Department of Development Studies, Political Science and Public Administration, and History

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The Meaning, Spiritual Foundation, and Mythology of African Sacred Landscapes: The Case of Sacred Forests among the Bena of Njombe, Tanzania
(Journal of Religion in Africa, 2023) Mgaya, Edward Simon
In various cultures around the world, past and present, many natural and cultural sites are deemed sacred. What are sacred landscapes? What are the spiritual foundations for their formation? How are they formed? How are they protected? The answers to these questions help frame a discussion of sacred landscapes within the context of their meaning, origin, and management processes as lived experiences of specific societies. In Tanzania, the linkages between biodiversity and the worldview of a society have partly been acknowledged but remain unexplored. This paper applies a mixed research approach to studying sacred forests among the Bena community of Njombe in Tanzania. Rather than looking exclusively at the sacred forests in themselves as places, the paper underscores the linkage of human-nature-spirituality as key in explaining the history of sacred forests. It establishes that, among the Bena, the sacredness of a place was founded on the relationship between the visible and the invisible worlds – relations that led to the formation of various mystical-religious homelands’ sacred places that are protected through mythologies.
From investors to Do-it-All: Chinese Immigrants, their Activities and Local People's Perceptions in Tanzania, 1990s to the Present
(Journal of Sino-African Studies, 2022) Mgaya, Edward Simon
Since the 1990s, there has been an unprecedented rise in the number of Chinese immigrants across Africa. In Tanzania, the influx of Chinese people forming social-economic clusters—‗Chinatowns‘ is springing. The new individual Chinese quest for achievement, necessitating new waves of migration to Africa, is not yet well researched. This paper examines this new trend as it manifests in the Tanzanian context. It looks at the motivation for Chinese migration to Tanzania, their networks, activities, and the local people‘s perceptions of those engagements. Using information gathered from surveys, and written and oral sources, the paper establishes that since the 1990s, Chinese migrants have increasingly turned from investors to engage in almost every small business they come across. Because of Tanzania‘s generally small local economies, these relatively new entrants to the market have undoubtedly caused mixed perceptions among the locals. While the Sino-African relationship is generally viewed positively by the Tanzanians, the Chinese residing in the country are perceived less positively, as exemplified by perceived hostility and rudeness from the Chinese migrants.
Development Implications of Labour Migration for Origin Societies: The Case of Manamba of Njombe District, 1900-1960s’
(Tanzania Zamani Journal, 2021) Mgaya, Edward
For decades, labour migration scholarship in Africa has focused on social-economic and political problems instigated by colonial labour migration in the origin societies. Very little is available regarding migrants’ transformational agency. This paper discusses the role that migrant labourers (manamba) played in economic development in the Njombe district, Tanzania from 1900 to the 1960s. The paper argues that, apart from the apparent complications, labour migration also facilitated the development of the district in some ways depending on variations in the economic environment of the migrants’ homes and the areas they worked. Deriving from primary and secondary evidence the paper links labour migrants to cash crop production, agricultural innovations and entrepreneurial activities. It concludes that using the knowledge, experience and capital the migrants got in various workplaces, added with creativity, the labour migrants contributed considerably to the wider transformational process of bringing economic development to their places of origin.
ICT and economic empowerment: analysing how youth in Tanzania use social media to facilitate income-generation activities
(UDSM, 2021-12) Manyerere, David
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has globally played a significant role in facilitating communication that assists various socio-economic undertakings. It presents an opportunity, especially to the youth in Africa, to utilise social media (SM) and contribute to attaining Sustainable Development Goals No 1 and No. 8, such as eradicating poverty and creating decent work. However, this may only happen if SM platforms are utilised appropriately. Hence, this article examined the uptake of ICT in the form of SM in facilitating Income Generating Activities (IGAs) undertaken by youth in Dar es Salaam Tanzania for self-economic empowerment. A total of 46 respondents from the region were purposively selected and interviewed. These involved youth, community residents and local government officers. Primary data were obtained through Face-to-face Key In-depth Interviews (KIIs)and secondary data from various reliable sources, including peer-reviewed articles. Data were collected and analysed through a qualitative approach using NVivo software (Version 12). Findings show that youths who effectively use SM in their day-to-day IGAs strengthened their economic undertakings and hence were economically empowered. SM accelerated the spread of relevant information between the youth and their customers and amongst the youth themselves. Notwithstanding such achievements, some youths misused SM due to negative perceptions while others failed to afford to buy smartphones or pay for the internet. The article recommends that youth who can afford access to SM should be mobilised and trained to emulate successful stories to facilitate effective undertakings of their IGA hence economically empowered. The study findings are crucial for youth and youth development stakeholders to improve strategies to promote SM use for youth economic empowerment.
