The Final Product:  

A Brief Explanation: FVS requires that every student submits a senior capstone project at the end of the year. One may also apply for the Global Scholars Diploma, a year-long project, more academic, and time-consuming than capstone. At the end of term, a 30 page paper condensed into thesis is defended before a panel of teachers. My project, entitled China in Tanzania: Mutualistic or Parasitic?, explores China's presence in Tanzania and the benefits and repercussions. Throughout a semester of research, conducted at Fountain Valley and a nearby university, UCCS, I have read through over 50 sources, from Western Scholars, Tanzanian locals, and Chinese investors. My goal has been to eliminate bias as much as possible, especially Western bias, which labels China as a modern-day colonizer and imperialist. 

Overall, I have gathered that China’s presence in Tanzania, presently, is only slightly parasitic. For Tanzania, China’s involvement and investment is necessary for their current development model. Tanzania is dependent on China, which subjects them to manipulation. As China plans their economic and national goals for the coming decades, controlling the “New Silk Road” is high on their agenda. Having great control of the Tanzanian and Sub-Saharan African economies will allow them to become the number one economy in the world. In the meantime, Tanzanians are grateful for progress, but not naive to China’s longterm plan.

Podcast Script: (130 words per minute; 250 words per page; 45 minute podcast or 22-23 pages) 

1. Intro (5 minutes): Discuss Thesis and Guiding Questions as well as the direction of the paper. Establish an argument.

Hello, Everyone, welcome, today I will be discussing Mutualism or Parasitism? Questioning the Impact of China’s Involvement and Investment in Tanzania.

HOOK: As you listen to this podcast, you are likely using a cell phone, computer, ipad, etc. Whatever it is it contains rare earths which are the materials used to make the batteries that allow your devices to function. According to Nayar, Jaya, and Theo J. Harper, many of the world’s rare earths are found in Africa which makes them a target for exploitation by outside nations. China has been trying to monopolize their access to Africa's resources for decades. They know that controlling the world's rare earths, means they can dominate the international economy and stage, knocking the United states out of the number one spot. 

The colonial era ended in the mid 1900s with many of the newly recognized African states, joining the UN general assembly, shifting the conversation and policy towards decolonization and third world development. Sino-African Relations began in the mid 1950s, when diplomatic relations were established between Egypt and China. This created access to Africa for China and from there, China established their connection with Africa. Between then and now, China has become the most invested foreign party in Africa. Their financial stake in Africa has made China an integral part of the continent’s development. With their involvement, they have gained access and influence over the use and control of Africa’s plethora of energy and mineral resources. This first section’s information is from the US Department of the historian and United Nations website.

Since the mid 20th century, China has invested billions in Africa and over seven billion dollars in Tanzania alone as reported by CARI at Johns Hopkins University. China’s involvement and investment in Tanzania has been integral to the infrastructural and economic development that’s transforming this country, forever solidifying the Chinese position in Africa as well as tying these countries together. Through projects such as the Kigamboni Bridge and Bagamoyo Port, China has opened doors for Tanzania. This tightly knit investment partnership has created opportunities for more investment from other countries. With China’s support, Tanzania’s reputation has grown immensely and is now perceived less as a developing nation but a nation with the potential for great power and influence. Chinese presence, however, has  had negative impacts on Tanzania’s culture, environment, and sovereignty. It is clear that Tanzanians want progress and China has taken advantage of Tanzania’s scramble to obtain the status of developed nations. This is the overarching idea that we will be discussing. 

2. Contextualization

To begin, it is crucial to understand the past presidents of Tanzania and their impacts, either positive or negative, on the country’s relationships with foreign nations in terms of economic as well as sustainable development. According to the experts Bonny Ibhawoh, and J. J. Dibua, the first president of Tanzania, President Nyerere, led from 1964-1985. His main developmental plan, a communal farming policy, Ujamaa, increased reliance on international financial support and was not successful in general as productivity fell. This created extreme dependency as funding was needed to support even the most foundational programs, thus leaving little room for developmental investment and somewhat stunting future growth and potential for the country to be self-sustaining. 

The following president, Ali Haasan Mwinyi who held office from 1985-1995 was active, but not proactive. He canceled Ujamaa, saying it was incompatible with the global capitalist market system. As he did not create another plan, this left Tanzania isolated and unable to develop and grow. He later shifted to encouraging domestic private enterprise. In his second term, he pushed for a very western take on economy including morals, beliefs, values and economy with a legal framework. He maintained the TAZARA project, which we will discuss more later, and this was his only true success whilst in office.  

