Events

Background, Improvements, Setbacks, Disappointments and Threats

Why Electrol Democracy Fails to Meet Stakkeholder's Expectations in Tanzania Compared to Some Growing Democracies in Africa

Tanzania's transition to multi-party democracy in the 1990s was a milestone in its governance history. While it set the stage for citizen participation and regular electoral cycles, significant challenges persist in meeting stakeholders' expectations. Improvements such as increased voter awareness and enhanced electoral infrastructure demonstrate progress. However, the dominance of ruling parties, limited political space for opposition, and low trust in electoral processes highlight systemic flaws. In contrast, growing democracies like Ghana and Botswana have embraced more inclusive practices, robust electoral commissions, and strengthened accountability measures, fostering higher public confidence. Setbacks in Tanzania include frequent allegations of voter suppression, manipulation of electoral laws, and inadequate civic education. These issues have led to stakeholder disappointments, with many questioning the credibility of elections and the fairness of outcomes. The threats of political instability, suppression of dissent, and erosion of democratic norms further hinder Tanzania’s progress. To rebuild trust, Tanzania must prioritize transparent governance, enhance civic participation, and ensure an even playing field for all political actors. By addressing these gaps, Tanzania can draw lessons from Africa’s thriving democracies and move closer to realizing the true potential of electoral democracy.

Rediscovering Forests

KCDE’s Commitment Amid a Warming Climate

Forests are essential to life on Earth, supporting ecosystems, regulating the climate, and providing resources for both humans and wildlife. At a recent conference in Arusha, KCDE with the support of KAS Tanzania brought together faith-based organizations, eco-stakeholders, and environmental advocates to address the urgent need for forest preservation as a proactive step toward COP29. This gathering emphasized the role of forests in climate resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable development.

Youth-Led Climate Action and Business Innovation Training Program

Empowering Tanzania’s Young Entrepreneurs

The Youth-led Solutions for Climate Action and Business Innovation Training Program, held in Iringa, Tanzania, equipped 25 young Tanzanians, aged 18–25, with essential skills to address climate challenges through sustainable entrepreneurship. This five-day program, organized by Launchpad Tanzania (LP Digital) in collaboration with Restless Development, targeted youth from agricultural and climate-focused backgrounds across Iringa’s districts, empowering them to become leaders in climate-responsive business ventures.

A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

COP 28 AND TANZANIA’S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS (NDC’s)

The United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC), Conference of Parties (COP28) is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai from 30th November to 12th December, 2023. It’s major goal is to critically reassess the real implementation of 2015 Paris Climate Agreement as the COP 26 Glasgow Climate Pact and COP 27 Shamel Sheikh’s Implementation Plan. The main COP 28 Agenda will be: Loss and Damage, Climate Finance and Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP). Climate Science shows that the Current Emissions and Global Warming Projections are reaching catastrophic proportions and levels particularly in Greenhouse gasses emissions whereby last year 2022 the warning levels reached 1.15oC. Undoubtedly, these facts pose untold and unprecedented critical quantitative and qualitative humano – economic, existential, health, educational, social, nutritional, political, infrastructural dilemmas, challenge, risks and vulnerabilities both to people, planet and biodiversity to thousands of years to come. Hence, threatening common wellbeing, peace and security of humanity the planet locally and globally than ever before. It is an undeniable fact that Africa (including) Tanzania is the most affected continent. In response to this the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in Tanzania collaboration with the Kilimanjaro Consortium for Development and Environment (KCDE) based in Kilimanjaro, deemed it relevant and critical to engage Pre-COP 28 Stakeholders, academia, policy makers and climate experts for round table discussions and consultations as effective spaces and opportunity for collective awareness, accountability and action. More urgent and critical, in order to adequately achieve the Goals of the 2015, Paris Climate edifice, the following fundamental pillars and regimes in particular, need urgent evaluative focus and prioritization in particular: (A) Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC’s) general and specific status in Tanzania. (B) Tanzania recent Nationally Contributions in particular: a critical post- mortem and deep analysis on: - Adaptation Contributions - Mitigation Contributions (C) Tanzania’s Critical Gap’s Weaknesses and Discrepancies: Calibrating: - Ambition gaps - Budgetary gaps - Policy gaps - Managerial/Leadership gaps - Organizational and Planning gaps - Technical resilience and expertise gaps - Human Resource mobilization gaps - Non-human resource mobilization gaps (D) The Critical role of Cities and Urban Contents in Climate Change Mitigation.

Scholar’s networking breakfast meeting.

Building bridges between Scholars

Tanzania Agency in the international System

On 24 November 2022, the Chatham House Africa Program, in partnership with KAS, convened a public webinar event on Tanzanian foreign policy.

The Webinar explored Tanzania’s international partnerships and external engagements in a context of global geopolitical change marked by war in Ukraine, climate change and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It also marked the first in a series in partnership with KAS on Tanzania’s Foreign Policy Agenda: Economic Diplomacy and International Agency.

Youth Workshop on Peace Making and Conflict Resolution.

A series of presentations along with in-depth discussion, questions and answers sessions on peace and conflict resolution.

Three-day workshop which exposed youth in-depth discussion on peace building and conflict resolution. Youth were empowered to understand how to keep peace and resolve conflicts from personal, group, community to state level.

EU-Project Launch "Together for peace"

KAS Tanzania in partnership with ZAFELA is implementing an EU funded project, contributing to conflict resolution and a peaceful political environment in Zanzibar

“Together For Peace” will focus on capacity building, strengthening dialogues between targeted members of political parties, religious leaders and CSOs as well as engaging in an exchange of opinions towards resolving any political conflicts spearheading peace building in Zanzibar.

CETA WORKSHOP ON YOUTH PEACE MAKING AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION.

KAS in collaboration with Civic Education Teachers Association (CETA) convened a Youth Workshop on Peace Making and Conflict Resolution in Bukoba .

Peace and conflict are interesting and cross-cutting topics of discussion, they are pervasive and they affect different aspects of human life, be it political, economic, social or cultural aspect. Young people are among the major category of human population who are affected positively or negatively by pervasiveness of peace and conflicts respectively. In many parts of the World, particularly in Great Lakes Region of Africa which includes; Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan.

Youth Workshop on Peace Keeping, Conflict Prevention, and Resolution

Civic education as a tool for promoting peace and security