Youth Perceptions, Use and Effects of Social Media on Peace and Conflicts in Tanzania
(AJOL, 2021-11) Manyerere, David J
The article focused on examining how youth perception and use of social media (SM) influences peace and conflicts among Tanzanians, using the Dar es Salaam region as a case study. A qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse data. A purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents, whereby youth, local government officers and community residents were interviewed. The findings revealed that SM has both advantages and disadvantages in promoting peace and activating conflicts, depending on users’ perceptions and interests. SM facilitates conflicts due to the Social Media Networks (SMNs) ability to spread fake news quickly, unfounded claims, and rumours. These promote conflicts between political opponents as well as causing mistrust among citizens and their leaders. Some artists, especially comedians, instigate conflicts in society by editing political and religious leaders’ messages. On the other hand, it was revealed that SM promotes peace due to quicker transfer of relevant information that nurtures positive unit values, solidarity, respect and love among the group, society members, and citizens. These values promote good deeds, such as worshipping God, working and living together amicably. However, the study found out that lack of appropriate education on SM’s use and importance among many youths on youth development seems to have hindered SM use in peace promotion. The study calls for strengthening stakeholders’ initiative to educate and mobilise improved use of SM among youth to sustain peace and security, which is a pre-condition for their self-development and prosperity of their country.
Marginalised Groups’ Survival in an Informal Sector in Tanzania: An Examination of Networking Strategies among Touts ‘working’ at Bus Terminals in Dar es salaam City
(Tanzania Journal of Sociology, 2020-12) Manyerere, David
For a prolonged time, bus passengers condemn the touts in bus stands as distressing individuals. This perception is, being challenged by strong criticism, especially where the unemployment problem in the formal sector is rapidly increasing and poverty in most developing nations is extensively growing. Hence, making people choose informal jobs as the case of touts is apparent. Some scholars perceive the informal sector as a source of living and survival for the unemployed and young people not in the formal job. However, little is known about how touts as marginalised individuals survive in an informal sector setting such as bus terminals, where there are multiple working challenges. Primarily, this is due to data limitations about touts’ survival strategies in informal job. This research paper examines the networking strategies employed by touts in selected bus terminals - Temeke, Ubungo and Kimara in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to survive in the informal sector. The findings indicate that touts working in bus terminals are among the impoverished groups in the country. Touts’ economic survival in such an unsecured informal sector depends on the establishment of better social relations among themselves and their family members.
ICT, citizen engagement and the governance of extractive resources in Tanzania: Documenting the practice and challenges
(Elsevier, 2020-11-01) Poncian, Japhace
Citizen engagement is one way of improving the governance of extractive resources and overcoming the resource curse. Academic research on Tanzania's extractive resource governance has shown that meaningful offline citizen engagement remains a troubling area mainly because of how it is framed by the government and the measures it takes to suppress organised community initiatives for engagement. Can government use of ICT promote citizen engagement? This paper asks one major question: how do governments deploy ICTs to create and/or constrain opportunities for active citizen engagement in extractives decision-making and governance processes? In answering this question, the paper examines how the Tanzanian government uses ICTs to engage with citizens in extractives decision-making and governance processes and whether this engagement really empowers citizens to influence resource governance decisions. The paper shows that much as the government uses ICT to inform the public about extractives development, it equally takes measures-political and legal- to ensure that meaningful citizen engagement does not evolve. This calls for a nuanced analysis of the potential role of ICT in promoting citizen engagement in governance processes.
Unveiling the Role of Rural Social Networks in Facilitating Rural-Urban Migration and the Survival of Self-Employed Youth in Iringa Municipality, Tanzania
(Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development, 2020-12-17) Manyerere, David
t Youth unemployment is a global challenge but more severe among developing countries such as Tanzania. In addressing the challenge, rural youth resort to migrating to urban areas in search of perceived vast economic opportunities. This paper explores how rural social networks facilitate youth rural-urban migration and migrants' survival in Iringa Municipality. It shows that cooperative values manifested in day to day socio-economic relations among village dwellers nurture long term social networks that are the potential to facilitate youth migration and their survival in urban areas. The paper unveils how earlier migrants support the newcomers to join them and access economic opportunities. They provide fare to travel, hosting assistance and connect them to urban income generation opportunities. As a survival strategy, youth migrants use their rural social relations to form economic groups to work together, exchange information about alternative sources of incomes as well as helping each other when faced with socio-economic crises. However, despite such accrued rural social networks benefits, some youth migrants fail to meet their expectations given urban life challenges as they earn insufficient income to cater for their basic needs. To avoid such urban vulnerability, the paper proposes some suggestions. Before migration, rural youth need to be informed to make proper decisions based on the correct information, and they should work hard while in the urban area to cope with a new working environment.