 Set on eliminating corruption, President Benjamin Mkapa, who held office around the turn of the millennium, was a short-sighted president for Tanzania. He failed to account for the environment encouraging corruption and thus was unsuccessful in eliminating it. He brought in not only foreign aid but foreign companies, much like the existing system today. His implemented policies advocated for economic liberalization, yet did not implement it, leaving Tanzania vulnerable as noted by Bruce Heilman and Lawrean Ndumbaro in the African Journal of Political Science. (“The processes, including government policies, that promote free trade, deregulation, elimination of subsidies, price controls and rationing systems, and, often, the downsizing or privatization of public services' ' (Woodward, 1992, United Nations). and free market for the purpose of land development and industry building. 

Jakaya Kikwete held office from 2000-2015 and was driven to fulfill ‘Tanzania’s vision 2025’ which embarked on moving the nation from a low-income to middle-income status. This would require a shift away from agriculture or Ujamaa, which accounted for 30% of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product; this measures the overall economic health of a country, usually over the span of a year). The USAID website describes his focus on a fast-track model to ensure quick success which involved mobilizing resources and developing transportation infrastructure as well as educational infrastructure. Inflation fell and the Tanzanian economy grew immensely, which meant they were able to pay off some debt. China ``reactivated” their (business-oriented) relationship with Tanzania under Kikwete. Competing with Tanzania’s western partners, China established its economic presence. China has provided a more relatable pathway for Tanzania to help them achieve their economic and developmental goals. (One issue with this is that Tanzania cannot be just like China. For one, they have a much smaller population. Another issue is one USD equals roughly 2,300 Tanzanian shilling, a terrible exchange rate in the global market.)

In 2017, Dan Paget talked about President John Magufuli (2015-2021) on the African Arguments website. He noted Magufugli had succeeded where his predecessors failed. He shut down many corrupt aspects of the Tanzanian government and has created change that no one thought was possible in such a short span of time. The Dar Rapid Transit system is a perfect example of how under his leadership foreign aid has been used to help Tanzanians establish infrastructure operated and owned locally, with Chinese investors of course. The main drawback is that China maintains a high level of control over many of these projects. China’s motivation for implementing this rapid transportation system was to give their workers quick access from home to work, not just to help the Tanzanians. Overall the implementation of this system supports the overall Tanzanian economy, however it takes away from individuals. As is articulated in the London school of economics journal, the late President, however, set Tanzanian back in terms of climate policy as his developmental plans and economic reliance was largely based on fossil fuels. He never acknowledged climate change. In recent studies, it has been noted that it is both economically and technically possible for Tanzania to be renewable and self-reliant in terms of  energy. This would align Tanzania with the Paris Climate Accord and various UN SDGs. 

Aligning with Magufugli’s goal for people to live better lives and for the country to develop economically and infrastructurally, Hassan has taken this goal a step further and is creating all of this change whilst also considering and implementing changes to his plan that address climate change. Her values and goals align with the proposal and action piece in my project which essentially outlines a sovereign, developed, sustainable Tanzania. 

Current interim president Hassan is the right woman to set Tanzania up for a successful future. She combines collaboration with other nations with a strong centralized national government to make Tanzania the world power and growing leader it is becoming. We’ll dive more into some of her work later in the podcast. 

3. Infrastructure: In this next section we will dive into some of the physical projects and signs of change in Tanzania due to Chinese investment. We will, of course, discuss the positives and negatives of these projects and their overall effects. The main takeaway that I have regarding infrastructure is that it can falsely symbolize how much China has actually helped Tanzania as bridges and ports are interpreted as incredibly positive additions to the country’s foundation for trade and transportation, however, much of the money generated is going to China, and is for their own personal gain as they will be able to use all of these resources. 

1. In 2013, Michelle Bourbonniere identified the TAZARA RAILWAY as a groundbreaking project in the 20th century that symbolized China-Africa’s growing partnership. It is an one thousand eight hundred sixty kilometer track that connects the port in Dar es Salaam to the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. Built in the 1970s and funded by China it was an initial representation of the start to Tanzania’s infrastructure and economic development as well as their development in trade (moving products trans-regionally - with African countries cooperating, there can be more exchange and therefore more money and development). This project, at the time, cost 988 million Yuan (which is 3.26 billion dollars in today’s money) . The railway struggles today but it is important as it shows the progress and durability of the relationship between Tanzania and China (Bourbonniere, Michelle E.). 

