Tanzania has earned a new status as a middle income country if the latest classification of nations’ economies by the World Bank is anything to go by.
The 60 million residents of this former British colony have a GNI per capita of $1,080 in 2019, going up from $1,020 in 2018, according to the World Bank.
The GNI is a reliable indicator to measure the social and economic wellbeing of the population. The Bank classed Middle Income Countries between a GNI of $1,026 and $12,475. However, Tanzania’s rankings decrease from 166 in 2018 to 168 in 2019 out of 192 countries.
Coffee is the largest export crop in Tanzania and the East African country produces in average between 30-40,000 metric tons annually of which approximately 70% is Arabica and 30% is Robusta.
Tanzania last year recorded one of the fastest economic growths in the world after its economy improved by 6.8 percent, a few percentage points drop from 2018’s 7 percent.
This growth trend dates back to 2010, according to the World Bank.
Tanzania is the second largest economy in East Africa after Kenya.
President John Magufuli is widely praised especially in Africa for his government effective fiscal discipline, a factor which seems to rein in corruption and wastage of public funds.
Other middle-income countries in Africa are Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Gabon Mauritius and Equatorial Guinea.
Contention between science and politics over COVID-19
The COVID-19 global pandemic has heightened the political stake not only in Tanzania but also all across the world. Many elected officials across the globe are scrambling to mitigate the damage caused by COVID-19 to both the economy and to politics, feeling deep fear that the outbreak might prevent them from winning votes at the next elections.
The contention between science and politics over COVID-19 is fierce in Tanzania. For example, by May this year, President Magufuli had questioned the increasing number of coronavirus tests that turned out to be positive.
The country’s National Laboratory had denied the President’s claims that it was sent papaya, goats, and sheep samples that tested positive.
Tanzania’s main opposition party chairman had been hospitalized after being beaten up by unknown assailants in what he described as “politically-motivated” attack. Mbowe has repeatedly accused the government of covering up the extent of Tanzania’s coronavirus outbreak.
Moreover, Tanzania, like many African countries, has not experienced the exponential growth of coronavirus cases seen daily in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom.
By July 3, 2020, Tanzania had recorded 509 total cases, 21 total deaths and 183 total recovered, according to official figures.
Many researchers are still struggling to explain the reason why COVID-19 spread has been very slow in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Some experts argue that numbers are so low in Africa primarily because many countries on the continent, especially those still in denial of the existence of the disease, are not conducting enough tests.
On the other hand, many African governments suggest that, unlike countries in Europe and North America, their administrations were quick to respond to the global pandemic by introducing tough measures and closing their borders or locking down their economies.
Therefore, Tanzania will have to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from reversing its upward trend of social and economic development or a middle income country.
WN/as/abj/APA