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Evaluating Country Programmes
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People and population
Tanzania is populated with people of mainly Bantu origins, expressing themselves
in a cultural diversity of 120 tribes and over 120 ethnic languages. Kiswahili
is the unifying language which is also official and the medium of instruction in primary
schools.
The population of the country is estimated to stand at 29.9 million (1997 estimates):
29.1 are found on the Mainland, while Zanzibar has 0.8 million. The mainland
population is relatively young, with 49% being under 15 years of age. Women
constitute 51% and men 49%. The annual growth rate is estimated at 2.8% while life
expectancy averages 50 years for women and 47 for men. 80% of the people live in
rural areas, depending on the land for their livelihoods.
Economy
Agriculture remains the backbone of Tanzania’s economy, contributing 50% of
GDP and 75 to 85% of foreign exchange earnings. The sector employs 90% of the
population that engages in small-scale subsistence farming. The main cash crops
are coffee, cotton, cloves and cashewnuts. Coffee output was lowered by El Niño
rains. Also contributing to the gradual decline, particularly in the North, are intercropping,
poor plant husbandry, ageing trees and irregular supplies of inputs. Cotton
yields were affected by water-logged fields, while ginned cotton suffered the
disruption of communication and transport links to ports for export. Low yields of
cloves, grown in Zanzibar, are a result of different factors, namely apathy among producers
due to strenuous political relations between the major political parties and
the emergence of new competitors such as Indonesia, Brazil and China. Other
exports include wood and wood products and fish.
Tourism is a potential sector, but is undermined by undeveloped and
neglected infrastructure facilities. Although Tanzania witnessed increased numbers
of tourists in 1997 compared to previous years, the numbers and earnings were still
the least in the region.
El Niño rains had a negative impact on agricultural production, likewise affecting
economic performance. The effects of El Niño notwithstanding, the sector faces
great challenges in its growth since almost half of agricultural production is allocated
to subsidising a population living below the poverty line and having only
basic tools to work with. The growth rate of the sector declined to 2.5% in 1997 compared
to 4.1% in 1996.
In 1997, real GDP was targeted at 6 to 8%, but only 3.3% was achieved. The mining
sector recorded the strongest performance, contributing 17.1% to GDP, a rise of
1.7% reflecting the continued response to private investment spurred by favourable
investment policies. Manufacturing also recorded growth of 5% in 1997 reflecting
OECD 1999