2. BRI: China’s plan for Africa can really be summed up under the Belt and Road Initiative which is a modern version of the ancient silk road connecting China with the rest of Asia and Europe, including Africa, a vital center of the resources needed to dominate the rest of the global market (Pairault, Thierry - The Diplomat). Africa and China are at different, though complimentary stages of industrialization, which allows China to have strategic access to the resources they need, and Africa access to the funds they need to develop. The strategy of reinstating a version of the ancient silk road is that China controls it, giving them immense power to continue to strategize and promote their national interests in their latter stages of industrialization. Harnessing their abundant natural resources, Africa has acquired technology, skilled labor, and investment necessary for industrialization. Tanzania specifically has been one of the most effective nations in doing so. Trading economic access and in a sense some of their sovereignty, they have established incredible infrastructure under their partnership with China. One example of this is the…  

3. Kigamboni Bridge: which is a direct investment project (which means Capital funding in exchange for equity; in short, the company investing receives a direct return on their investment.) The bridge, just outside of Dar es Salaam is primarily used by commuters from the suburbs going to work. Prior to the implementation of the bridge, there was a dangerous and unreliable ferry across the river. Kigamboni is an important piece of infrastructure necessary for citizens to commute to and from work. According to The Citizen, a news source in Tanzania, the fees from this toll bridge were directly collected by the China Railway Limited Company (The Citizen). Tanzania barely makes any money. On the positive side, projects like these increase mobility of people and goods, which inherently also helps the Chinese along with the Tanzanians. However, it also represents imperialism, as this bridge, while in Africa, does little to nothing to support the Tanzanian economy as the profits all essentially go to China. Due to the falling of the Tanzanian shilling, many are discussing the inconvenience and unfairness of the cost (The Citizen). So, yes, this project represents progress with the help of China, but also elitism in terms of access. Many cannot completely afford the tolls and are calling for them to be abolished altogether. 

4. Bagamoyo Port Project: Contributing to China’s BRI reinstating historic oceanic trade roots. China has aided Africa in building around 100 ports in Africa in the span of 20 years. In the 2010s, the Bagamoyo project was proposed in Tanzania. Its size and cost make it the “Tazara Railway '' of the 21st century President Kikewete at the time accepted this project even though the majority of citizens were against it. Its invasive and unfair conditions earned the label “a killer project” designed to “sell” Tanzania to China. Magufugli suspended the project and called for renegotiation and the current interim president Hassan has reworked the deal and now the port is set to be built in 2023 (Lamtey, The Citizen) This project will actually carry though given that written agreement is not violated and Tanzanian maintains full sovereignty and China is held accountable. The initial negotiations of this project speak to China's intentions in Tanzania. They are trying to gain the most control and make the most profit they possibly can. They are simply trying to get the best deal wherever they can in Africa overall and Tanzania must be careful in making deals, so as not to sign away their sovereignty. Bagamoyo is a major project in furthering China’s control over the international market and economy. It will be the largest port in Africa, giving Tanzania the oppurtnity to be not only a major leader for the African Continent but also for the global community. Many locals have been compensated to be pushed out by the plans for an international airport as well as other pieces of infrastructure in parallel with the port. Whilst researching Bagamoyo, I used the following sources: ORF Online, Gadiosa Lamptey, The Guardian. 

4. Economic Impact

It should be noted that Yongjun Zhao said regarding this case study there is a large amount of unreliable data, so it has been a challenge for many scholars to label this relationship as mutualistic or parasitic ). China’s presence has yielded many negative impacts: local economic repercussions, resource over-extraction, and undermined the livelihoods of the poor. However their bilateral aid has allowed the Tanzanian economy to grow exponentially in just a few decades.

To speak to the economic impact on the Chinese side, African resources overall have majorly benefitted them. They take fairly inexpensive natural resource exports, turn them into manufactured goods and then sell them for many times the original price of the raw materials. This is economic imperialization as the Guardian has stated, which is something Tanzania needs to move away from. As the pace of foreign investment increases exponentially and as Tanzania develops there will be a greater capacity for larger and more investment projects. As China overtakes the United States as the number one largest economy in the world, they will continue to push for more investment projects and pour more money into the continent that has a vast amount of raw materials as this access and control will allow them to manipulate other nations by controlling the international economy. 

