Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Corruption
A major impediment to real progress is corruption. In an effort to combat it, there are signs
in banks, immigration offices and elsewhere advertising that you're in a corruption-free
zone. Yet its stench permeates every aspect of business and officialdom, stymieing invest-
ment and growth.
Family Squabbles
In the political sphere, attention is focused on keeping family ties happy between the main-
land and proudly independent Zanzibar. While an amicable path for co-existence has been
forged, the task requires ongoing attention. It is made more challenging by the continued
dominance of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. In the most recent national elec-
tions, the opposition made a surprisingly strong showing, giving some observers hope that
inroads are being made against the CCM monolith.
A Lively Media
Agriculture, the mainstay of Tanzania's economy, employs about two-
thirds of working-age Tanzanians - most of whom are subsistence farm-
ers - and accounts for 40% of the country's gross domestic product.
Tanzania's lively media plays an important role. While most of the main dailies are aligned
to some degree with CCM, the mainland local press is relatively independent and Tanzania
is ranked ahead of its neighbours in press freedom by Reporters Without Borders.
That said, distribution difficulties in rural areas and a countrywide illiteracy rate of over
25% mean that the influence of newspapers is limited to urban centres.
Education for the Future
As Tanzania celebrates its 50th birthday, it is beginning to elevate another element of
Nyerere's vision to greater prominence: education. Although Nyerere's goal of universal
primary education has not yet been realised, it is slowly coming closer to fulfilment. Yet the
real key will be finding a way to ensure that more than 7% of youth (the current abysmally
low figure) can finish secondary school, and go on to university or gain employment.
Dos & Don'ts
»Take time for greetings and pleasantries.
»Don't eat or pass things with the left hand.
»Respect authority and avoid impatience; deference and good humour will see you through
most situations.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search