Tanzania: Background and Current
Conditions
Ted Dagne
Specialist in African Affairs
August 31, 2011
Congressional Research Service
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www.crs.gov
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Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
Summary
Tanzania, an important U.S. ally in Africa, is a stable and important regional actor. There has been
a gradual increase in political pluralism, but Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM ), the ruling party,
remains dominant in government and parliament. Tanzania’s current president, Jakaya Kikwete,
who previously served for 10 years as Tanzania’s foreign minister, won 80.3% of the votes cast in
the December 2005 presidential election. In October 2010, President Kikwete was reelected for a
second term with 61% of the votes cast. The ruling CCM won 70% of the seats in parliament.
Tanzania continues its pattern of steady real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and has a
low and stable inflation rate. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts real Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) growth of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.9% in 2012. Inflation is expected to reach 9.1% in
2011 and 8.2% in 2012.
Congressional Research Service
Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
Contents
Background...................................................................................................................................... 1
Politics ....................................................................................................................................... 1
President Kikwete............................................................................................................................ 2
Economy.................................................................................................................................... 3
HIV/AIDS.................................................................................................................................. 3
Regional Role ............................................................................................................................ 4
Human Rights Conditions ......................................................................................................... 4
U.S.-Tanzania Relations .................................................................................................................. 4
Tables
Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Tanzania ............................................................................................... 5
Contacts
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 5
Congressional Research Service
Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
Background
Tanzania, with an eastern seaboard on the Indian Ocean and a western border abutting several of
East Africa’s Great Lakes, is a medium-sized poor country. Though it is socially diverse, with
about 125 ethnic groups, it has enjoyed general political stability and national unity for about 40
years in a region wracked by civil wars, often with ethnic dimensions, in neighboring Rwanda,
Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mozambique. Tanzania is a union
formed in 1964 between the mainland—a German colony and later a British protectorate formerly
known as Tanganyika—and the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and several smaller islands. The
islands, which remain semi-autonomous with their own president and parliament, are populated
by peoples of mixed Arab and African descent, and almost all are Muslim.1
Tanzania’s first president was Julius Nyerere, who led a one-party state that nationalized key
industries and created
ujamaa, a rural, collective village-based movement of “African socialism”
and “self reliance.”
Ujamaa faced increasing popular dissatisfaction, and was slowly abandoned
in the 1970s and 1980s.2 In 1977, Tanzania repelled an invasion by the brutal Ugandan dictator,
Idi Amin, and in 1979 intervened in Uganda to overthrow Amin. Tanzania was active in opposing
racist political systems in South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Nyerere, who had a
reputation as an honest, humble, idealistic leader, retired as president in 1985, and became an
elder statesman, mediating peace processes in neighboring Burundi. He was succeeded by the
president of Zanzibar, Ali Mwinyi, who oversaw political reforms and a gradual transition to a
market economy, in part due to economic collapse brought on by
ujamaa and centralized
economic management.
Politics
There has been a gradual increase in political pluralism, but the CCM remains dominant in
government and parliament, and is periodically accused of subverting the aspirations of
opposition parties. Opposition parties have reportedly on some occasions been denied rally
permits, and their party members detained, intimidated, and harassed, notably during electoral
periods, according to human rights groups. In April 2005, CCM offices on Zanzibar were
bombed. This event followed the discovery of the body of a missing CCM official, and the
Zanzibar Election Commission’s (ZEC’s) ruling that the leader of the Zanzibar-based Civic
United Front (CUF) party was ineligible to run for the Zanzibar presidency. In the 2000 general
elections, Zanzibar political activists, notably those of the locally dominant opposition CUF,
accused the CCM, and by implication the government, of administering the poll in a manner
biased toward the CCM. The election was characterized by substantial violence between state
security forces and opposition supporters.
1 Europa Regional Surveys of the World.
Africa South of the Sahara, 2008. 2 Europa Regional Surveys of the World.
Africa South of the Sahara, 2008.
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Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
In October 2005, Zanzibar held its presidential
Tanzania at a Glance
election. Amani Abeid Karume was elected
Geography: East African coastal country;
president with 53.2% of the votes cast, while
Nearly one and a half times the size of Texas.
opposition candidate Seif Hamad received
Population: 42.7 million (2011 est.)
46.1%. In the legislative elections, the ruling
Population growth rate: 2% (2011 est.)
CCM took 31 seats, while the CUF won 18
GDP (purchasing power parity): $58.4 billion
(2010)
seats in the House of Representatives.
