultural surveys.
E. Analytical Gaps
334. A common and widespread knowledge gap relates not to what the blockages are but
how to dismantle them. There is considerable agreement in Tanzania about what stands in the
way of alleviating poverty and promoting shared prosperity. Policy makers are increasingly
seeking answers for how to remove the bottlenecks, which is not always straightforward because
it requires coordinated actions and incentives for a variety of parties in the economy and the
93
society. Therefore, there needs to be more knowledge of how to eliminate the constraints, such as
use of technology and more frequent collection of data.
335. New knowledge work in Tanzania needs to look at solutions to problems rather than
diagnostics and could be operations- rather than research-oriented. Among topics for which
there are analytical gaps are how to (1) build up public sector capacity; (2) improve coordination
within the Government; (3) speed up land reforms; (4) promote competition and accelerate
application of the institutional framework for competition; (5) collect more domestic revenue; (6)
quickly reduce business-related transaction costs; and (7) speed up government procurement.
336. Analytical work should also help policy-makers to collect enough evidence to make
informed policy decisions in specific areas. High priorities for Tanzania are analysis of (1) the
extent, evolution, and drivers of the gender wage gap; (2) how social protection programs (e.g.,
TASAF) are affecting poverty and welfare; (3) how to identify fast-growing and promising
entrepreneurs and firms; and (4) the costs and benefits of fiscal incentives for investment.
337. More multisectoral and integrative analytical work should be encouraged to help
policymakers make informed judgements about competing demand for the same resources.
While there have been a number of studies of specific sectors, little work has been done in Tanzania
at the inter-sectoral level, except for macroeconomic work. Good general equilibrium analyses are
necessary to answer such questions as how to balance competing needs for water resources and
the best uses of offshore gas reserves.47 Such multi-sectoral and integrative work could also help
the Government improve its coordinating functions to handle such issues.
338. With demographic dynamics influencing the country’s development path, inter-
generational analysis has to be strengthened. Existing analytical work is still largely looking at
static pictures of specific issues even across time, by comparing snapshots of the past, the present,
and the future (comparative statics). What is still weak is dynamic analysis that captures inter-
generational trade-offs in certain policy choices to be made. For example, what kind of education
and health financing schemes would make it easier for households to invest more on those? What
types of government fiscal rules would maximize the growth impacts over time?
339. There are increasing opportunities to conduct spatial analyses of different policy
choices. Geo-coded data availability, facilitated by ICT, has substantially reduced the cost of
conducting spatially disaggregated analyses with a higher level of resolution. With the country
becomes more integrated internally and externally with neighboring countries with people and
businesses become more mobile, spatial dynamics of the country’s development agenda would
become highly relevant, including impacts of the relocation of government offices to Dodoma or
of development of growth corridors across the country under FYDP II.
47
An exception is the forthcoming World Bank study which looks at how water resources are likely to be affected by
expansion of irrigations and hydropower generation in Tanzania.
94
VII. CONCLUSION
340. While for the past decade Tanzania has recorded solid growth and poverty reduction,
a business-as-usual model will not bring the country to the next level of development. There
is no guarantee that growth and poverty reduction will automatically continue given the current
volatile global economic environment, increasing climate variability, and the country’s high
population growth. Despite recent impressive improvements in human development, there are
issues, both old and new, to be dealt with, such as the persistently high stunting rate and the
declining quality of service delivery. Tanzania needs to accelerate growth to boost per capita
income, but the growth needs to be more inclusive to ensure further progress on reducing poverty.
Sustainability in growth and poverty reduction need to be reinforced by building the country’s
resilience to exogenous shocks.
341. If Tanzania is to move to the next level of development, this SCD argues, the paths it
could take would be structural transformation, spatial transformation, and institutional
transformation. Leveraging its rich natural resources and advantageous geographic setting, those
pathways can transform Tanzania into a more value-adding, diversified, and geographically more
integrated economy. In complementing these economic transformations, the country also needs a
public sector that is more capable of delivering quality services. Higher human capital and gender
equity, natural resources, macroeconomic stability, and the social safety net must be the
foundations for economic transformation.
342. Drawing on what has been learned about growth, poverty, and inclusion and
assessment of Tanzania’s likely progress along the pathways, this SCD has identified 9
specific priorities and 2 foundations. The 9 priorities are the business environment for
agribusiness and other job-creating sectors, power sector performance, access to finance, natural
resource management, rural-urban connectivity, urban planning, business environment and
regional connectivity infrastructure for trading across the borders, service delivery, and
government mobilization of revenue. Those are supported by human capital development and
macroeconomic stability as foundations.
