Context of the APRM in Tanzania

Tanzania acceded to the APRM by signing the Moll on 26 June 2004 which was ratified by the United Republic of Tanzania Parliament by Resolution No. 18 of 1 February 2005. Following the accession, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation was designated as the National Focal point to oversee the process. In additional, a National Governing Council (NGC) including representatives from Government, Private sector, Trade unions and Civil Society Institutions was constituted.

Stages of the Peer Review Process

The process is designated to comprise five stages:

Stage I: This stage involves formation based on the domesticated master questionnaire of the National oversight structures and preparation of the Country Self Assessment Report and self- assessment and material provided by national, regional and international institutions. The country also prepares a draft National Programme of Action (NPoA), which serves to present and clarify the Country’s priorities, as well as the nature of the national consultations. The responsibilities of various stakeholders in Government, Civil Society, and the Private Sector are also forms an integral part of the NPoA.

Stage II: The country hosts a Country Review Mission made up of “peer experts” from other African Countries or institutions led by a Continental APRM Panel member. During this stage, broad range, consultations with key stakeholders, both state and non-state actors are done.

Stage III: The “peer experts” draft a report on the basis of the briefing material, preliminary studies and information provided Country Self Assessment Report and other official sources obtained during the consultations and interactions with stakeholders. These are based on the applicable political, economic, corporate governance and socio-economic development commitments made in the country’s NPoA.

Stage IV: This phase begins when the draft report is submitted to the Continental APRM Secretariat and to the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons for deliberations.The report is then submitted before to the forum of participating Heads of State and Government for consideration and action.

Stage V: Beginning at least six months after consideration of the report, this stage involves the formal tabling of the report to key regional and continental structures. These include the Pan African Parliament, the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights, the Peace and Security Council and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union (AU). This marks the beginning of the Implementation of the National Programme of Action.

Who Should Be Involved?

By its nature, the APRM is people-centered. The process is implemented and through a participatory process, necessitating wide-ranging consultations with key stakeholders, including state and non-state actors, political parties, Parliamentarians, representatives of Civil Society Organizations (including the media, academia, trade unions, business, professional bodies). This helps to ensure that the process is participatory and the outcome reflects the views of the people. To this end, citizens are urged to use this unique opportunity to effectively express their views on what they consider as shortcomings in terms of good governance.

What Will Be Achieved?

The Government believes that participation in the APRM process will assist in expanding democracy in the country though gap analysis and recommending remedial measures. Participation will lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable economic growth and accelerated sub-regional and continental integration through the sharing of experiences and reinforcement of best practices.

In addition, the country process will serve as a catalyst for fostering the adoption of policies, standards and practices.

The Process in Tanzania

Sensitization of various stakeholder groups;

Various stakeholders have been sensitized including; Government Officials; the Union Parliament; the House of Representatives in Zanzibar; Principal Secretaries in Zanzibar; Permanent Secretaries; Regional Administrative Secretaries (RASs); District Administrative Secretaries (DASs) City Municipal; Town and District Executive Directors (DEDs); Youth and Women Leaders, Leaders of Faith Based Organizations; Experts; Media Functionaries; Civil Society Organizations; Political Parties; Cooperative Unions; and some other etc.

Production of Country Self Assessment Report (CSAR);

Desk research was carried out by Technical Assessment Teams which were selected through open and competitive tendering. Desk research involved review of literature already available on governance in Tanzania, use of data from institutions such as banks, companies, government departments, etc. The research was done in all four thematic areas mentioned above.

Perceptions Surveys;

Perception and expert surveys, involved the household opinion surveys which was conducted in all Regions of the Mainland and Zanzibar. Thereafter, the results of these surveys were analyzed and finally merged with the desk research.

Production of CRR, NPoA and Government Responses

The Country Review Report (CRR) was produced in 2013, subsequent to multi-stakeholders consultative process. Together with the CRR, the National Programme of Action indicating the identified governance gaps and means of addressing them was also prepared. In addition, Government responses on some of the issues that required further clarification were prepared. Eventually, the Report was tabled before the Heads of State and Government Meeting in January 2013.

Implementation of the NPoA and Preparation of the Progress of Report

The governance challenges that were raised in the CRR are being addressed by the Government since 2014 and Annual Progress Reports prepared by Ministries Department and Agencies. The Annual Progress Reports for the period 2014 - 2019 have been compiled into a single Report which has been validated by stakeholders. The report will be tabled before the Heads of State and Government meeting.