Now let's dive into some of the specifics of china's economic strategy which I read about in two articles, one about “Complementary Development between China and Sub-Saharan Africa by xiaolin wang and another about the Thunen model by Matt Rosenberg:

MCDM (Multi Criteria Decision Making): The ultimate process which decides where and how to allocate Chinese funds, in order to receive the most in return, in terms of not only profit, but resource control and power on the international scale. 

VIKOR Method: Systematic review of the options available to optimize success and the chances to reaching and exceeding the set goals (in terms of foreign investment, this is pretty much the MCDM)

Thünen Circle: Regarding cost minimization, this model, developed in the early 1900s, is an illustration of the balance between land cost and transportation, accounting for all the factors one would need to consider when choosing a location to mine, cultivate, etc.

So if China is obviously keen on creating success in business with Africa, so the numbers should come as no surprise, let's hear from BBC (play clip). 

Now you may be wondering with all of this strategic planning and billions of dollars being spent where is the money actually being allocated? Using the interactive data map from Boston University’s Global development center, I will answer this question. If you would like to follow along this database is linked on my website. 

Talk about databases…

As I learned from a Sustainability Journal written by Xiaolang Wang and others, China's investments have been calculated and well thought out. As their future is on the line, many factors affect the decision to invest, particularly for mining, in a specific area. Political stability and local legal restrictions are driving components that determine if a specific area is “worth the time and money” in order to obtain return on investment. Largely, the Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) is the body making these decisions, and they are certainly out for the best deal (Wang, Xiaoliang, et al.). They are uninterested in what will help Tanzania the most, but rather focus on what will be best for China, alone. 

Ultimately, Tanzania has national sovereignty as much as any nation in the world. However, in order to support their future developmental goals, the nation is largely locked into a partnership with China, their number one investor, as other countries may hesitate to swoop in, or would not invest as much money. Due to this established relationship, Tanzania hypothetically can control what happens in terms of Chinese investment, however, China controls the money, so they are the ones with the true power. Because China was late to the game in modern development, economically, politically, and in terms of industrialization, they were able to integrate global investment into the economy and their economic development. Simply because they were “catching up”, China had the advantage of seeing the overall picture that was already established and were able to plan how they wanted to fit into the picture and dynamic, and more importantly how they wanted to change that to suit their needs (Wang, Xiaoliang, et al.). Because of this, China has mastered turning high speed growth into high quality growth.

Wang noted that China’s Priorities for economic development are to optimize economic structures, balance regional development inequality, boost economic and technological creativity, and increase the degree of China opening up, specifically in global investment.

Globalization is driven by global investment (because money motivates the world). Domestic economic development is quickest when integrated with the fast-paced global economy and market, off which it can feed and rapidly develop. China has balanced their investment between governmental and private sectors to ensure balanced and sustainable foundations for future growth. 

5. Social + Cultural Impact: **Local opinion: america = condescending 

1. Research Paper: Chinese Involvement in Tanzania and Its Local Impacts (2017)

As noted by a Bucknell Graduate student, Maho Fujita, due to post communist shifts in China the economic, diplomatic and social relationships between China and the rest of the world, but particularly between China and Africa are built upon relatively recent events (within the last half century) and therefore are under-researched as much of the published material regarding this investment exchange is largely speculative and based upon assumption and historical events in Africa regarding colonialism and exploitation. Overall, Chinese investment has caused rapid growth and improvement to infrastructure. The issue however is that due to the quickness at which China has advanced projects and by extension, local communities, is that almost nothing recently established is of quality because it is all very affordable and quick to acquire (you get what you pay for). This has led to increased mobility and business opportunities for the African people. Of course this mobility is within the Chinese realm and market because it is not set up for Africans to create their own success but rather to succeed under the system the Chinese have established (like it showed in the Aljazeera Documentary with a traditional African shoemaker going out of business [Figure 1], while an African seller, selling Chinese imported shoes [Figure 2] (of a lower quality and therefore cheaper) was flourishing under the established system). “If you want to make money you can only do it with Chinese goods.” (Sidy Sall)

Finish talking about how it affected/ put out the family business!!

