Consultancy & Special Projects Tanzania

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The annals of Zanzibar read like a chapter from The Thousand and One Nights and doubtless evoke many exotic images in the minds of travelers. Otherwise known as the Spice Island. Zanzibar’s old Stone Town is a fascinating labyrinth of narrow, windy streets lined with quaint little shops, bazaars, mosques, courtyards and squares, former colonial mansions and whitewashed, coral-rag houses, many with overhanging balconies and magnificently carved brass-studded doors. Scuba diving has taken off in a big way on Zanzibar with its numerous beautiful coral reefs.

Gombe Stream Park is primarily a chimpanzee sanctuary and is the site of Jane Goodall’s research station, which was set up in 1960. There can be only few people who have never heard, read or seen on TV footage of the incredible 20-km wide volcanic crater in Nogorongoro Conservation Area with its 600 m walls packed with just about every species of wildlife to be found in east Africa. On the seemingly endless and almost treeless plains of the Serengeti are literally millions of hoofed animals. Nowhere else will you see wildebeest, gazelle, zebra and antelope in such concentrations. From February till March the Tsetse flies are a pest, so keep your windows of the car closed.

Climbing Kilimanjaro by the Machame-Mweka route

Climbing Kili can be an awesome experience - it's a BIG mountain. There are alot of people on the hill and the numbers are really noticeable in the camp sites. On the trail everyone goes along at a snails pace so you don't pass/get passed by many people, aside from porters of course. A 6 day trek helps acclimitisation. As for the Arrow glacier route, there are fewer people on it, but rock falls are common and it is only the summit part of the route which is different to the Machame route. The weather in August is about 12 degrees centigrade and quite windy. If you have a down jacket take it! You walk so slowly that you need as many layers as you can to keep warm. Wind proof trousers are also a bonus.

Dar-es-Salaam:

Dar-es-Salaam (Dar As-Salam), once was just a small fishing village. It gained importance in the mid-19th century, when the Sultan of Zanzibar transformed it into a port and trading center. Since then, it has been growing continuously. It came under German control after they established a station there in 1887. Afterwards, it became the capital of German East Africa, then of Tanganyika in 1961 when it gained independence, and ultimately of Tanzania. Dar-es-Salaam is an important industrial and transportation center, as agricultural and mineral exports pass through its port.

Economy:

The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture (primarily, coffee, cotton, tea, cashew nuts, sisal, maize, rice, wheat, cassava, and tobacco), which accounts for about 50 percent of GDP, provides 85 percent of exports, and is by far the largest employer. Cattle raising and farming are important economic activities. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only a small fraction of the land area. Important industries are wood and furniture, beverages, processed food, milled rice and flour, soap, and oil. Industry accounts for some 15 percent of GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The mining sector has good potential, but has yet to be fully developed. Tourism is one of Tanzania's dynamic sectors and has shown significant growth in recent years. The service sector and the informal sector are an increasingly important source of employment. Dodoma is the market for peanuts (groundnuts), castor beans, sunflower seeds, gum, corn (maize), rice, wheat, coffee, tea, tobacco, and sorghum. Coffee and sisal are grown in the north.

PricewaterhouseCoopers: Serving you in Tanzania.

History:

Former President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere

Mainland Tanganyika and its island neighbor Zanzibar, located in eastern Africa, became independent in December 1961 and December 1963, respectively. In 1964 the two formed a union known as the United Republic of Tanzania. The president of Tanganyika, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, became the first president of the Union.

Following the Arusha Declaration in 1967, Tanzania launched a socialist development agenda with broad state controls. These policies provoked a long-term economic downswing and macroeconomic imbalances, resulting in a decline in living conditions for Tanzanians. In 1986 the newly-appointed Mwinyi Government embarked on a broad-based Economic Recovery Program supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. This was reinforced by an Economic and Social Action Program in 1989. Under these two programs, Government worked to dismantle the system of state controls and promote private sector expansion--including liberalizing the trade and exchange system, eliminating price controls and most state monopolies, and opening the financial sector to private sector participation. Rehabilitation of key infrastructure was also made a priority, particularly roads, railways, and ports. The economy responded to these reforms, recovering at an annual growth rate of 4 percent over 1986-94. In 1995-96, however, Tanzania's progress was jeopardized by a significant deterioration in macroeconomic management, in part due to weakened commitment to reform during President Mwinyi's second term. The worsening macroeconomic situation led to deferment of World Bank and IMF programs and an interruption of balance of payment assistance from several donors. The Mkapa Government , which came into power in November 1995, represented a break with the past and the President moved quickly to reach agreement with the IMF. The subsequent adherence to the IMF fiscal program has resulted in satisfactory economic performance. Tanzania continues to enjoy political stability, and has assumed a leadership role in regional cooperation under President Mkapa. After three decades of one-party rule, multi-party elections were held at the local level in late 1994, and presidential and parliamentary elections in late 1995. The ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi Party (CCM) won both presidential and parliamentary elections. Next elections are to be held in October 2000. Over the past five years, the government has made efforts to fulfill its election pledge to fight corruption and to continue policies emphasizing economic stability and liberalization aimed at growth and poverty reduction.