Economic Development in Tanzania and Oman - Essay Example

Economic Development in Tanzania and Oman Iman Alfareed English 204 – section 30 Dr. Lily Mabura April 12, Abstract Economic development of a given nation relies on the capacity-building initiatives rather than the resources that the same country is endowed with. The truthfulness of such a statement could not be reaffirmed without the works of Professor Samuel Wangwe and Soheir Mohamed Hegazy. The former writer presents the path that Tanzania has taken towards its economic development since its independence. He acknowledges the transition of government regimes and their contribution to the economic development of the nation. For instance, he notes the needfulness for the development of adequate infrastructure that rather than relying on foreign aid. On the other hand, Soheir Mohamed Hegazy writes about the economic development initiatives that Oman has taken over time. She relates the advancements in the economy of the nation to its cultural set-up while proposing the needfulness for the betterment of the tourism infrastructure. Therefore, this work will present an analysis of two articles; Tanzania in Transition: from Nyerere to Mkapa by Wangwe (2010) and Conservation of Omani archaeological sites, Haratal Bilad by Hegazy (2014). The analysis will, therefore, give the background for the comparison of the historical developments of the two economic systems. Key Words: Capacity-Building, Economic Development, Foreign Aid. Wangwe’s Summary: Economic Development in Tanzania Professor Samuel Wangwe is an economist and economic advisor to the government of Tanzania, as well as a policy researcher who has played a role in several organizations. He is a presiding member of the Independent Monitoring Group (IMG), a body that is responsible for supervising the partnership of the government of Tanzania and donors. The chapter, therefore, reviews the challenges and the improvements that the government has gone through altogether and provides an insight as to the suggested course of action that will suit the government of Tanzania at best. Wangwe gives a brief background information regarding the history of Tanzania economically. The government officials developed strategic reforms basing on the economic crisis that arose during the 1980s, which primarily targeted finances (Utz 2008). As the time progressed, the government and its regime sought to integrate institutional reforms into their agenda. However, this was proved to be a challenge since it required an advanced gradation of obligation from administrative figures, which was not put in place. Consequently, donors noted the limitations and shortcomings and believed that the government was not interested in its promised programs. Contrarily, the government felt that donors were intrusive in the development agenda (Utz 2008). This factor gave rise to the need to analyze the situation. Therefore, the independent group led by Gerald K. Helleiner was given the mandate to perform a preliminary review and suggestions to aid the partnership of the government and donors. Wangwe wishes to convey “Tanzania and not donors should be in charge of its development, and should be able to identify its progressive goals and formulate its development strategy”. The donors should only be called upon to support policies and deliberations leading to the new and refined domestic management (Wangwe and Aida 2010). The government’s plan to assert its authority was the formation of the Tanzania Assistance Strategy (TAS). Its application has upgraded four fields within the government regarding leadership that is the supervision of external resources, and local aid synchronization. Furthermore, Wangwe reveals the initiation of a new reform. The move entails the Joint Assistance Strategy (JAS), whose principal aim is to improve the national ownership and leadership development process through diminishing the coast as well as getting national priorities. The strategy was meant to reveal the crystallizing the commitment between the two parties. Wangwe notes that the role of the parliament is ambiguous, even though, the government has proven to be more systematized. Outstanding achievement has been realized primarily in macroeconomics, in which the decrease in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) portrays the move to a more unimpeachable financial position. The efforts in harmonization have crystallized due to the transition from the unrepresentative, donor-driven and conditionality to cooperatively approved courses of action. Hegazy’s Summary: Conservation of Oman Archeological Sites “Conservation of Oman Archeological Sites, Haratal Bilad” by Soheir Mohamed Hegazy, addresses the Oman historical centers of heritage that faced abandonment. The author, Soheir Mohamed Hegazy, holds a Ph.D. in Architecture- Faculty of Engineering from the University of Cairo and has worked in various advisory roles especially to the Sultanate. She has also worked as a tutor in the Oman College of Management and Technology and authored many books on Oman design and development ownership. In her article, Oman experiences economic achievements and prosperity scattered along with ages of relative calmness (Hegazy 2010). The Oman government embraced the trend of holding its unique historical characteristics of the buildings. Legislations like the law governing the conservation of the national heritage were affirmed in 1980. Additionally, the scheme of documenting the historical constructions was done by the National Committee for Documenting and Protecting the Historical Buildings. There was empowerment of the planning authority to take control of the future construction over building regulation. Oman has more standing buildings than the Arab countries. It is one the few countries worldwide that succeeded in sustaining the traditional architecture without losing the profits of the present technology. The residents and their leadership adapted to the challenge of the trending world with no compromising social values. According to Hegazy, protecting, and utilizing traditional architecture is an individual benefit together with the country and the whole region. The manifestation of the Oman Heritage nurtures pride in cultural identity. The traditional Oman monuments and architecture has a magnificent sense of place, environment, weather, and chemistry. The Oman’s traditional pattern of settlement is planned in response to cultural and socio-economic requirements (Iqbal and Mirakhor 2013). Economically, the Sultanate of Oman has a real