Taarifa kwa Vyombo vya Habari / Press Release

Wengi wamependelea visa ya pekee ya utalii, uwezo wa kusafiri ndani ya kanda kwa kitambulisho cha taifa, miundombinu ya pamoja na uhuru wa kufanya kazi popote ndani ya Jumuiya.

 

Oktoba 7, 2014, Dar es Salaam: Wananchi wanane kati ya kumi (80%) wanafikiri kuwa Tanzania inapaswa kubakia ndani ya Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki (EAC). Aidha, wananchi tisa kati ya kumi (85%) wanakubali uwepo wa ushirikiano mkubwa zaidi na Kenya na Uganda. Wananchi sita kati ya kumi pia wanauunga mkono upanuzi wa ushirikiano na Rwanda (62%) pamoja na Burundi (59%).

 

Matokeo haya yalitolewa na Twaweza ikishirikiana na Society for International Development (SID) katika utafiti wenye jina la Hima tujenge nyumba moja! Watanzania wana maoni gani kuhusu Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. Msingi wa muhtasari huu ni takwimu kutoka Sauti za Wananchi, utafiti wa kwanza wenye uwakilishi wa kitaifa barani Afrika unaofanywa kwa kutumia simu za mkononi uliohoji washiriki kutoka kaya mbali mbali Tanzania Bara. Takwimu zilikusanywa Agosti 2014.

 

Mbali na kuunga mkono ushirikiano huu wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, wananchi kwa ujumla wanaamini athari zake zitakuwa chanya. Kipengele kilichoaminika kuliko vyote ni kile cha uchumi; wananchi mara mbili kwa wingi wanafikiri kuwa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki itakuwa na athari chanya kiuchumi (42%), ikilinganishwa na wanaofikiri italeta athari hasi (20%). Vile vile, wananchi wengi wanafikiri Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki itakuwa na athari chanya badala ya hasi katika usalama (37% dhidi ya 20%), siasa (35% dhidi ya 25%) na utamaduni (33% dhidi ya 24%).

 

Kwa kipindi cha miaka miwili iliyopita, vichwa vya habari kuhusu ushirikiano huu viliweka msisitizo kwenye uundwaji wa kinachojulikana kama: “Umoja wa Hiari”. Hili ni kundi la wanachama waliojiunga nakukubaliana kuongezwa kwa kasi ya mchakato wa ushirikiano. Ni mtu 1 tu kati ya watu 5 (20%) aliyewahi kusikia kuhusu Umoja huo na kati yao, asilimia 67% wanafikiri kuwa Tanzania inapaswa kuwa sehemu ya Umoja huu. Katika kundi la wale waliokuwa hawafahamu kuhusu Umoja huu, majibu yao yalikuwa yamegawanyika; 40% walipenda Tanzania ijiunge na 43% walipinga swala hilo.

 

Ingawa wananchi wanaonekana kwa kiasi kikubwa kuipendelea Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki na ushirikiano mkubwa zaidi kwa ngazi ya dhana; matokeo ya kuvutia zaidi yalijitokeza walipoulizwa kutoa mapendekezo mahususi. Msimamo wao ulikuwa dhahiri. Zaidi ya nusu ya wananchi wanakubali mapendekezo yafuatayo:

·         Visa ya pekee ya utalii kwa kanda (82% wamekubali)

·         Uwezo wa kusafiri katika kanda kwa kitambulisho cha taifa (82% wamekubali)

·         Miradi ya pamoja ya miundombinu (78% wamekubali)

·         Uhuru wa raia kufanya kazi popote ndani ya nchi wanachama (69% wamekubali)

·         Pasi ya kusafiria moja (67% wamekubali)

·         Biashara huru (bila kodi) (58% wamekubali)

·         Sarafu moja (55% wamekubali)

 

Mapendekezo pekee ambayo hayakukubaliwa kwa wingi (kishindo) ni kuundwa kwa jeshi la pamoja (64% wamekataa), uhuru wa kumiliki ardhi (70% wamekataa) na Serikali moja yenye Bunge moja la Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki (71% wamekataa).

