Ambassador Series: Democracy and Economics in Tanzania
June 12, 2021
This blog post was written by Jacob Frazier. Jacob is the blog editor with the Alhambra US Chamber.
On May first, Ambassador Charles Stith spoke on his time as the US Ambassador to Tanzania, as well as the current state of the country. Ambassador Stith has worked his entire career to facilitate political and economic development in Africa, and is currently the Chairman of the African Presidential Leadership Center. His Q&A spoke to the ways the coronavirus has transformed the entire world and hit developing countries especially hard. Rebuilding Tanzania and other countries like it will be a years-long process of economic development, technological innovation, and political change, but taking on the challenge could help us improve our political and economic systems. It will be up to citizens and leaders in all countries to seek the changes we will need to build a more resilient world.
Tanzania has several factors pulling for it: it is a democracy, is one of the few countries that had notable economic growth during the pandemic, and is helmed by a president who wants to focus on improving the economy. President Samia Suluhu Hassan is the first female president of Tanzania or any country in Sub-Saharan Africa, and her late predecessor, President John Magufuli, worked hard to improve the economy for everyday Tanzanians. Although President Magufuli was skeptical of the dangers of COVID, President Hassan is now urging people to wear masks in the current stage of the pandemic. Only time will tell how she governs moving forward, but Ambassador Stith sees reason to believe that President Hassan is working to improve the economy and general situation of Tanzania.
Ambassador Stith views democratic governance as central to a country’s development. He says that being an American has put democracy is in his blood, and closely watches African politics to see which countries may be heading towards democracy. Even though a democratic system does not guarantee that the leadership of a country will be good, it has better legal transparency and gives the people more of a say in government. Democracy may be a haphazard system but ultimately it leads to a better country through trial and error. In the upcoming post-covid era, the creative problem-solving enabled by political freedom will be more important than ever, especially in developing countries that were ravaged by COVID. Tanzania may have been spared the worst of the pandemic but it still has a long road ahead that will require leadership by all its citizens.
President Hassan wants to make Tanzania a safe haven for investors, which can be a controversial proposition. While those on the right might appreciate President Hassan’s openness to markets, those on the left may view decreased regulation as an opportunity for businesses to exploit people. President Hassan says she wants to seek win-win situations for the workers and companies, but some of the companies she has talked about working with, like mining companies, have a history of exploiting their workers. Navigating the complexities of economic development is a challenge for any political leader, but the responsibilities of leaders in developing countries are especially weighty. Ambassador Stith believes that open markets are generally a good thing, and believes that economic liberalism can improve the lives of everyday citizens, but also that it is important for the leaders of a country to ensure that their citizens share in the wealth markets create.
We may have felt isolated during quarantine this past year, but Ambassador Stith reminds us that the path out of the coronavirus pandemic will have to be pursued together. People and countries should not have to struggle alone and the systems that he believes will let us build a better world are rooted in freedom and cooperation, including cooperation between developed and developing countries. NGOs and investors can also play a part in helping a country grow, but the ultimate source of change is the leadership of each country. And when a country’s leadership falters, the people themselves must have the power to step up and make change.