Unveiling the Role of Rural Social Networks in Facilitating Rural-Urban Migration and the Survival of Self-Employed Youth in Iringa Municipality, Tanzania
(Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development, 2020-12-17) Manyerere, David; Manyerere, David
Youth unemployment is a global challenge but more severe among developing countries such as Tanzania. In addressing the challenge, rural youth resort to migrating to urban areas in search of perceived vast economic opportunities. This paper explores how rural social networks facilitate youth rural-urban migration and migrants' survival in Iringa Municipality. It shows that cooperative values manifested in day to day socio-economic relations among village dwellers nurture long term social networks that are the potential to facilitate youth migration and their survival in urban areas. The paper unveils how earlier migrants support the newcomers to join them and access economic opportunities. They provide fare to travel, hosting assistance and connect them to urban income generation opportunities. As a survival strategy, youth migrants use their rural social relations to form economic groups to work together, exchange information about alternative sources of incomes as well as helping each other when faced with socio-economic crises. However, despite such accrued rural social networks benefits, some youth migrants fail to meet their expectations given urban life challenges as they earn insufficient income to cater for their basic needs. To avoid such urban vulnerability, the paper proposes some suggestions. Before migration, rural youth need to be informed to make proper decisions based on the correct information, and they should work hard while in the urban area to cope with a new working environment
Exploring the Role of Youth Volunteerism towards Achievement of Local Development Initiatives in Iringa, Tanzania
(Tanzania Journal of Development Studies (TJDS), 2019) Manyerere, David
The concept of volunteerism is increasingly becoming a popular phenomenon in the contemporary world as it unveils how community members at local, national, or international levels support their respective societies, nations, and the world at large to achieve various development targets. The role of the youth—being an active and energetic cohort—in accelerating local development projects through volunteerism cannot be overemphasized. This paper explores the contribution of the youth cohort in Iringa region, Tanzania, in supporting various local development initiatives that have significant positive impact to their respective societies in the achievement of development initiatives in various projects. Primary data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews techniques. The data were analysed using qualitative approach through the NVivo software. Findings demonstrate a clear and direct relationship between active youth participation in volunteerism activities and effective accomplishment of local development projects. Religious, school and community institutions were found to play a significant role to nurture the spirit of youth volunteerism. Notwithstanding challenges, youth volunteerism significantly facilitated the constructions of public infrastructures like hospitals, classrooms, and roads; as well as supporting the provision of various emergency services in their respective areas.
The contribution of effective electronic record management to fight corruption: Evidence from selected public service offices in Tanzania.
(Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations- 2018, 2018) Manyerere, David; Manyerere, Juliana
It is undeniable fact that corruption practices in both public and private domains hinder the full realization of development of people in various aspects, in social, economic and political fronts. This paper attempts to show the contribution of effective electronic-record management systems to fight corruption in Tanzania particularly in hospitals, the judiciary and police force in order to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services. The paper is based on an extensive desk review of secondary data from relevant sources. The results show that there is a significant difference between the use of e-record management and its non-use in terms of addressing corruption practices done by public officials in the studied sectors. Special attribution is derived from the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices like Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) machine, mobile telephones, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) systems and the like. This paper concludes that, in order to fight corruption, there is a need to establish and promote the use of electronic record management systems not only in hospitals, judiciary, police force, but also in all sectors of the economy within both public and private domains. This is essential to facilitate effective delivery of services to the citizens hence, address corruption practices. The study recommends further, that the government should take a leading role in terms of putting initiatives to ensure e-payment record management systems is adopted and used by all individuals as well as both public and private institutions throughout the country to promote sustainable socio-economic development.