GDP per capita (PPP): $1,400 (2010)
Observers reported about election-related
Major Exports: Gold, coffee, cashews, tourism,
violence and claims of electoral fraud.3 The
manufactured products, cotton, cloves
Commonwealth recommended an investigation
Languages: Swahili (official); English (official, used in
into the election-related violence. The Zanzibar
business, administration, higher education); Arabic
(Zanzibar); about 123 other local languages, many
Electoral Commission (ZEC) stated that the
Bantu-based
elections were free and fair. In December 2005,
Religions: Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous
presidential and legislative elections took place
beliefs 35%; Zanzibar /islands over 99% Muslim
on Mainland Tanzania. CCM candidate Jakaya
Literacy: Male, 77.5%; Female, 66.2% (2003)
Mrisho Kikwete won 80.3% of the votes cast in
Under-5 Mortality: 165 deaths/1,000 live births
HIV/AIDS adult infection rate: 6.2% (2007)
the presidential elections, while the CUF
Life Expectancy, years at birth:
candidate, Ibrahim Lipumba, won 11.7% of the
Male, 50.5 Female, 53.5 (2009 est.)
votes cast. The ruling CCM won 207 seats,
Sources: CIA World Factbook 2011.
while the CUF took 18 seats in the National
Assembly.
In October 2010, President Kikwete was reelected for a second term with 61% of the votes cast.
The ruling CCM won 70% of the seats in parliament. Opposition candidate Wilibrod Slaa won
26% of the votes cast. In Zanzibar, CCM candidate Ali Mohamed Shein, a strong ally of President
Kikwete, won the presidential election with 50.1% of the votes cast, while CUF candidate Seif
Sharif Hamad won 49% of the votes cast.
In late 2010, President Kikwete announced that his government would establish a commission to
review the constitution, a demand made by opposition members. Opposition leaders have
demanded changes to reduce the powers of the president and to allow independent candidates to
run for office. President Kikwete appointed Attorney General Frederick Werema as head of the
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC).
President Kikwete
Tanzania’s current president, Jakaya Kikwete, previously served for 10 years as Tanzania’s
foreign minister. He is pursuing an agenda of political continuity that builds on the achievements
of Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa but also seeks to generate greater economic growth and reform.
He has also voiced a desire to resolve political conflicts that have long affected Zanzibar
internally and in its relations with the mainland. In May 2009, President Kikwete met President
Obama in Washington, DC.
3 The Norwegian Center for Human Rights (NORDEM).
The United Republic of Tanzania: Presidential and
Parliamentary Elections December 2005.
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Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
Economy
The Mkapa Administration pursued a number of key economic reforms and was generally seen
positively by bilateral and multilateral donors, which have provided substantial financial and
technical support to Tanzania. Some of these reforms included privatizations of state firms;
ongoing improvements to Tanzania’s weak infrastructure system; the creation of growing cell
phone networks and increased Internet access; and an increasingly robust and investor-friendly
private sector, particularly in the tourism, retail, gold and gems mining, transport,
communication, and agriculture sectors. Tanzania reached its completion point under the
Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative in 2001, and has received partial
debt stock reductions under the initiative. Several donors have recently provided bilateral debt
relief to Tanzania.
Tanzania continues its pattern of steady real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and its low
and stable inflation rate. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicts real Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) growth of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.9% in 2012. Inflation is expected to reach 9.1% in 2011 and
8.2% in 2012. Despite its real GDP growth, Tanzania’s economy largely fails to address the needs
of ordinary Tanzanians (i.e., healthcare, education, employment, and poverty reduction). In
recognition of this failure, the MKUKUTA (National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of
Poverty) has been developed with the goal of raising economic growth and the reduction of
poverty.4 The price of gold—Tanzania’s main export—remains high due to the global market and
the weakness of the U.S. dollar.
HIV/AIDS
Tanzania faces a severe AIDS epidemic. Its HIV/AIDS infection rate, at about 8.8% (2003), is
lower than that in southern Africa, but higher than those of its East African neighbors. Tanzania is
estimated to have the 12th-highest national infection rate globally, with between 1.6 million and 2
million HIV-positive persons, with work force-aged and urban populations most hard-hit, mostly
on the mainland. Zanzibar and the other islands have an estimated infection rate of about 0.6%. In
April 2005, however, the National AIDS Commission (TACAIDS) chair announced
TACAIDS/U.S. Agency for International Development-funded survey data showing a decrease to
7% in infection rates for Tanzania—though some estimates remain far higher. In 2000, Tanzania
declared AIDS to be a national disaster and later established TACAIDS and a separate Zanzibar
AIDS Commission (ZAC). These entities design and administer national anti-AIDS efforts,
including programs implemented through local government HIV/AIDS committees. In August
2004, at the signing of an $87.9 million grant by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria, President Mkapa announced that his government would begin providing free anti-
retroviral drugs (ARVs) to AIDS patients. In June 2005, the government announced a very
ambitious goal of providing 100,000 patients with ARVs by late 2006, and of reaching 400,000
patients within the next five years. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS,
provides technical, policy, public education, and financial assistance to TACAIDS and ZAC.