Kwa kuangalia mustakabali, Watanzania wanayo matumaini kuwa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki itakuwa ni sehemu muhimu ya maisha yao. Washiriki 4 kati ya 10 (42%) wanasema kwamba Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki itakuwa imara na Tanzania itakuwa mwanachama muhimu. Hata hivyo, ni mtu 1 tu kati ya watu 10 (12%) anayefikiri kuwa biashara na Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki ni fursa muhimu kwa nchi yetu. Lengo kwa ajili ya baadaye ni utalii na uchimbaji madini ambayo wananchi 6 kati ya 10 (57%) wanafikiri inatoa fursa muhimu zaidi kwa Tanzania ya siku zijazo.

 

Aidan Eyakuze, Mkurugenzi Mwandamizi wa Society for International Development alitoa maoni yafuatayo kuhusu utafiti huu: "Matokeo haya yanatulazimisha tubadilishe mawazo yetu juu ya ushirikiano wa kikanda. Watanzania wanaunga mkono nchi ya Tanzania kushiriki katika Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. Pia wametaja mapendekezo yao pamoja na matumaini yao juu ya maisha yetu ya baadaye ndani ya Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. Maoni haya ni tofauti kabisa na simulizi za kuwa Watanzania wanapinga au ni waoga wa ushirikiano mkubwa wa kanda au kwamba wana wasiwasi kuhusu nchi fulani kupata faida kubwa kutokana na kufungua mipaka kwa ajili ya bidhaa, huduma za kazi au fedha."

 

Rakesh Rajani, Mkuu wa Twaweza, aliongeza: "Wananchi wamenena, maoni yao yakionyesha dhahiri kauli moja: wanaunga mkono na wana matumaini kuhusu ushirikiano wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki. Kazi iliyopo kwa watunga sera wetu ni kuhakikisha kuwa tunaheshimu mahitaji haya na kuhakikisha kuwa Tanzania inashika nafasi thabiti ili kufaidika na fursa zitakazotokana na ushirikiano huu."

 

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Maelezo ya Wahariri

· Muhtasari huu na data zilizomo zinapatikana katika www.twaweza.org, au www.twaweza.org/sauti

· Twaweza ni asasi ya miaka kumi yenye kuzingatia raia katika mipango yake, ikiangaza kwenye mabadiliko mapana katika ngazi ya Afrika Mashariki. Twaweza inaamini kwamba mabadiliko ya kudumu yanahitaji kuanzia chini-kwenda juu, na inatafuta kujenga mazingira na kupanua fursa kwa njia ambayo mamilioni ya watu wanaweza kupata habari na kufanya mabadiliko pale walipo katika jamii zao, na kwa kufanya serikali kuwajibika.

 

· Unaweza kufuatilia kazi ya Twaweza kwa
Mtandao: www.twaweza.org
Facebook: Twaweza Tanzania Twitter:@Twaweza_NiSisi

·Society for International Development (SID) ni mtandao wa kimataifa wa watu binafsi na mashirika uliyoanzishwa mwaka 1957 ili kukuza haki za kijamii na kukuza ushiriki wa kidemokrasia katika mchakato wa maendeleo. Kwa kupitia mipango na shughuli zinazoendeshwa ndani ya nchi, SID inaimarisha uwezeshaji wa pamoja, kuwezesha mazungumzo na kushirikishana maarifa juu mikakati ya maendeleo yanayozingatia watu-kwanza, na kukuza mabadiliko ya sera kuelekea kwenye ushirikishi, uendelevu. SID ina matawi/vituo zaidi ya 30, wanachama 3,000 katika nchi zaidi ya 50. Makao yake makuu yako Roma, Italia, lakini shughuli zake nyingi zinafanyika kupitia ofisi zake za Nairobi, Kenya, na Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

·Unaweza kuifuatilia zaidi Society for International Development (SID) kupitia:
Mtandao: www.sidint.net
Twitter: @SIDEastAfrica
State of East Africa Reports: www.soear.sidint.net
Development Journals: www.sidint.net/development

 

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Citizens overwhelmingly support integration into the East African Community

Large majority are in favour of single tourist visa, regional travel with ID card, joint infrastructure and free movement of labour

 

7 October 2014, Dar es Salaam: Eight out of ten citizens (80%) think Tanzania should remain in the East African Community (EAC). In addition, nine out of ten (85%) approve (or strongly approve) of greater integration with Kenya and Uganda in particular. Six out of ten citizens also support increased integration with Rwanda (62%) and Burundi (59%).