Youth Employment Creation Initiatives in Rural Iringa, Tanzania: An Examination of the Role Played by Family, Community and Local Government Institutions
(Ruaha Journal of Arts and Social Sciences (RUJASS), 2018) Manyerere, David
This article examines the role of the family, community and local government institutions in rural Iringa, Tanzania, to enable youth create viable self-employment opportunities. The study was carried out area in Iringa region where three rural district councils were involved. To obtain the data, interviews and FGDs instruments were employed. Qualitative approach was applied in data analysis. The study revealed that the institutions played a significant role to nurture youth positive socio-economic traits such as spirit of hard work and self-efficacy, trustworthiness, and resilience. For instance, through mobilising voluntary works and formulation of strict bylaws which force all village residents to engage in Income Generation Activities (IGAs), the institutions provided significant impetus towards youth adapting hardworking spirit in various self-employment activities. Moreover,, the study established that lack of designed youth programmes to install multiple socio-economic skills had a direct negative impact in terms of hindering youth to create sustainable IGAs. Despite the availability of abundant resources in the region, youth lacked training forums and reliable credit facilities that would empower them to initiate and manage sustainable IGAs. The article concludes that persistence youth unemployment in the region which is endowed with potential resources is somewhat manifestation of poor parental guidance and lack of benevolent leadership style. These would mentor youngsters on identifying multiple socioeconomic capabilities to strengthen youth knowledge and skills relevant to discover and utilise their individual talents. The study recommends that youth development actors in Iringa to cooperatively work hard to create potential forums and provide multiple forms of resources to create self-employment opportunities using available abundant natural resources found in the region.
Entering in and sustaining a career in male-dominated jobs: an examination of female security guards’ experiences in Iringa region, Tanzania
(Int. J. Gender Studies in Developing Societies, 2017) Manyerere, David; Poncian, Japhace
This paper studies challenges confronting women while seeking to enter and sustain a career in the booming male dominated private security companies (PSCs). It uses the socialist feminist approach and qualitative interviews with female and male security guards, and PSC managers in Iringa, Tanzania to show that women seeking employment in PSCs are constrained by sexual harassment and exploitation as well as having to secure consent of their spouses before they can take up the job offers. Similarly, for those who make it into the PSCs, challenges such as tight and long-hour shifts and sexual harassment and exploitation are part of their daily experiences at work. The strategies devised to address these challenges and/or cope with them are not helping women. Moreover, while some challenges are common to both men and women, their sexual differences and burdensome domestic chores make women more vulnerable than men.
Social Capital: A Neglected Resource to create Viable and Sustainable Youth Economic Groups in Urban Tanzania
(Journal of Education and Practice, 2016) Manyerere, David
There has been an alarming increase in the rate of unemployment among active urban population in Tanzania whereby the youth are severely affected. In this regard Youth Economic Groups (YEGs) program was formed as one among the best alternative strategies to address this perennial problem. Membership in YEGs act as a means to complement youth abilities and strengths to accomplish their common goal of addressing unemployment problem, through facilitating access of financial, human and physical capital from various sources. This paper argues that the arrangement, in which YEGs program has been implemented, overlooks the pivotal role of social capital resource to ensure that youth undertake Income Generation Activities (IGAs) amicably and effectively. Most of previous research works on youth unemployment were focused on challenges related to financial, human and physical capital. Hence, very little attention has been paid on fact that YEGs are constituted by members with different socio-economic background whose behaviour and interests need to be harmonised by appropriate relations to achieve their common objectives. The paper contributes in filling that gap by drawing empirical evidence of YEGs in Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC) and suggests how various forms of social capital can be nurtured to create and sustain viable Income Generation Groups (IGGs) in urban Tanzania so as to address the perennial unemployment problem facing the urban youth.
Detriments of colonialism on indigenous conflict resolution: an analysis of Pakistan and Tanzania
(Taylor and Francis, 2018) Yousaf, Farooq; Poncian, Japhace
Since the process of decolonization started after the conclusion of the Second World War, a major victim of this process was indigenous cultures and social structures in most of the former colonies. This paper draws its analysis from postcolonial theory by considering the detrimental effects that colonialism has left on the culture and governance in tribal societies. The paper attempts to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on indigenous/traditional conflict transformation and peace strategies by studying the role of indigenous strategies in resolving conflicts in Pakistan and Tanzania. In Pakistan, the Pashtun Jirga is a council of elders that plays a significant role in mediating and resolving conflicts among Pashtuns, especially tribal Pashtuns. In Tanzania, two cases of extractive resource conflicts in North Mara and Mtwara show how these conflicts have been resolved and what role indigenous strategies played or could have played if they were to be effectively used. In both Pakistan and Tanzania cases, we find that indigenous strategies of peace and conflict transformation are an important and necessary ingredient to conflict resolution. However, despite their significance, indigenous strategies are hardly a priority for respective post-colonial governments and the international community.