Fujita’s paper discusses the interviews she conducted with both Tanzanian and Chinese people who were living in Tanzania. Government officials were unwilling to cooperate and speak with her, so all of these interviews were conducted with average civilians of diverse backgrounds in their homes and places of work. The purpose of the interviews was to capture the micro effects (local perception of the China-Tanzania partnership) that are less discussed and researched, building from the framework of the macro-effects. Interview questions covered the individuals personal experiences and their observations of past and current Chinese investments. There was an overall consensus that many Tanzanians greatly appreciated the affordability of goods and services created by Chinese presence and involvement as many have little disposable income. Though the quality is relatively low, many can ignore this fact, simply because it is better than not being able to afford the imported goods they don't have the infrastructure to make. One major item that was made affordable by China is cellphones. According to PEW Research they have given Tanzanians the ability to communicate easily, and as many don’t have computers, access to the internet. As a result of this Tanzania is more reliant on cell phones specifically than many developed nations. Farmers, for example, have access to the internet, so they may get higher prices for their goods, as well as banking access. One interviewee, a Tanzanian local, noted that big businesses come to Tanzania in search of short-term profit. They are uninterested in staying long-term or considering sustainability. Chinese business usually destroys local manufacturing and dominates the Tanzanian market. The late President Magufuli was working towards eliminating corruption and tightening foreign policy which lessens the possibility of bribery and promotes success and progress for the Tanzanian people, though he was largely unsuccessful. Fortunately current president Hassan has held foreign investors to a high standard ensuring Tanzania’s best interest is at the forefront of every project, goal and plan. 

Now we’ve covered much of the overall social impact in terms of work, etc, but how does Chinese presence help/hurt the local communities outside of infrastructural projects and FDIs. Largely one could say that there is no impact because Chinese permit workers keep to themselves. Outside of the work day they spend their time in their apartments and houses, typically shared with other Chinese workers. As described in a UCLA social sciences article, they don’t venture into town because they have their own chefs that flew over from China. This isolation and separation is not necessarily a bad thing, it simply reflects that the idea that Chinese presence is positively changing local communities and economies is false. Really they are just more people using the water and resources, but putting nothing back into the economy. The two nationalities are also not really friends, despite a falsely presented allyship outside of the working day. In fact, many Tanzanians hold the stereotype that Chinese people in Tanzania are rude. They speak commanding and rude Swahili. China is trying to fight this stereotype as they appear more as a friend than they are currently conceived as. One way they have tried to demonstrate this was through a competition at the university of Dar es Salaam. When I interviewed Janet Foerster, president of Inner Changeworks, an NGO based in the US, she talked about this opportunity for university students that she worked with. Let's hear what she had to say: JANET 

A portion of local Tanzanians have established a way of life without the global market, farming and buying from the local markets, they are self-sustaining and see little reason to promote consumerism and Chinese imperialism in their home country. In short, they want to exercise their individual rights and have some control over the direction of their economy as it directly impacts the way they live their lives.  

Due to different values, Chinese workers often work harder and longer than Tanzanian locals, meaning they are more competitive for jobs. Short term Chinese subcontractors are hired because of their ability to finish a job quickly. they often contribute little to the local economy, but they leave a physical manifestation of development in their wake.

(Janet Interview section)

6. Environmental + Sustainability: As we dive into this next and final section, environmental impact and sustainability, it is important to be thinking about how difficult sustainable development is even in the “developed” world.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The UN is somewhat working with China to help Africa reach the SDGs, though China’s conclusions about the impact of their FDI being presented in a “rosy light” are somewhat inaccurate, the UN sees their involvement as currently positive. 

The  Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, a sub-committee under the United Nations, identifies and outlines Tanzania’s SDG goals through the United nations. Broken up into three categories the sustainable goals were labeled as successfully in progress, achievable in the coming years with added effort, and a significant stretch that would  require much more international support and local effort. The goals that align with my project most are seven (affordability and clean energy), eight (decent work and economic growth), nine (industry, innovation and infrastructure), and eleven (sustainable cities and communities). The UN identified goal eight as having made progress and goals seven, nine and eleven as being likely attainable with added efforts on both the domestic and international fronts. Unpacking the specific goals that apply to Tanzania and this project and the status of the achievability of those goals has helped me understand China’s role in filling international support as well as which areas Tanzania is most desperate for help in. 

2. Rare Earth’s and mining (sustainability): 

Explain Rare Earths (REEs): “5 lanthanides on the periodic table (La-Lu), plus Scandium (Sc) and Yttrium (Y). Contrary to what the name suggests, REEs are abundant in the earth’s crust”. (Jaya Nayar, Harvard International Review) 

Discuss demand and how that relates to Africa. 