potential to join the other countries having its heritage tourism at the top the of fast-growing service industry. The development and the sustenance of tourism entirely depend on the availability of the heritage sites. The project of restoration implemented by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture is set to convert the Oman quarters into museums that display the forms of life, habits, the architectural patterns and traditions connected to it (Hegazy 2010). Oman has an actual wealth of cultural heritage either as traditional buildings or architectural sites. However, the rehabilitation, conservation and upgrading process of such wealth has to have a leading priority in the strategic policies of the Sultanate and future plans. Wangwe proposes that technical assistance be allocated to capacity building with the intention of bound leadership and facilitating improved procurement practices. He reaffirms his findings and recommendations by suggesting that decisions should be a shared effort rather than donor biased. Secondly, while participation has become more widespread, it still falls short of the media’s grasp which should be corrected. Moreover, the role of the parliament should go beyond that of annual budget matters. Thirdly, technical assistance should be directed towards capacity building instead of monetary management. Finally, trust, transparency, and communication should be clearly articulated by both parties during the decision-making process. Tanzanian government gradually put up simple, practical reforms to tackle its developmental challenges. One of the challenges was the need for budget coordination, the government of Tanzania responded by formalizing the assistance committee. It called them the Development Partner Group, their principal goal being to enhance the efficiency of aid development with government objectives. Despite the still lacking involvement of parliament and the media, this participation has been well established. Some couple of years ago, the liability through the budget support had been heightened. Wangwe provides evidence that supports the notion of expenditure improvements. Furthermore, he expresses the subject of becoming aid dependent and also believes that an exit strategy is essential. He provides the General Budget Support (GBS) as the government’s aid modality, acclaiming them no their monetary organization. On the hand, some quarters (Herat) have been noted in the plan to commence the conservation projects at such sites according to Hegazy. When the project was in its first stage, a database about the quarters and their geographical distribution was put in place, in addition to their architectural components and constructional statuses. The committee of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture cooperated with both international and local firms in an attempt to implement the projects second stage to document the sites recorded in the first stage. The process through documenting was dependent on architectural surveys and sketching that also determined the risks that threaten such quarters. The mechanism of restoration and the facilities providing service was also inferred from management plans for every selected quarter. More so, the ministry conducted training courses for the employees in all Heritage and Culture Department on the mechanism to benefit from the consulting firms. In addition, the ministry is coordinating with major universities in the Sultanate through their architectural department. Restoration plan for the quarters includes the restoration of public facilities, mud accumulation in the houses as a result of mudslides because of erosion factors. Nevertheless, one of the causes of decay is floods. Oman was exposed to two hurricanes, Guno in 2007 and Phet in 2010, seven years down the line. The two hurricanes accumulated large quantities of mud and water that affected many constructions. In the event, no precautionary measures were taken the issue that led the massive destruction of structures. Additionally, underground water and some soluble salts affected some of the constructions, but the waterproof material was not applied (Hegazy 2010). The above highlighted challenges are to be taken care of not only in Harat Al Bilad but also in the conservation projects in the Sultanate of Oman through policies governing earthquake protection. Whereas Archeological Heritage Management is procedural and policy-oriented played out at the regional and national level, the focus of the same site is the individual site that come under a single management scheme. In conclusion, Professor Wangwe, a prudent writer in economic matters mainly relating to development strategies for the Republic of Tanzania. In chapter 9 of the book “Tanzania in Transition: from Nyerere to Mkapa”, Professor Wangwe looks at the ownership of partnerships between Tanzania and donors and argues that the government should own the partnerships. On the other hand, Soheir Mohamed Hegazy addresses the social strength of the Oman people from a different aspect. Professor Samuel Wangwe discusses the social power of the government in their interaction with the donors. Soheir Mohamed Hegazy is descriptive in her rhetoric sense. This research, therefore, aims to contribute and enlighten the decision makers of the Sultanate of Oman, academic institutions and planners to serve the country’s economy as far as Oman quarters and archeological sites are concerned. She describes vividly the architectural designs in the Omani region that needed protection in terms of their heritage and cultural symbolism. Professor Samuel Wangwe reflects on these practices of the government and the people in leadership in Tanzania as unacceptable and worth questioning. Notably, the government has allowed the foreign nations to control the scope of their cooperation while leading the country to excessive foreign dominance. Therefore, there is a realization that the economic developments of any nation rely on the efforts proposed for capacity-building rather than overreliance on the resource endowment. References Soheir, M. H. (2014). Conservation of Omani archaeological sites, Haratal Bilad – a case study. International Journal of Arts & Sciences. Utz, R. J. (2008). Sustaining and sharing economic growth in Tanzania. Washington, DC: World Bank Wangwe, S., Kjell, H. J., & Aida, I. C. (2010). Tanzania in Transition: from Nyerere to Mkapa. Kampala: African Books Collective. Iqbal, Z., & Mirakhor, A. (2013). Economic development and Islamic finance. Washington DC, The World Bank. Read More