|
| |
|
| |
| Tanzania's
Budget: idealistic...
unrealistic 21st June, 2001. By Ongeri John Experts have cast doubt as to whether Tanzania’s ambitious 5.9 per cent economic growth rate will be achieved in the fiscal year 2001/02 as projected in last week’s budget speech. While praising the budget as a brilliant policy document that addresses key areas of poverty eradication, many are of the opinion that it is heavily dependent on donor support with the government and other executing parties lacking capacity to implement it effectively. "Look at the past four-five a years when we had good budget policies, none of which had their projections reached. These are clear indicators that the same will also happen this year," remarked Dr Phillip Mpango, a Public Finance Specialist with the World Bank in Dar. In Parliament a number of MPs have also expressed concern including the newly elected CCM legislator for Busega, Chengeni Masuga, who criticises the budget for not being clear on how the government intends to improve the farmers’ welfare. The HIV/Aids scourge is also seen as a spoiler of the economic target owing to the high prevalence of the disease particularly among the active labour force. More than 10 per cent of the active labor force in Tanzania is said to be HIV positive, according to the Minister of State in the President’s Office, Dr Abdalallah Kigoda. Dr Kigoda said in Dodoma when addressing the assembly that HIV was hitting productive sectors and the working group in particular. According to him, at least 1.7 million Tanzanians were infected with HIV by 2000 in Tanzania. "The total number of AIDS patients admitted to hospitals, especially in urban areas, is now 50 per cent of total admissions," he said. Explaining further, he said 60 per cent of patients suffering from Tuberculosis have symptoms of HIV/AIDS infection. According to him, life expectancy in Tanzania had dropped from 52 to 47 years. Kigoda, the minister responsible for planning and privatization, linked HIV/AIDS to current economic performance of the country. His statement comes when the United Nations says that eight African countries will have lost at least 17 years of life expectancy to the HIV/AIDS epidemic between 2000 and 2005. A UN statement availed to the Press last weekend in Dar says the countries to be affected are Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swiziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, life expectancy between 1995 and 2000 was already 23 years less than it would have been if there had been no AIDS-related mortality. The short-fall will be 34 years by 2004. |