Jaya Nayar from Harvard International Review stated that the mining is invasive and destructive because it is so hard to separate the rare earths from the other minerals. The irony is, much of the REE demand is coming from a push for “clean energy”, but how can it be clean when the mining process is so dirty. The name should describe the whole process, not just the end result. “An electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car” (Jaya Nayar, Harvard International Review). (So what is sustainable for a car anyways? Lifespan and battery life must be factored in.) Currently the extraction process for rare earths damages communities, and contaminates the nearby area. (Causation: Interactions with Environment stems into public health and then economy and overall standard of living.) “Overall, for every ton of rare earth, 2,000 tons of toxic waste are produced.” 

3. I examined an Article from the Journal of Risk and Financial Management: Sustainable Blueprint: Do Stock Investors Increase Emissions? And here are my takeaways. 

• The stock market has the potential to and already has critically affected climate policy, affected carbon emissions and affected environmental quality. The stock market drives environmental action in the modern era, because change needs financing. Because China is funding African development and the establishment of infrastructure and has the second largest economy in the world, they hold the power to manipulate the stock market and determine environmental action for the foreseeable future in Africa. EHM (Efficient Market Hypothesis) is a theory that states when new information reaches the stock market it is immediately reflected in stock value and therefore the current prices reflect available information. Based on this theory, the instability of the stock market in developing countries is reflective of political, social, economic and environmental instability, which fluctuates constantly thus creating an unpredictable market that is largely impenetrable for outside investors trying to value the worth of joining the market. When they do join the market, these investors are inherently creating more instability by adding to the demanding market, thus creating a negative cycle that stunts economic growth and leaves many empty-handed. This article articulates China’s motivations and specific malleability of the global market including vulnerabilities for developing countries in Tanzania. For example, China’s interests are at heart to serve themselves, yet they are creating positive change in Tanzania, even though there are numerous negative side effects. Given Tanzania’s limited economy, their only option is foreign investors and China has always been a great ally to them. 

4. An article from 2010 by Gordon Chang at Forbes talks about Chinese plans to build a road through the Serengetti which gives insight to their disregard for the natural environment as well as ignorant misuse of their position as major infrastructural creators in Tanzania. Fortunately, this plan did not go through, but it does show a weakness in Tanzanian mindset in terms of political leaders and their willingness to follow China in whatever direction they choose. Of course, in terms of conservation this road would have been disastrous for wildebeest and gazelle migrations, interfering with not only wildlife, but a major section of Tanzania’s Tourist economy, safari’s (wildlife observation). 

5. Looking forward for the future of Tanzania sustainable development, Hassan has promoted resource nationalism which means taking control of their natural resources, preventing exploitation, or at least getting compensated properly for it. 

7. Conclusion:

1. Global Involvement (Perspectives + Actions by other nations)

 The world, especially the Western World, is very accusatory of China’s relationship with Africa, They have accused china of imperialization, when in actuality, historically, the west have been the colonizers and imperializers. They are concerned for Tanzania and all of Africa to simply become an extension of China. In fact some of this has already been apparent with Chinese influence in the United Nations. According to the NY Times, when the UN proceeded to vote regarding holding Russia accountable for their actions against Ukraine, China abstained and so did most African nations abstaining. To the other countries in the UN this was shocking and horrifying because it solidified the idea that they may not be able to regain influence in the African region, and worse have no relationship with the most up and coming region on the international stage. 

2. Takeaways (much of their success relies on the right kind of leadership, Hassan vs. Magufuli, etc.)

Much of Tanzania’s success relies on the right kind of leadership. Hassan’s interim term will end soon. Whoever the next president is, whether it be Hassan or someone else, they need to maintain strong national sovereignty and ideals, in order to prevent Chinese imperialization. They also need to have a clear plan and partnership with China outlining the decades to come to ensure they are reaching the goals they have set, sustainable, economic and otherwise.

Infrastructurally, Tanzania is on the right track with many successful projects and plans like kigamboni and bagamoyo. Economically, they need to demand “more of the cut” so to speak from China. Socially and culturally, tanzania is a proud nation that will continue to stay strong and not fall to chinese imperialism. And finally, if Tanzania can maintain and increase their trajectory in terms of sustainable development, they will be the nation to watch in the coming decades. 

China and Tanzania, alike, are focused on short-term mass success and growth and are not prioritizing the mitigation of long-term impacts. Tanzania’s growing dependency and connection to China and the Chinese economy, will continue to make it more difficult for Tanzania to allocate funds and resources where they see it is necessary and will cause their primary needs to be ignored, as China pushes for and promotes their own personal agenda. 

Thank you for your time, I hope you enjoyed it. Please reference my portfolio website for my action plan, appendix, sources and other information.