Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on May 29, 2024.
Inside President Samia’s one-week visit to South Korea
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is set to visit the Republic of Korea from May 31 to June 6, 2024, at the invitation of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
During her visit, President Samia will attend the Africa-Korea Summit and undertake an official state visit to South Korea.
Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, January Makamba, announced yesterday that seven agreements will be signed, including a political declaration initiating negotiations on economic cooperation.
“During this visit, the President will hold discussions with her counterpart at the Korean presidential palace and sign seven cooperation agreements in various areas, including mining, aviation, education, and the blue economy. The most significant of these is the declaration to begin negotiations on the economic cooperation agreement,” explained Makamba.
Makamba also noted that the visit would involve the signing of a new development framework, through which Tanzania will receive loans of up to USD 2.5 billion from the Exim Bank of Korea.
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Tanzania shows improvement in budget transparency but lags in public participation, report finds
The Open Budget Survey, a global comparative study assessing transparency, oversight, and participation in national budgets, has released its latest report. The findings indicate that Tanzania is under-performing in public participation in the budget process but has shown improvement in budget transparency.
In terms of public participation, Tanzania scored 13 out of 100, slightly below the global average of 15. The report highlights that Tanzania scored low during the budget formulation and implementation stages. While the country has established a pre-budget submission process, the report advises several key improvements, including piloting mechanisms to involve the public in monitoring budget implementation.
Additionally, the report recommends expanding engagement mechanisms during budget formulation to include any civil society organization or member of the public who wishes to participate. It also suggests that parliament should allow public and civil society testimonies during budget hearings before approval.
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President Samia leads first planning commission meeting since inception
President Samia Suluhu Hassan chaired the first meeting of the Planning Commission since its establishment by law in October 2023.
According to the Planning Commission Act, the Commission is comprised of the President as Chairman and six other members appointed by the President. These include the Minister responsible for national development planning, the Minister responsible for finance, and four other part-time members.
Before the meeting, President Samia swore in the appointees to the Commission. The appointees include Minister of Finance Mwigulu Nchemba, Minister of Investment and Planning Prof. Kitila Mkumbo, Omar Issa, Ambassador Ombeni Sefue, Ambassador Ami Mpungwe, and Ambassador Asha-Rose Migiro.
A State House briefing on the meeting indicated that the President tasked the Commission with assessing ongoing development projects to ensure they benefit the country. She also emphasized the importance of using statistics and research in decision-making.
Risks to Kenya’s Non-NATO Ally Status with Uncle Sam
A major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a country not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) yet has deep strategic and security partnerships with the United States. President William Ruto returned to Kenya after what many perceived as a successful international rendezvous.
Aside from the fun fare and pageantry of the state dinner at the White House or his meeting with American former basketball player Shaquille O’Neil in Atlanta, the precepts of hard power foreign policy were present and clear for all to see in President Joe Biden declaring Kenya a non-NATO ally.
The Ruto Administration was clearly realigning Kenya firmly into the American orbit on foreign policy matters. However, while this realignment comes with significant rewards from Washington, it also bears significant risks.
For starters, there is no free lunch in the self-help international system. More often than not, nations interact with each other based on hard power politics. The centrality of national interest in the economic, security, environmental, political and diplomatic realms.
Uncle Sam’s interaction with Kenya is no different. In exchange for becoming a non-NATO ally of the United States, Washington will expect Kenya to be an active member of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group while supporting American diplomatic, economic, political and security initiatives worldwide.
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