The need to formulate a new economic and social development vision for Tanzania emanated from the outcomes of economic reforms - especially those which were pursued since 1986.
These social and economic reform measures were taken in response to the economic crisis that had persisted in the country and the world as a whole since the early years of 1980s. Secondly, the government had realised that those earlier development policies and strategies were not in consonance with the principles of a market led economy and technological development occurring in the world.
The government therefore started preparing three year reform programmes with strategies, generally, focusing on only a few economic and social areas, and the areas of focus changing frequently. These structural adjustment programmes, have been followed for a long time, about fifteen years.
Over this long period, the whole philosophy of working for the country's development and that of its people started losing direction and as a result the country lost its vision which had originally been based on long-term development objectives. The government and the society in general realised that the nation lacked direction and a philosophy for long-term development. The new Development Vision 2025 feels this vacuum.
The Government started the formulation exercise of this development Vision in 1995. A Team of Experts, appointed from various sectors in the society, was the focal point of this exercise under the auspices of the Planning Commission. Observing the need to build a national consensus over the Vision's objectives, people's participation was advocated right from the early stages of the exercise.
People's participation was effected through various methods including conducting symposia, interviews and dialogue with various people, and meetings which brought together people from various social settings in society. The mass media was also closely involved through publishing special articles and features in newspapers, debates and discussions in radio and television programmes.
The basic issues in the development Vision are elaborated in six areas. First is an elaboration of the concept and scope of national development vision. This part describes attributes our country is expected to have attained by the year 2025. These include people having attained a high quality of life; peace, tranquillity and national unity; good governance; an educated society imbued with an ambition to develop; and an economy which is competitive with sustained growth for the benefit of all people.
Secondly, is a brief analysis of approaches of previous national development visions pursued since independence. This analysis spells out the observed successes and problems encountered which justified the need to formulate the new Development Vision.
The three principal objectives of the Vision 2025 - which are; achieving quality and good life for all; good governance and the rule of law; and building a strong and resilient economy that can effectively withstand global competition - have been described in detail in section three. These objectives not only deal with economic issues, but also include social issues such as education, health, the environment and increasing involvement of the people in working for their own development. The thrust of these objectives is to attain a sustainable development of the people
The fourth section deals with important issues which must be borne in mind during the implementation of the vision's objectives. It outlines the basic pillars with which the society at large will be guided in order to ensure a successful implementation of the Vision. These implementation driving forces or pillars, include among others, the need for Tanzania society as a whole treasure a competitive development mindset as well as nurturing a self-reliance culture.
The fifth section offers basic guidelines on the implementation of the Vision which include noting the importance of undertaking reviews and reforms of existing laws and structures of various institutions in order to ensure that they meet the requirements of implementing the objectives of this Vision. The participation of the people in preparing and implementing plans for their own development is also emphasized, including putting in place an appropriate framework for coordinating and evaluating the implementation of the Vision. It is stressed that only through this participatory process that the Vision will be able to promote people's development and its management by people themselves. These are basic issues in making the people accept the responsibility to ensure the realization of their own development aspirations.
Lastly, I believe that if we shall internalize in our minds all the important issues outlined in this Vision, our nation will have made a very big stride in, promoting the desire for economic development and people's welfare. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Team of Experts and other people who have participated in the preparation of this Vision. I also wish to thank development partners from outside the country for their financial and technical support towards a successful accoplishment of this exercise. I recognise especially the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Government of Japan, the European Union and Government of the Republic of Ireland.
It is my hope that these and the other partners will continue to work with us during the implementation stage; particularly by giving us moral and material support in implementing the priority areas nationally identified to lead us towards the attainment of the objectives of this Vision 2025