343. The Government’s FYDP II expresses the intention to break away from business-as-
usual. Whether Tanzania can succeed in moving up the ladder to the next level of development
depends on whether FYDP II can successfully deliver the results it envisions. With the pillars of
industrialization, human development, and implementation effectiveness, there is a substantial
synergy between FYDP II and the SCD. The analytics as synthesized here will inform the
realization of FYDP II and identify areas where further knowledge is necessary.
95
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——. 2016. "Africa: Opening Doors to the World." Washington DC: World Bank.
Yoshino, Y. ed. 2011. Industrial Clusters and Micro and Small Enterprises in Africa: From Survival to
Growth. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Yoshino, Y., O. Cadot, F. Ratsimbazafy, and J. Regolo. 2014. “Uncovering Drivers for Growth and
Diversification of Tanzania’s Exports and Exporters.” Tanzania CEM Background Paper.
Washington, DC: World Bank.
100
ANNEX I. KEY FINDINGS FROM THE 2014/15 ZANZIBAR HOUSEHOLD
BUDGET SURVEY
This annex presents the main findings from the 2014/15 Zanzibar Household Budget Survey (HBS) as reported by the
Zanzibar Office of the Government Chief Statistician. Based on the survey data, the World Bank will conduct its
Zanzibar Poverty Assessment in FY17.
In Zanzibar, poverty and extreme poverty have slightly declined since 2009/10 but many people are
still vulnerable. The poverty rates of Zanzibar and the Tanzania Mainland are not comparable because of
both differences in living standards and socioeconomic conditions and differences in the design of
household surveys. It is therefore necessary to analyze Zanzibar’s figures independent of the rest of the
country. According to the HBS consumption-based headcount index, basic-needs poverty declined from
34.9 to 30.4 percent between 2009/10 and 2014/15 and extreme poverty from 11.7 to 10.8 percent. The
depth of poverty also been slightly reduced, suggesting that households were able to narrow their
consumption shortfall relative to the poverty line.
As in the Mainland, the majority of people in Zanzibar, nonpoor as well as poor, are clustered around
the poverty line, so that it is equally possible that they could escape poverty or fall into it. A sensitivity
test shows that a 20 percent increase in the poverty line equates to a 50 percent increase in the poverty rate
(46 percent). The discrepancy between rural and urban areas is quite striking: Although in urban areas both
poverty and extreme poverty rates have fallen dramatically, in rural areas they have gone up slightly (figures
A.I.1 and A.I.2). Overall, the slight decrease of the poverty and extreme poverty rates observed between
2009 and 2015 is largely due to dramatic improvements in Zanzibar’s cities and urban areas. Meanwhile,
the situation in rural areas is increasingly worrying because the share of poor people living in Zanzibar’s
rural areas in went up between 2009/10 and 2014/15, from 69 percent in 2009/10 to 75 percent five years
later. In 2015, 81.8 percent of the extreme poor in Zanzibar lived in rural areas.
Figure A.I.1. Zanzibar Poverty Headcount, Percent, Figure A.I.2. Zanzibar Extreme Poverty Headcount,
2009–15 Percent, 2009–15
45 40.2 18 15.7
40 39.5 16
15.2
35 34.9 14
30.4 10.8
30 12 11.7
28.5
25 10
17.9
20 8
6.8 4.5
15 6
10 4
5 2
0 0
2009/10 2014/15 2009/10 2014/15
Urban Rural Zanzibar Urban Rural Zanzibar
Source: Zanzibar HBS, 2015. Source: Zanzibar HBS, 2015.
The geographical distribution of Zanzibar’s poverty shows major differences between districts.
Poverty and extreme poverty are concentrated in a few rural districts while in the rest poverty rates were
far below the Zanzibar average (figure A.I.3). The Gini coefficient for Zanzibar did not change significantly
between 2009 and 2015, settling at 30. Inequalities are slightly higher in urban areas (Gini 31) than in rural
101
(Gini 27). Overall, inequality in Zanzibar is not only moderate but also compares favorably with that of the
mainland.
Figure A.I.3. Zanzibar Poverty and Extreme Poverty Headcount by District, 2015, Percent
80 69
60 48 52 52
40 33 30
23 25 26 24
20 19 21
15 16 11
20 4 7 7 6 5
4
0
Kaskazini A Kaskazini B Kati Kusini Magharibi Mjini Wete Micheweni Chake Mkoani Zanzibar
Chake
Poverty Extreme Poverty
Source: Zanzibar HBS, 2015.
Zanzibar’s poor household characteristics are typical of those of poor households generally. They
tend to be characterized by large household size, many dependents, and a head of household with little
education and are usually engaged in farming. HBS 2014/15 underscores the fact that households that have
employment other than farming are less poor, which suggests that nonagricultural employment can offer a
pathway out of poverty. Nevertheless, Zanzibar has seen significant improvements in housing, with more
people having access to electricity, water, and sanitation and houses being built of more modern materials;
in education, primary school enrollment has reached 96.5 percent for households living less than two
kilometers away from the nearest primary school; and in health, the incidence of malaria has been
successfully reduced and 100 percent of households now live less than five kilometers from a health center.
