In 2017, I had an opportunity to put Tanzania on the global cultural map. In partnership with the British Model Flying Association (BMFA), we planned to host an international Broadcast, Film, and Music Africa conference in Dar es Salaam.
This was no small affair. The three-day event was set to bring together major international broadcasters like CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera, alongside world-renowned music and film producers.
Over 600 participants would have injected an estimated US$3 million into our economy—a boon for hotels, curio sellers, and the entire food value chain. Beyond the immediate cash infusion, it promised to open doors for our local talent and create thousands of jobs in the creative sector.
It was a golden chance to showcase the best of Tanzania: our tourism, our culture, our people. All we needed from the government was a simple assurance: a No-Objection Permit. And that is where the dream unravelled.
Bureaucratic merry-go-round
What followed was a six-month bureaucratic merry-go-round. The Minister of Information was too busy and referred me to the Permanent Secretary, who handed me down to the Deputy Permanent Secretary, who sent me to the District Commissioner, who directed me to the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), which forwarded me to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which finally referred me to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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The final, disheartening straw was a question from an official at what is now the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA): Did I have the funds to pay allowances for a government-organising committee?
I gave up. The conference was redirected to Johannesburg, South Africa.
This experience is a stark, personal example of the very challenges President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba have recently decried. The President has rightly identified the private sector as the engine for achieving Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050.
Yet, my story is a sad reminder that on the ground, the engine is often stalled by a bureaucracy skilled at killing opportunities under the thinnest of pretexts—in my case, a vague suggestion of a “security threat” rooted in a Cold War-era mindset.
The Prime Minister himself has spoken of officials who “judge a book by its cover,” shutting the door on potential. As a columnist, I hear similar frustrations from foreign diplomats who wonder aloud if senior leaders ever read the critical analyses of our own systems.
A real mindset shift
For President Samia’s vision to be more than just words, Tanzania needs a real mindset shift—from business-as-usual to business-unusual. This requires the ruling party, CCM, to stop lording over the civil service, and for accountability to become second nature, from the farmhand to the highest offices in Dodoma.
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Our biggest national challenge is creating jobs for our youth. This will only happen if we are genuinely true to the private sector in every way possible. However, our current labour laws do not foster accountability. The change we need cannot come alive without a concerted national campaign for social and behavioural change.
For ten years, I have tried to champion such an awareness campaign, only to be met with resistance and accusations of being unpatriotic. But the truth is, our nationalistic self-praise is like a drug, blinding us to reality.
The failures of state-owned enterprises like TTCL are a testament to the fact that nationality alone is not enough; we need competence, accountability, and a willingness to learn.
The battle for the soul of Tanzania is between an old, autocratic system and a new, knowledgeable multiparty reality. The government’s control of the media only fuels this divide, driving citizens to seek news elsewhere.
The time for a national social behaviour change campaign is now, not tomorrow. Our future depends on it.
Nick O. Kasera is a content creator, founder of Tanzania’s Finest Ambassadors, and an independent consultant. He can be reached at o.kaseranick@yahoo.com. These are the writer’s own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of The Chanzo. Do you want to publish in this space? Contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com for further clarification.
