56yrs on, war against 3 enemies persists
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However, speaking to The Citizen, the analysts also acknowledged the various efforts that the government has made to ensure the country stays focused on improving people’s lives.
Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania celebrates its 56th independence anniversary today, analysts say the war that the founding father of the nation Julius Nyerere launched against what he described as the country’s three major enemies – poverty, ignorance and disease – is far from being won.
However, speaking to The Citizen, the analysts also acknowledged the various efforts that the government has made to ensure the country stays focused on improving people’s lives.
University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) natural sciences lecturer Frank Tilly said the country still faces many pressing issues, despite the progress made.
Dr Tilly singled out the need to improve the quality of education, to ensure that it is inclusive. Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, executive director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), also cited education as a major challenge the country is yet to address. “Without immediate intervention, chances are high for a major fall,” she said.
On poverty, the rights activist urged the government to strengthen its institutions if it is to win the war.
But Dr Kijo-Bisimba commended efforts made to improve health services, especially on eliminating malaria.
Still, Mr Salum Mwalimu, deputy secretary general of the opposition Chadema (Zanzibar), said a lot remains to be done in the health and education sectors.
“Access to health services is still a problem. More efforts are needed in that area, just like we did with building schools across the country,” he noted.
And Mr Issa Hango, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Tanzania, commended the government for building new health facilities.
“The number of pharmacists has also risen to over 1,000. At independence, these experts were almost non-existent. This is a big step towards improving the health sector,” he observed.