102
ANNEX II. UNBUNDLING THE DROP IN THE POVERTY RATE
To explore the basic factors behind the decline in poverty, changes in household-level consumption
have been decomposed into two components. One is due to improvements in household characteristics
or endowments (for example, more education of the head of the household, ownership of land and other
assets, and access to employment opportunities and basic services), and the other is attributable to changes
in the returns to those characteristics (for example, to education, land productivity, and business). These
two components have been further decomposed to identify the specific attributes that contribute to changes
in consumption, and the decomposition has been applied at each decile of the consumption distribution to
understand differences in the patterns of change for different income groups.48
Table A.II.1 makes it clear that while household endowments have improved for all population
groups, the poorest 30 percent have benefitted significantly more. The difference is mainly driven by a
significant expansion of asset ownership, mainly means of transportation and communication and to a lesser
extent agricultural land. The improvements in endowments were coupled with higher returns to economic
activity—essentially nonagricultural businesses. While household engagement in business activities seems
to have declined over time, particularly among the poorest groups, the gains from such businesses,
essentially nonfarming activity, appear to have gone up quite significantly, particularly for those in the three
lowest deciles. Returns to land also seem to have improved over time, though less significantly for the
poorest. The improvement in returns to community infrastructure indicates that in recent years access to
local markets and roads has had a positive effect on household living standards.
Table A.1I.1. Returns Effect and Endowment Effect over Time
Extreme Poor Poor Middle Class Richest
Total 0.147*** 0.058*** 0.019* -0.076***
Endowments 0.075** 0.178*** 0.125*** 0.043
Education -0.001 0.003* 0.003** 0.011***
Wage work 0.001 0.002* 0 0
HH business -0.024*** -0.022*** -0.009*** -0.005
Assets 0.124*** 0.114*** 0.103*** 0.054***
Land 0.006* 0.005* 0.007** 0.011***
Access to local markets -0.005** -0.004** -0.002** -0.002
Access to local roads 0.037*** 0.052*** 0.028*** 0.005
Returns 0.072** -0.120*** -0.106*** -0.119***
Education -0.186*** -0.017 -0.003 0.066*
Wage work -0.003 0.010 0.001 0.012
HH business 0.123** 0.162*** 0.056 0.077
Assets -0.266*** -0.169*** -0.156*** -0.244***
Land 0.016 0.022** 0.019** 0.035**
Access local markets 0.055*** 0.049*** 0.021** 0.030*
Access local roads 0.011 0.045*** 0.011 -0.022
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12.
Note: The extreme poor are those in the bottom 10 percent of the welfare distribution; the poor are in the third decile, middle class in the
fifth, and the richest in the top.
48
The decomposition approach is based on the Recentered Influence Function and unconditional quantile regression
method proposed by Firpo, Fortin. and Lemieux 2009.
103
ANNEX III. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POOR AND THE BOTTOM 40
PERCENT
Although about a third of the bottom 40 percent were not considered poor in 2012, the profile of the
entire group, in terms of demographic and economic characteristics, closely tracks that of the poor
(figure A.III.1). This suggests that policies for improving the welfare of poor Tanzanians may apply to the
entire bottom 40 percent, substantive benefits for whom would significantly enhance shared prosperity.
Figure A.III.1. Profile of the Poor and Bottom 40% (2007-2012)
A. Sector of Employment
2007 2012
B. Source of Income
2007 2012
C. Education Level of Head
2007 2012
104
ANNEX IV. INDICATORS OF LIVING CONDITIONS (MAINLAND)
The reduction in poverty discussed in the main text was coupled with improvements in asset
ownership and living conditions, though access to these continues to be low. All households
experienced improvements in ownership of agricultural land and livestock, means of transportation, and
modern amenities as well as housing conditions (figure A.IV.1). Possession of productive assets like
mechanized equipment and large livestock, however, is still limited. The improvements were experienced
primarily by the bottom 40 percent of households, but more than half of the poor and rural dwellers still
lack major assets and live in pitiable housing conditions.
Figure A.IV.1. Asset Ownership
62 66
82
51
40 57
37 36
32 34 50
45
25 27 27 39
21 22
10 24
7 9 14
7
2012 4244 1002 2005
2007 2012 2007 2012
2007 2012 2007 2012 2007 2012
Land Ownership (Large Livestock
Cell phone Motor Cycle Computer
plots)
Total B40 Rural Urban
Total B40 Rural Urban
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12.