Extractive resource ownership and the subnational resource curse: Insights from Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2018) Poncian, Japhace
The resource curse thesis has dominated much of the recent extractive resource governance literature. Much of the focus on the resource curse has been at the national level around issues of how the curse manifests and what can be done to address it. Recently, a body of literature which scrutinises the resource curse at the subnational level has emerged to address the shortcomings of the mainstream approach to the curse. However, these subnational resource curse studies examine use similar approaches to those of the national resource curse studies—that is, the econometric, political economy and conflict lenses as well as that of decentralisation. This paper draws on insights from Tanzania’s extractive sector to examine how national resource ownership politics influence the occurrence of a resource curse at the subnational level. It argues that national ownership of extractive resources provides the central government with exclusive power to make decisions and shape governance processes which, in turn, trample on subnational community rights over resources and create the conditions for a resource curse at this subnational level. In effect, it shows that weak local governance and national politics combine to make so-called national ownership contribute to the presence of a subnational resource curse.
Managing revenue collection outsourcing in Tanzania’s local government authorities: a case study of Iringa Municipal Council
(2019) Mgonja, Michael Grayson; Poncian, Japhace
Due to their critical role in development and governance, local governments need adequate financial resources to deliver the many developmental functions. However, such financial resources are either not available or inadequate. One way of rising to this challenge has been scaling up revenue collection from local revenue sources. This is done through either in-house collection or outsourcing revenue collection. Extant research has focused on the benefits and challenges of outsourcing. This paper expands this body of knowledge by studying how local governments manage private collectors to maximise benefits of outsourcing. From interviews conducted with Iringa Municipality officials and staff, the paper shows that revenue collection outsourcing can be an effective tax administration strategy if properly managed.
Resource governance and community participation: Making hydrocarbon extraction work for Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2019) Poncian, Japhace; Jose, Jim
Recent discoveries of natural gas in Tanzania have generated optimism and reignited hopes for socio-economic transformation. While extractive companies have not yet announced their investment decisions, the government has anticipated future activities by putting in place institutional, policy and legal frameworks to ensure that there is a stable basis for the development of the subsector. These measures aim to ensure a vibrant level of industrial development. However, it is not clear whether they will be sufficient to enable Tanzania to avoid the fate that has befallen some other resource rich African countries, namely the resource curse. Hence it is imperative that Tanzania finds a way to prevent potential adverse effects from becoming realities that eventually turn into a resource curse. This paper considers the role and significance of active community participation in natural gas decision making and governance processes. The paper draws on government documents for the energy sector and forty-four semi-structured interviews conducted between July 2016 and February 2017 with community members, religious leaders, local government officials, central government bureaucrats, civil society organisations and political representatives in Mtwara, Lindi and Dar es Salaam. The paper argues that active community engagement in decision-making and governance processes is as important as economic participation. This calls for a re-think of local content policy and regulations to ensure that communities not only participate in natural gas value and supply chains but also have the opportunity and capacity to influence decisions about how they participate and benefit from extractive resources.
When government commitment meets community proactiveness: Governing gas and community engagement in Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2019) Poncian, Japhace
Following natural gas discoveries in offshore south-eastern Tanzania, the government has made several governance arrangements to prepare for the anticipated petro-economy. The emerging gas governance regime recognises, among others, the significance of engaging local communities in governance processes. This policy commitment is met with proactive communities which push for their engagement in decision-making and governance processes. This paper examines how government responds to community efforts for their engagement in decision-making processes in the gas sector. Particularly, the paper seeks to establish whether government's commitment to community engagement translates into a positive response to bottom-up participation efforts by gas communities. Drawing on interviews with community members, politicians and local and central government officials and critical analysis of gas policy framework, the paper shows that the government has consistently repressed community efforts for their engagement in gas governance. This negative response to community efforts calls for a deeper examination of extractive resource politics relative to the practice of community engagement.
Galvanising political support through resource nationalism: A case of Tanzania's 2017 extractive sector reforms
(Elsevier, 2019-03) Poncian, Japhace
Resource nationalism has become a fashionable approach to resource governance in many countries across the world. Motivated by the desire to make resource governance deliver to socio-economic development, governments in resource-rich countries have exploited resource nationalism to achieve their populist socio-economic goals. In 2017, the government of Tanzania instituted a strong resource nationalist governance regime. This paper examines Tanzania's re-adoption of resource nationalism to understand how the government was able to institutionalise the reforms. The paper draws on secondary scholarly sources and primary materials such as President Magufuli's speeches during his presidential campaigns in 2015 and afterwards during his government clampdown on Acacia. Like studies on neo-extractivism in Latin America have shown, President Magufuli used resource nationalism as a political strategy to both secure a stronghold in party and national politics and legitimise his economic policy. Faced with a strengthening opposition politics and competitive elections, President Magufuli exploited public dissatisfaction with a liberal resource governance approach and a popular appeal of socialist policies to re-introduce resource nationalism as a strategy not only to re-legitimise extractivism but also to delegitimise the opposition and multinational corporations.

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