Tanzania also receives AIDS assistance from a variety of private AIDS foundations, and from the
United States. It is a “focus country” under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.5
4
The Economist Intelligence Unit. Tanzania, December 2007.
5 The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
2007 Country Profile: Tanzania.
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Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
Regional Role
Tanzania is a member, with Kenya and Uganda, of the East African Community (EAC),
established by a 1999 treaty, which revived an earlier EAC, defunct since 1977. The EAC Treaty
provides for the creation of a range of regional development, economic policy cooperation, trade,
and political coordination initiatives and entities. EAC members signed a customs union
agreement in March 2004, which began to be implemented in January 2005. Tanzania, a Southern
African Development Community (SADC) member, is also cooperating with its southern
neighbors in regional economic development projects, notably in transport. Tanzania has also
helped to facilitate an end to the conflict in neighboring Burundi.
Human Rights Conditions6
Although the Tanzanian government is not reported to be responsible for any politically
motivated killings or disappearances in the past year, there have been several instances of
unlawful killings by policemen and prison guards. Police and prison wardens are also accused of
torturing and threatening suspected criminals. The police force lacks funding and is plagued by
corruption and the excessive use of force. According to the State Department 2010
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices:
Principal human rights problems in both Tanzania and Zanzibar included the following: use
of excessive force by military personnel, police, and prison guards, as well as societal
violence, which resulted in deaths and injuries; abuses by Sungusungo traditional citizens’
anticrime units; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; lengthy pretrial detention;
judicial corruption and inefficiency, particularly in the lower courts; restrictions on freedoms
of press and assembly; restrictions on the movement of refugees; official corruption and
impunity; societal violence against women and persons with albinism; child abuse, including
female genital mutilation (FGM); and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Trafficking
in persons and child labor remained problems.7
U.S.-Tanzania Relations
U.S.-Tanzanian relations are cordial and friendly. The Obama Administration’s bilateral policy
priorities, according to its FY2010 Congressional Budget Justification, include “strengthening
Tanzania’s democratic institutions and security forces, as well as local and national systems and
institutional capacity in health, including HIV/AIDS and malaria, and education.”8 U.S. concerns
about terrorism in Tanzania stem from the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam,
the capital, by al-Qaeda and from the alleged growth of radical Islamic views within Tanzania’s
large Muslim population. In addition, several Tanzanians are known to have joined al-Qaeda. The
United States provides anti-terrorism and financial and immigration fraud capacity-building
assistance, and the U.S. Embassy maintains an emphasis on the protection of U.S. citizens in
Tanzania. A Peace Corps contingent carries out projects in education, natural resource
management, and health, with an emphasis on combating AIDS. Tanzania is eligible for trade
6 The State Department.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2006. 7 http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119028.htm
8 Congressional Budget Justification, 2010.
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Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions
benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, including textile and apparel benefits,
and is a Millennium Challenge Account threshold country, making it eligible to apply for MCA
assistance. In September 2007, Tanzania signed a $698 million compact agreement aimed at
poverty reduction, access to clean water, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts. U.S. assistance
to Tanzania has increased over the past several years. In FY2008, bilateral assistance totaled an
estimated $370.2 million, $368 million in FY2009, and an estimated $462.5 million in FY2010.
The Obama Administration has requested $549.6 million in 2011. Tanzania is one of the 15 focus
countries of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In December 2009, the
National Institute for Medical Research was opened in Dar Es Salaam. The institute will house
three major medical institutions. The United States provided $9.5 million, through PEPFAR, and
laboratory equipment.
Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Tanzania
($ in thousands)
FY2008
FY2009
FY2010
FY2011
FY2012
Actual
Actual
Actual
Request
Request
Total
370,246 464,983 467,739 549,622 571,892
Development
Assistance
21,439 26,890 38,252 58,118 100,000
Foreign Mil. Financing
700 200 200
Global Health and Child Survival-
281,000 329,921 336,254 336,254 346,342
State
Global Health and Child Survival-
52,796 61,078 83,525 112,000 124,000
USAID
International Military Education
300 375 450 400 400
and Training
Int. Narcotics Control and Law
450 950 950
Enforcement
Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism,
149
2,110
Demining and Related Programs
Peacekeeping
Operations
Public Law 480 (Food Aid)
14,562
6,051
Source: Congressional Budget Justification, FY2011
Author Contact Information
Ted Dagne
Specialist in African Affairs
tdagne@crs.loc.gov, 7-7646
Congressional Research Service
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