Expansion of access to basic infrastructure and services has been slow. Access to roads and markets is
still limited. While there has been a slight increase in the share of rural and bottom 40 percent households
benefitting from access to roads since 2007, in 2012 less than 18 percent had access to paved roads, and
less than 30 percent had daily or even weekly markets in their villages (figure A.IV.2). Access to financial
services and mobile phone services improved quite considerably but the majority of people still depend
mainly on informal financial services. The availability of banks and formal financial services is still very
limited generally and they are almost inexistent in rural areas (figure A.IV.2). Despite the surge in mobile
banking, access to formal financial services has witnessed a miniscule increase, from about 17 percent in
2011 to 19 percent in 2014 (Global Findex 2014). Limited access to formal finance services has led
entrepreneurs to become concentrated in microenterprises; growth in medium and large enterprises is very
limited.
Figure A.IV.2. Access to Basic Infrastructure and Financial Services
93 90 86
80 74 76 72 82788282
787172 73 68
62
45 504744
47 37 33
403637 44 27
353031 343337 16
7 4 3 14
25 262829 7 6 4
19
2007 2012 2007 2012 2007 2012
2007 2012 2007 2012 2007 2012
Bank Informal Mobile Calling
Acces to Roads Access to Daily Access to Weekly
Markets Markets
Financial Serv. Center
Total B40 Rural Urban
Total B40 Rural Urban
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12. Note: “Access to roads” applies to all types of roads.
Access to schools has opened up, but access to hospital and health services is still very limited (figure
A.IV.3): In 2012, over 90 percent of rural and bottom 40 percent households had a primary school in their
community or village and about 60 percent had access to secondary schooling. While access to schools in
general may seem lower in urban areas, access to private schools there is five times higher than in rural
105
areas. Hospitals and health centers did become somewhat more accessible between 2007 and 2012, but
access to public or private hospitals remains limited. About 20 percent of Tanzania’s households have
access to hospitals in their community or village. The rate falls to less than 15 percent for rural and bottom
40 percent households.
Figure A.IV.3. Access to Social Services
85 86 91 89 92 95
76
69 63 63 65 60
58 57 57 62 53 50 51 60
44 39 43 45 35
25 20 15 13
10 7 4
2007 2012 2007 2012
2007 2012 2007 2012
Gov. & Private hospitals Health Centers
Primary Schools Secondary Schools
Total B40 Rural Urban
Total B40 Rural Urban
Source: HBS 2007 and 2011/12
Despite some progress, undernutrition and infectious disease are still major problems.
Anthropometric indicators for young children show some improvement between 2008 and 2012, but the
trends are uneven. Malnutrition is widespread, and stunting, which measures chronic malnutrition, is
consistently high among poor and bottom 40 percent households. In 2012, about 37 percent of Tanzanian
children under 5 were stunted and the rates are as high as 45 percent among the bottom 40 percent. Wasting,
the indicator for acute food shortage or infectious disease, went up from 3 to 4 percent between 2007 and
2012 (figure A.IV.4). With an estimated 10 million malaria cases in 2010, internationally Tanzania
continues to be one of the most affected countries. In 2012 HIV/AIDS prevalence was estimated at 5.1
percent among Tanzanians aged 15–49 years, slightly above the SSA average (4.7 percent) but somewhat
below rates in other East African countries (e.g., 7.2 percent in Uganda and 6.1 percent in Kenya).
Figure A.IV.4. Anthropometric Outcomes
45 46 45
43
39
37
30 30
16 18 17 16
13 13
10 9
3 3 3 4 4 4 4
1
2008 2012 2008 2012 2008 2012
Stunting (Height for age) Wasting (Weight for height) Underweight (Weight for age)
Total B40 Rural Urban
Source: National Panel Surveys 2008, 2010, 2012.
106
ANNEX V. CLIMATE CHANGE INTENDED NATIONAL DETERMINED
CONTRIBUTION (INDC) HOT SPOT ANALYSIS FOR TANZANIA
INDC submitted on 09/29/2015
Involvement of sector ministries n/a
Technical experts, multisector commissions, and other stakeholders
Planning process
engaged
Relative Target: -10 to -20% compared to BAU: 138 to 153 in
Mitigation target
MtCO2eq (2030)
Top 69 (Source: Australian-German Energy and Climate College); app.
Emitter ranking
235.35 MtCO2eq per year (Source: EDGAR, EU)
Share of national GHG emissions As for GHG data of UNFCCC, LULUCF accounts for nearly 100% of
aimed at by mitigation actions emissions in Tanzania.