 

These findings were released by Twaweza and the Society for International Development (SID) in a research brief titled Let’s build one house! What Tanzanians think about the East African Community. The brief is based on data from Sauti za Wananchi, Africa’s first nationally representative high-frequency mobile phone survey that interviews households across Mainland Tanzania. Data were collected in August 2014.

 

Aside from supporting integration, citizens broadly believe the impact of the East African Community will be positive. The strongest vote of confidence is economic, twice as many citizens think that the EAC will have positive impact (42%) as compared to negative (20%) on the economy of the country. Similarly more citizens think the EAC will have a positive rather than negative impact on security (37% against 20%), politics (35% versus 25%) and culture (33% versus 24%).

 

Over the past two years, headlines around integration have focused on the formation of the so-called Coalition of the Willing who joined forces and agreed to speed up integration processes. Although only 1 out of 5 citizens (20%) had heard about this development, of those 2 out of 3 (67%) think Tanzania should be part of it. Responses were more mixed among those who had not heard of the group with 40% in favour of joining and 43% against.

 

Although citizens appear to be largely in favour of the East African Community and greater integration in the region at a conceptual level, the most interesting findings emerged when they were asked about specific proposals. Their support is unequivocal. More than half of citizens approve of the following proposals

 

·  A single tourist visa for the region (82% approve)

·  Ability to travel across the region with a national identity card (82% approve)

· Joint infrastructure projects (78% approve)

· Free movement of labour (69% approve)

· A common passport (67% approve)

· Tax free trade (58% approve)

· A single currency (55% approve)

 

The only proposals which received lukewarm support are the creation of a joint army (64% disapprove), freedom of land ownership (70% disapprove) and a unitary government with a single EAC parliament (71% disapprove).

 

Looking to the future, Tanzanians are optimistic that the East African Community will be an important part of their lives with 4 out of 10 (42%) saying that the EAC will be strong with Tanzania as a core member. However only 1 out of 10 citizens (12%) think that trading with the EAC is a key opportunity for the country. The focus for the future was about tourism and mining valuable extractives which 6 out of 10 citizens (57%) thought presented the most important opportunities for Tanzania’s future.

 

Aidan Eyakuze, Associate Director of Society for International Development commented on the findings: “These findings force us to re-frame our thinking on regional integration. Tanzanians have spoken out strongly in favour of continued involvement with the East African Community, the specific proposals for integration and their optimism for our future within the EAC. This is in sharp contrast to narratives that imply that Tanzanians are against, or fearful of, greater integration in the region or that they have concerns about specific countries reaping disproportionate benefits from opening borders for goods, labour services or capital. ”

 

Rakesh Rajani, Head of Twaweza, added: “Citizens have spoken, almost with one voice, on how strongly they support and are optimistic about integration and the East African Community. The task for our policy-makers is to make sure we honour this demand and we ensure Tanzania is in a strong position to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by integration.”

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Notes to Editors

•        This brief and the data contained can be accessed at www.twaweza.org, or www.twaweza.org/sauti

•        Twaweza is a ten year citizen-centered initiative, focusing on large-scale change in East Africa. Twaweza believes that lasting change requires bottom-up action, and seeks to foster conditions and expand opportunities through which millions of people can get information and make change happen in their own communities directly and by holding government to account.

•  You can follow Twaweza’s work

Web: www.twaweza.org    
Facebook: Twaweza Tanzania   
Twitter: @Twaweza_NiSisi

• The Society for International Development (SID) is an international network of individuals and organizations founded in 1957 to promote social justice and foster democratic participation in the development process. Through locally-driven programmes and activities, SID strengthens collective empowerment, facilitates dialogue and knowledge-sharing on people-centered development strategies, and promotes policy change towards inclusiveness, equity and sustainability. SID has over 30 chapters, and 3,000 members in more than 50 countries. While headquartered in Rome, Italy, its main operational offices are located in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

•        You can follow the Society for International Development’s work

Web: www.sidint.net    Twitter: @SIDEastAfrica

State of East Africa Reports: www.soear.sidint.net

Development Journals: www.sidint.net/development

 

Risha Chande

Communications Manager

Twaweza

www.twaweza.org

 

m: +255 (0) 656 657 559

o: +255 (0) 22 2664301 - 3

 

f: Twaweza Tanzania

t: @Twaweza_NiSisi