Kuratibu Uwezeshaji
The Tanzania’s Development Vision envisages that by the year 2025, a large segment of the economy will be owned by Tanzanian citizens. Realization of this Endeavour involves a two-sided simultaneous process of empowering Tanzanians economically; creation of a favourable business environment which is effectively competitive domestically and internationally on one side; and availing equal opportunities to all social groups of citizens to develop economically, on the other side. It is against this background that the National Economic Empowerment Policy was established in 2004 and its Act was enacted in 2004; and consequentlythe establishment of the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC) to oversee deliberate and affirmative action and measures undertaken by the Public and Private sectors, for the purpose of promoting and enhancing knowledge, skills, economic prowess and financial prudence of Tanzanians, to enable them to participate meaningfully in economic activities.
The Policy is organised in 9 pillars as indicated in Figure: 1 below of which NEEC developed the National Multisectoral Strategic Framework for Economic Empowerment (NMSFEE).
Figure 1: Pillars of the National Economic Empowerment Policy, 2004.
The NMSFEE is a coordinating tool of the implementation of the Policy in order to ensure meaningful participation of Majority Tanzanians in the ownership and management of their country’s economy. harmonizes planning and coordination of sectoral and multisectoral economic empowerment activities; and synchronizes the roles of all stakeholders of economic empowerment in Tanzania and state specific activities to be undertaken by each stakeholder, expected outcomes, modality and mechanism of collaboration, and the requisite indicator for monitoring and evaluation.
In order to ensure proper implementation of NMSFEE, NEEC prepared its implementation Guidelines that shows relationship of implementing structures through establishment of Empowerment Committees from National to Village/Street Levels and Empowerment Desks.
In coordinating stakeholders of economic empowerment process in this context therefore the NEEC has to follow up and ensure that;
i.Empowerment desks are established at Ministry, Regional, Local Government Council, Ward and Village levels;
ii.Empowerment committees are established at National, Ministry, Regional, Council, Ward and Village levels;
iii.All empowerment desks and committees are functional and implementation reports are available at all levels;
iv.National Advisory Committee for Economic Empowement (NACEE) meets biannually to deliberate implementation status of the Policy; and
v.National Annual Economic Empowerment Forum is held each year scheduled in the NMSFEE’s Implementation Guidelines.
2.0 ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT COORDINATION STRUCTURE
The Coordination Structure for Economic Empowerment runs from the National to family levels. The Structure is demonstrated in Figure 2: below.
Fig. 2: Empowerment Coordination structure
3.0 STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION
i. Empowerment desks are established at Ministry, Regional, Local Government Council, Ward and Village levels.
The Sector Ministries, Regions, and Councils have appointed Economic Empowerment Coordinators. The Council Coordinators runs from the Council itself, Ward and Villages. The capacity Building was carried out for Regional Commissioners; Regional Administrative Secretaries; Council Leaders; Regional and Councils Coordinators.
ii. Empowerment committees are established at National, Ministry, Regional, Council, Ward and Village levels.
The Sector Ministries have formed Economic Empowerment Committees chaired by respective Permanent Secretaries while PO-RALG maintains its existing Consultative Committees as Empowerment Committees.
iii. All empowerment desks and committees are functional and implementation reports are available at all levels.
Respective Empowerment Committees are carrying out its mandate and empowerment Reports are delivered to NEEC to compile the Annual Economic Empowerment Report which is launched at the Annual Economic Empowerment Forum.
iv. National Advisory Committee for Economic Empowerment
The National Advisory Committee for Economic Empowerment (NACEE) meets biannually to deliberate implementation status of the Economic Empowerment Policy. The Committee has met four times since 2016.
v. National Annual Economic Empowerment Forum.
The Annual Economic Empowerment Forum is held each year. The first Annual Economic Empowerment Forum was held in 2016. The same Forum will be held each Year. The Honourable Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania is usually the Chairman of the Forum.