Total: US$61 billion
Cost of implementation Mitigation: US$60 billion
Adaptation: US$1 billion
Technologies needed to implement INDC: n/a
Support needs (international) Capacity building needed to implement INDC: n/a
Potential financing sources identified in INDC: n/a
Conditional upon international provision of means of implementation:
Conditionality
capacity building, technology development, and transfer financing
Lending group IDA/IBRD
Mitigation
Sectoral targets n/a
Upstream policies identified n/a
Downstream actions n/a
identified
Sectors covered by INDC Energy:
Renewable energy: solar, geothermal, wind, hydro, biofuels
- Gas : gas-to-power
- Enhanced use of natural gas
- Energy efficiency: supply-side efficiency, demand-side efficiency
o Power generation efficiency improvement
o Grid/energy loss reduction (transmission and distribution)
o Demand-side efficiency: promote behavioral change in energy use
Transport:
- Mass rapid transport systems
Waste: Promoting cogeneration activities
- Waste-to-energy
- Landfill gas recovery; encouraging private sector and community involvement
LULUCF/forestry:
- Conservation
- Conservation of forest carbon stocks
Adaptation
Sectors covered by INDC Agriculture:
- Climate-smart agriculture
o Increase yields through, inter alia, climate-smart agriculture.
107
o Protect smallholder farmers against climate-related shocks, e.g., through
crop insurance.
o Strengthen the capacity of agricultural research institutions to conduct basic
and applied research.
o Strengthen knowledge, extension services, and agricultural infrastructure to
target climate actions.
- Land and soil management
o Up-scale improvement in management of agricultural land.
o Promote climate-change-resilient traditional and modern knowledge on
sustainable pasture and range management systems.
- G tvIrrigation
o Up-scale improvement of agricultural water management.
- Livestock
o Enhance the development of livestock infrastructure and services.
o Promote diversification of the livelihood of livestock keepers.
o Promote development of livestock insurance strategies.
- Fisheries and aquaculture
o Enhance management of conservation and fishery resources.
o Strengthen key fisheries management services for sound development and
management of the fishery sector to create resilience.
LULUCF/Forestry:
- Sustainable forest management
o Enhance participatory fire management.
o Enhance forest governance and protection of forest resource.
o Enhance sustainable forest management.
o Enhance efficiency in the use of wood fuel.
Energy:
- Renewable energy
o Explore and invest in energy diversification systems.
o Enhance the use of renewable energy across the country.
- Energy efficiency
o Promote use of energy-efficient technologies and behavior.
- Hydro energy
o Enhance integrated basin catchment and upstream land management for
hydro sources.
Coastal Zone:
- Coastal management
o Strengthen management of coastal resources and systems to control beach
erosion and sea level rise.
o Promote diversification of the livelihoods of residents in coastal
communities.
o Enhance the program for management of saltwater inundation and
intrusion.
- Mangroves
o Promote the mangrove restoration program.
o Engage in programs to protect against sea-level rise
o Establish a shorelines restoration program.
Water:
- Water management
o Promote integrated water resources development and management
practices.
- Infrastructure
o Invest in protection and conservation of water catchments.
- Water conservation and reuse
o Promote waste water reuse and recycling technologies.
- Water supply
108
o Develop and exploit groundwater resources.
Urban:
- Emphasize sustainable urban planning.
o Promote sustainable land management systems and climate-sensitive
human settlement developments.
Social Development:
- Safety net
o Facilitate provision of, and access to adequate, affordable and climate-
sensitive shelter to all income groups.
Disaster Risk Management:
- Early warning system
o Improve monitoring and early warning systems.
- Disaster preparedness
o Construct and rehabilitate drainage systems to respond to frequent and high-
intensity floods.
Tourism:
o Promote sustainable tourism to consolidate growth and ensure that tourism
is climate-resilient
o Promote diversified tourist attractions (e.g., eco-tourism and cultural
tourism).
Health:
- Health services and assessment
o Promote sustainable and climate-sensitive health and sanitation
infrastructure.
o Integrate climate change adaptation action into health sector policies, plans,
and programed.
Cross-cutting Area:
- Capacity building and knowledge transfer
o Enhance awareness on the impacts of climate change in the context of
human settlements.
- Climate risk management
o Conduct a vulnerability assessment to support a comprehensive action plan
in the health sector.
109
ANNEX VI. AGRICULTURAL SECTOR PERFORMANCE IN TANZANIA
Tanzania’s agricultural sector is dominated by small farms. Estimates from the most recent census of
agriculture in 2007/08 counted 11.4 million hectares (ha) farmed by 5.84 million households and just 1.1
million ha farmed commercially on 1,006 large-scale farms. Although households on average had access
to only 2 ha of land in 2007/08, together small-scale farms occupied 91 percent of Tanzania’s total farmland.
Average farm size and household/commercial proportions were relatively unchanged from 2003 to 2008.
While small-scale as well as large-scale farms can engage in commercial activities, subsistence
farming is at the heart of smallholder activity. Smallholders produce staples like maize, paddy, sorghum,
millet, cassava, sweet potatoes, pulses – mainly beans – and wheat. They also grow cotton, tobacco,
pyrethrum, cashew nuts, and coffee for cash, but cash crops are not a main source of income for most
smallholders (figure AVI.1). Rather, the sale of staple foods is the main income earner (61.6 percent)
followed by cash crops (10 percent) and livestock, fishing, and forestry products (9 percent combined).
