Environment for Development

Highlights 2012

John K. Mduma After concluding his one year with the Ministry of Water in June 2012, Dr. Mduma joined a team of three experts charged with the task of developing a successor strategy to the Joint Assistance Strategy for Tanzania (JAST: 2006 - 2011). JAST was the national framework for managing Tanzania-Donors’ development partnerships and aimed at reducing transaction costs and enhance aid effectiveness. The successor strategy is prepared following Busan 4th High Level Summit on Aid Effectiveness. The Summit formally recognized the changed “global aid architecture”, which is now characterized by new players, including emerging donors such as the BRICS, private foundations, climate change financing mechanisms, etc. The presence of new players in the development cooperation scene is of particular interest to EfD. While some of the players are thirsty for environmental/natural resource from developing country like Tanzania (extractive camp) in order to fuel their rapidly growing economies, others have taken the opposite side – that of being pro-environmental conservation. This fact, among others, will greatly influence the aid coordination and dialogue structure, as well as the scope of the successor development cooperation strategy for Tanzania.

Highlights 2011

EfD Tanzania continues to of offer technical adviser to Ministries and government Agencies in various issues. It is working closely with the Ministry of Finance in Tanzania in implementation of the second phase of the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA II). The Water Sector Development Program (WSDP) is among the largest programs in Tanzania which implement the MKUKUTA II.

One of the EfD members is directly involved in WSDP, especially in preparing an Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the water sector, which is aligned to the national poverty monitoring framework. It is the plan of the center to get more involved in the policy issues and make sure EfD stretches its visibility to all sectors by offering technical advice and consultancy services

Mr Stephen Kirama and Mr Onesmo Selejio have been involved with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on a study of fertilizer supply and use in Tanzania. This is being done to better advice the government of Tanzania on how it might make fertilizer available to farmers at lower cost. The commissioned study seeks to understand the challenges farmers face in using fertilizer. The outcome of the report will provide government with a set of actions it can take to improve fertilizer use by farmers, thereby increasing their production and their incomes from farming.

This research is purely to provide information to the government of Tanzania so that it can put in place policies and programmes to improve fertilizer use. the preparation of the report used Kilimanjaro, Iringa and Ruvuma Regions as a study area. Data collection and analysis has been done and final report will be released in January, 2012.

Highlights in 2010

EfD-Tanzania strives to ensure that faculty members in the Department of Economics and the University at large and policy practitioners interact in environmental policy research and poverty related research. The interaction with the policy makers is also through conducting regular training in environmental economics and providing policy advice.

The EfDTanzania has contributed in building capacity for civil servants through regular training on basic tools of environmental and resource economics. The center have been working with the government and provide a technical support in various issues such as in writing of state of the Coast Report-Tanzania Mainland, Provide technical support in the preparation and writing of the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction II (i.e. MKUKUTA II, and MKUZA II) as well as forming a member of Long term Growth and Development Plan (LGDP). An EfDT member has helped to provide technical support on the preparation of TOR for the study of Cost and Benefit Analysis of the Partial VS total ban of plastic carrier Bags. Essentially EfD-T has proved to be a think tank to the region

The EfD Tanzania center members have direct interaction with the government departments and organs in different capacities. They have being using their expertise in developing and monitoring policies. Currently EfDT fellow are participating in the revision of the National Long term Growth and Development Plan (LGDP) 2025.

Dr. John K Mduma and Dr Adolf Mkenda were involved in providing technical support in the preparation and writing of the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction II (i.e. MKUKUTA II) and Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction (i.e. MKUZA II) respectively. Furthermore Dr. Razack Lokina was assigned to provide technical support on the preparation of TOR for the study of Cost and Benefit Analysis of the Partial VS total ban of plastic carrier Bags by the National Environment Management council (NEMC). Along with that EfDT researcher in collaboration with other members of the Department of Economics under the support of UNDP Tanzania Country Office through the Ministry of Finance and economic Affairs conducted MKUKUTA II Sensitization Workshop Series of Higher Learning Institutions.