Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is among 14 countries in the world that recorded
above two per cent growth in human development index (HDI) trends
between 2000 and 2012, a United Nations report says.
However, economists who attended the launching session in Dar es
Salaam were much concerned with the kind of progress made in
Tanzania saying it was more quantitative than qualitative growth.
Tanzania which is in the
category of low human development group of countries in the
human development report 2013, recorded an average annual HDI
growth of 2.15 per cent while the fastest growth was recorded by
Afghanistan at 3.91 per cent.
The Report titled “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a
Diverse World,” says the developing countries referred to as “the
South” have achieved sustained rates of economic growth at a
time of great involvement with emerging economies.
The report attributes many of the achievements of the South to
smart national strategies that have allowed them to engage in the
global economy while at the same time implementing social
programmes like education and health that protect those most
vulnerable.
“Tanzania has
made a remarkable growth in human development in the last decade
in terms of internet connectivity, rise of middle class and other
economic drivers,”said Mr Amarakoon Bandara, the UNDP economics
advisor. He however added that the country is still lagging
behind in improving poverty…multidimensional poverty index is
still very high.
“Tanzania could make enormous gains in human development with little
additional efforts by making its policies more people centred,
growth more inclusive and putting in place appropriate social
safety nets to protect the most vulnerable from shocks,” said the
UN resident coordinator Mr Alberic Kacou.
Economic experts who attended the launching session on Friday
raised their doubt on the growth the country attained calling for
much efforts to see real progress.
“In education for example, we have done very well in terms of the
number of schools constructed but when it comes to quality of
education it is a disaster. The recent Form Four national
examination results clearly give the picture of the quality of
our education,” said Prof Delphin Rwegasira of the economics
department at the University of Dar es Salaam who contributed
during the launch of the report.
“We need to measure growth in terms of quality,” he stressed.
Prof Humphrey Moshi of the same university was also concerned by
the quality of growth in terms of inclusion and sustainability
and appropriate use of statistics. “In measuring growth sometimes
we should be very careful with the use of percentage numbers
because they tend to mislead and give hope for nothing,” said
Prof Moshi.
Dr Adolf
Mkenda of the University of Dar es Salaam said there was a
challenge with measuring education by just looking at the enrolment of
students without looking at improvement of education quality.
“Generally, it’s an excellent move by the UNDP to look at growth
on a human development angle. However, there are challenges in
quality of growth,” he said. Prof Ammon Mbelle, from the
University of Dar es Salaam was much more concerned with the
multidimensional poverty index saying there was much still to be
done.
Prof Ngila Mwase, of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) also said that growth alone was not enough.
“Growth can sometimes be artificial if it is not home grown.
Figures show progress but may be the industries, mining and other
economic drivers are owned by foreigners,” he commented.
The Human Development Report, released annually by the UN
Development Programme (UNDP), assesses the state of human
development on the basis of health, education and income
indicators, as an alternative to purely macroeconomic assessments
of national progress.
THE CITIZEN
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