Most farms, large and small, produce crops, with 60 percent of small farms and 52 percent of large
farms producing crops exclusively (figure AVI.2). After crop production, livestock production is a major
activity for an estimated 40 percent of smallholder households and 47 percent of large-scale farms. Only a
small share of the former deal exclusively in livestock (including pastoralism) compared to 19 percent of
the latter. Nevertheless, smallholders contributed 99.6 percent to the livestock population in 2007/08. A
total of 25.9 million livestock units were reared by Tanzanian smallholders in 2007/08, mostly cattle, goats,
sheep, and pigs.
Smallholders use their land primarily to produce annual crops. Over two-thirds of their cropland is
planted with annual crops—almost four times the proportion planted with annual crops on large farms
(figure AVI.3). Despite the disparities in land use, the importance of annual cereals is evident from the large
share of land allocated to it by both types of farms. Almost 70 percent of land producing annual crops on
both small and large farms was used for cereal production in 2007/08. Large farms mainly produced (in
diminishing order of importance) maize, wheat, and rice, which together accounted for 97 percent of their
cereal production. The priorities for smallholders were maize, paddy, sorghum, and millet. Maize alone
was grown by an estimated 88 percent of crop-growing households, accounted for 70 percent of land area
planted with cereals, and in 2007/08 contributed 71 percent to total small-farm cereal production. The
second most popular cereal crops for smallholders were rice, sorghum, and millet (National Sample Census
of Agriculture 2007/08).
Strikingly, perennial crop and fruit tree production is also dominated by smallholders. In 2007/08,
they cultivated 96 percent of the total area used for permanent crops (National Sample Census of
Agriculture 2007/08). The substantial allocation of smallholder land used for cashews and coffee illustrates
their importance to smallholders as cash crops (figure AVI.4). Cotton – which the census considers an
annual crop – is also important to smallholders as a cash crop, and occupied the largest share of land
allocated to annual crops. Tanzania’s smallholders also produce a variety of fruit, mainly bananas, coconuts,
mangoes, and oranges. Large farms mainly produce sisal, sugarcane, tea, cashews, coconuts, and coffee for
export; they also produce for export cotton, flowers, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
110
Figure AVI.1. Main Sources of Cash Income for Smallholder Agricultural Households, 2007/08
Source: National Sample Census of Agriculture 2007/08.
Figure AVI.2. Activities of Smallholder Households and Large-scale Farms, 2007/08
(A) Smallholder Households (B) Large-scale Farms
Source: National Sample Census of Agriculture 2007/08.
Figure AVI.3. Land Use on Small and Large Farms, 2007/08, Percent
(A) Annual, Permanent, and Fallow Crops (B) Types of Crop
Source: National Sample Census of Agriculture 2007/08.
Figure AVI.4. Permanent Cropland on Small and Large Farms. Percent of Total Permanent Cropland,
2007/08
Source: National Census 2007/08.
Fisheries and aquaculture are currently small-scale operations but have potential to grow. The
fisheries sector has some 400,000 operators and employs more than 4 million. The sector contributes to
food security and poverty alleviation, but the lack of knowledge and capacity, transportation options,
storage and processing facilities, and markets limit its development. Because of inadequate infrastructure
111
and limited capacity of people engaged in fisheries, post-harvest losses amount to 20 percent of the total
catch. The National Fishery Policy and the Fisheries Sector Development Program (FSDP) envision
developing a more competitive and productive fisheries and aquaculture sector while ensuring that the
environment is preserved. The sector could also benefit from greater regional cooperation and economies
of scale through a more cohesive approach to monitoring, control and surveillance, and safety at sea as well
as more sharing of knowledge and technology.
Agriculture is responsible for about half of Tanzania’s total exports. Crops generate the largest
revenues, leading with horticultural products, tobacco, oil seeds, coffee, and tea. Other important agriculture
exports are sisal, cut flowers, and pyrethrum (figure AVI.5). Since most agriculture exports are
unprocessed, mainly because Tanzania’s agro-processing industrial base is minimal, exporting goods with
little value-added does not have much impact on job creation and technological development in the
domestic economy.
Figure AVI.5. Tanzania’s Product Exports, Percent of Total Export Value, 2014
Stone/glass 25
Minerals 15
Other goods 13
Horticultural products 12
Other agricultural products 12
Oil seeds, oleagic fruits, etc, nes 6
Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes 6
Coffee, tea, mate and spices 4
Animal and animal products 3
Cereals 3
Cotton 1
Cocoa 0.4
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
percent of total exports
112
ANNEX VII. PRODUCT SPACE ANALYSIS OF TANZANIA’S EXPORTS
Tanzania has gained comparative advantage in a few products over the past ten years.
Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) is the concept developed by Balassa (1965) to measure a
country’s comparative advantage in certain products by measuring how much the country exports
the products proportionately more than the averages of all other countries in the world. While
newly exported products from 1998 to 2010 constitute only about 9 percent of total export value
in 2008-10, about a third of total export value of 2008-10 comes from products which Tanzania
newly gained comparative advantage with RCA turning from less than 1 in the beginning of the
decade (1998-2000) to more than 1 at the end of the decade (2008-2010).
At the same time, Tanzania’s export products have increased their likelihood to gain
comparative advantage. In their product space analysis in Hausmann, Hwang, and Rodrik (2007),
they have introduced a concept of “product density.” Product density indicates how likely a
particular product gains comparative advantage (RCA>1) in the future by estimating how the
product is close to products which already have comparative advantage.49 In other words, product
density of product i is an empirical predictor for that product i to gain RCA in the future.
Particularly during the second half of the 2000s, Tanzania gained comparative advantage on
products with high product density, implying that the economy has leveraged product
clusters in product space for expanding its exports. There was a stronger tendency that products
with higher product density gained comparative advantage. A probit model is estimated to see how
different factors can explain probability of a particular product gaining RCA higher than 1. The
result of the model estimation reveals that if a product had product density 0.1 higher than another
product during the mid-2000s, there is 3 percent higher chance that such product gains comparative
advantage by the end of the decade compared to the other product (figure A.VII.1).
Leveraging product density or clusters in product space is relevant more for smaller export
markets such as regional markets than large markets in Asia and Europe. Product density of
Tanzanian exports is on average higher for exports in regional markets than exports in non-regional
markets because of the contents of exports (figure A.VII.2). Regional exports tend to have more
manufactured products, which usually have high product density.
Figure A.VII.1: Probability of Gaining RCA>1 in 2008-10 Figure A.VII.2: Average Product Density by
4.0% Destination
3.0% 0.1
2.0% 0.05
1.0%
0.0% 0
Product Density in
to EAC from 2003-
2003-05 to 2008-10
to Asia from 2003-
Growth in Exports
Growth in Exports
Growth in Exports
05 to 2008-10
to Europe from
05 to 2008-10
(0.1 higher)
($1 million)
($1 million)
($1 million)
2003-05
1998-2000 2008-2010
Source: Yoshino et al (2014) Source: Yoshino et al (2014)
49
In their analytical framework, proximity between two products is based on probability of the two products have
RCA greater than one in one country.
113
Many agro-processing products are among products which Tanzania currently does not export but
have close linkages to the products which the country is already exporting. Of the 1,240 HS-4 digit
products, Tanzania does not export 147, even though a few of them have close proximity to products in
which Tanzania has revealed comparative advantage. Table A.VIII.1 lists the top 30 of the products that
have not been exported but have relatively high proximity to current exports. The list prompts several
observations. First, there are a few products related to leather and other animal-based products (e.g., guts,
hair, and wax) and to food items (fruits, nuts, vegetables like cucumbers and lettuce, and eggs), which
underscores how much more the agro-processing sector could contribute to fostering Tanzania’s exports.
There are also some textile (e.g., wool, silk); paper and pulp, and mineral and metal products.
Table A.VIII.1. 30 Products with Highest Proximity to Tanzania’s Current Exports
Proximity
to Current
Export
HS Product Description Basket Path Density
7806 Other articles of lead 0.201 222 --
5805 Hand-woven tapestries 0.190 224 0.171
2716 Electrical energy (optional heading) 0.187 252 0.173
504 Guts, bladders and stomachs of animals (other than fish) 0.185 228 0.179
812 Fruit and nuts, provisionally preserved 0.169 209 0.183
5103 Waste of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair 0.163 212 0.157
2619 Slag, dross, scalings, and other waste from the manufacture of iron or steel 0.162 182 0.184
1522 Degras [[is this correct?]]; residues resulting from treatment of fatty substances 0.152 237 0.147
8904 Tugs and pusher craft 0.142 179 0.173
2529 Feldspar; leucite, nepheline and nepheline syenite; fluorspar 0.141 182 0.166
8902 Fishing vessels 0.140 168 0.186
707 Cucumbers and gherkins 0.140 175 0.174
4108 Chamois leather 0.138 210 0.156
8804 Parachutes and rotochutes 0.138 243 0.143
4111 Composition leather with a basis of leather or leather fiber 0.136 217 0.146
3203 Coloring matter of vegetable or animal origin 0.136 252 0.141
4706 Pulps of fibers derived from recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard 0.135 230 0.140
4109 Patent leather and patent-laminated leather 0.134 161 0.162
7907 Other articles of zinc 0.134 276 0.136
408 Birds' eggs, not in shell, and egg yolks 0.132 257 0.138
5107 Yarn of combed wool 0.122 249 0.133
8002 Tin waste and scrap 0.119 219 0.130
8003 Tin bars, rods, profiles, and wire 0.119 217 0.130
9614 Smoking pipes and cigar or cigarette holders 0.118 206 0.049
5809 Woven fabrics of metal thread and woven fabrics of metallized yarn of heading No. 56.05 0.118 235 0.134
8906 Other vessels, including warships and lifeboats other than rowboats 0.113 200 0.150
4703 Chemical wood pulp, soda or sulphate 0.113 164 0.143
2610 Chromium ores and concentrates 0.109 92 0.213
705 Lettuce and chicory 0.108 212 0.142
5006 Silk yarn and yarn spun from silk waste 0.108 222 0.127
Source: Yoshino et al. 2014.
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ANNEX VIII. COMPETITION AND INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY
Table AVIII.1 presents the results of econometric model estimation (fixed effects model) to show how the
level of domestic concentration correlates with the average profitability of manufacturing industries in
Tanzania based on 2004–07 data. In addition to the level of concentration, the model controls for size of
each industry in terms of its total sales volume (to capture economies of scale), imports (to capture import
competition), and investment (to capture productive use of rent from concentrated markets). By controlling
for both industry size and imports, it also captures the size of the market. It is worth noting that import-
competing industries tend to be less profitable than other domestic firms. However, capital investment in
an individual industry raises its profitability. Concentration lowers the profitability of individual sectors
due to its inefficiency: The results consistently show a statistically significant correlation between more
concentration and lower profitability. This is particularly clear in the case of the top three-four
concentrations and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI).
Table A.VIII.1. Fixed Effects Model Estimation of the Profitability of Tanzanian Manufacturing Industries
2004–2007 (Industry x Year Panel)
Dep. Var.=Industry Average
Value-Added per Worker
(Log) Type of Industry Concentration Indicator
Normalized
Independent Variable: HHI CR-1 CR-2 CR-3 CR-4
Output (Log) 0.825*** 0.858*** 0.869*** 0.986*** 1.1***
(0.109) (0.108) (0.117) (0.116) (0.118)
Imports (Log) -0.746*** -0.731*** -0.78*** -0.717*** -0.795***
(0.201) (0.204) (0.205) (0.2) (0.19)
Investment (Log) 0.136** 0.145** 0.148** 0.123** 0.113**
(0.059) (0.059) (0.06) (0.059) (0.057)
Industry Concentration -0.825** -0.851 0.027 -0.805** -1.433***
(0.393) (0.512) (0.304) (0.337) (0.382)
No. of Observation 132 132 132 132 132
F statistics 25.54*** 27.70*** 23.29*** 26.21*** 30.50***
Source: Data from NBS Annual Surveys of Industrial Production, UNIDO, and UN-COMTRADE.
Note: Level of significance: ***p < 0.01, **p < 0.05, *p < 0.1
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ANNEX IX. CONSTRAINTS BASED ON THE PATHWAY FRAMEWORK
Constraints Chapter
Expansion of nontradable services IV
Low agricultural productivity IV
Inadequate agriculture infrastructure IV
Limited R&D in agriculture IV
Constraints on livestock and fishery sector growth IV
Structural Transformation
Concentration of FDI in extractive sectors IV
Unfavorable business environment with high regulatory burden (nuisance taxes, multiplicity in regulatory licenses and fees) IV
Underperforming power sector III, IV
Remaining constraints in access to credit III, IV
Crime and lack of security IV
Under-utilization of ICT among firms IV
Underdeveloped tradable services (tourism and logistics) IV
Labor force skill shortages III, IV
Slow implementation of land laws IV
Lack of sophistication in exports IV
Weak inter-sectoral coordination for natural resources management III, IV
Low firm-level productivity in Dar es Salaam IV
Expansion of urban informality IV
Limited urban planning, Urban congestion, IV
Spatial Transformation
Under-competitive Central Corridor IV
Underdeveloped special economic zones with conducive regulatory environment IV
Rural-urban connectivity IV
Spatial inequality in poverty reduction III
Limited accessibility of services in underserved rural areas. III, IV
Need for further regional economic integration through EAC and SADC IV
High cost of trading across the border (weak infrastructure for regional connectivity including port capacity and efficiency
IV
and prevalence of nontariff barriers)
Slow public sector reforms IV
Institutional Transformation
Prevalence of state-owned enterprises IV
Declining quality of service delivery and need to leverage ICT III, IV
Declining public confidence in government ability to deliver services IV
Elite capture IV
Low domestic revenue (relative to GDP) III
Inadequate financing for social protection III
Declining foreign aid III
III
Rising public debt
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ANNEX X: MAP OF TANZANIA
117