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| Mashaka |
Tanzania, the
Africa’s sleeping giant must embark on an aggressive undertaking to court, and
bring back its sons and daughters in Diaspora fighting for their birth rights. Extra
ordinary talents scattered across the globe must be consolidated and brought back
home to turn the unique country’s resources into economic greatness and an end to
the never cyclic economic depression
The current
constitutional debate polarizing the country ought to be inclusive. The debate
must accommodate basic birth rights of a very important economic group which is
getting very little attention. The two million plus Diaspora’s population is
being marginalized, while their basic birth rights stifled. Their quest to return
and participate freely in their homeland’s economic progress is being chocked and
downplayed in
favor of preservation of ideological identification and personal political
interests
Economic prosperity
requires a huge pool of skilled labor-force. Tanzania lacks both qualified
management experts, and intellectuals that can carry meaningful and specialized
research essential to hastening economic development. Domestic learning
institutions are not up-to-par in producing enough skilled manpower to do
highly specialized jobs. Country’s supply of skilled professionals is not in
line with the market demand
Natural gas
discovery in the Southern-corridor has clearly exposed the country’s skilled
labor force void. Most, if not all technical workers will be expatriates. With
the country’s educational system in anarchy, whereby sixty-percent of students are
failing basic secondary education, the pool of future skilled labor force seems
to be empty. Tanzania could easily offset this deficit by opening its gates to
its Diaspora community through extension of unconditional return of its sons
and daughters in Diaspora
Diaspora’s
economic importance in global economies is no longer a debatable issue. In
2013, Zimbabwe’s Diaspora remittance was in excess of $1.8billion; an amount
slightly lower than the previous years in which the same grouped propped the
country’s faltering economy in the height of political crisis and international
sanctions by infusing more than $2.billion.
India recorded
$74 billion in the year 2013. Kenya $962million, Uganda $770million, while Nigeria
racked in $21.6billion from their Diaspora groups. According to Western Union
data, Tanzania Diaspora’s remittance was around $415
million for the year 2013. The figure could easily top $1.5billion if other
official and unofficial remittance channels are included, a number higher than
13.2% of the government’s 2013/2014 national budget
Though it racked in $12billion in 2013 from
its Diaspora community, Israel, a Jewish state, regard its Diaspora not as
wallets, but as strategically vital economic, social and political assets. While
Israel embraces people with Jewish ancestry both in other nations, Tanzania is
locking out its immediate sons and daughters, born in its soil, fighting for
their birth rights or inclusion if you will
Tens of thousands of Tanzanian born professionals,
whom for some reasons, mostly economic and academic, acquired travel and stay
documents for other countries, have since decided to return home. Bringing with
them rare, and sought after skills along with their economic might. The
medical, engineering, economic, legal and educational experts just to name a
few, scattered all over the world want to return home unconditionally
Consequently, the
government must embrace the Tanzania’s Diaspora by extending to them their
basic requirement of inclusion; birth rights as in the case of neighboring
countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Some of the world most prosperous
economies have adopted dual-nationality to fill the skilled workforce
deficiency. Not to lag behind, Tanzania must emulate its neighbors by allowing
dual nationality. No person of Tanzanian origin and their descendants should be
deprived of their birth rights arbitrarily
Arguably, no
country in the world has prospered economically by relying solely on foreign
expertise and Tanzania is no exception. Tanzania’s economic, social and
political paradox stands an excellent chance to be un-puzzled and grow
exponentially if policy-makers can realistically, deliberate and include into
the new constitution the law of inclusion that will allow Tanzanian born persons
living abroad to bring back home their economic might and expertise into the country’s
wanting pool of skilled labor
Developing a
modern-day economic infrastructure, at least to meet minimal global threshold
necessary to compete in the fierce digitalized global economy, requires a huge
reserve of skilled labor. With abundance of natural resources, Tanzania can
become the new global hinterland that will follow the footsteps of other
economic giants if it adopts into the draft constitution un-conditional “right
of return” for the Diaspora possessing much needed skills
What is needed
today is a collective and concerted effort to enforcing a sense of urgency in
revamping the country’s approach towards its engagement with the Diaspora’s
which includes tapping all their valuable economic clout, and skills. This
should include luring them back into the country’s economic infrastructure
which will place Tanzania in the frontline to be an African economic power.
Contrary, the much spoken about economic glory will remain a pipe dream
Mungu Ibariki Tanzania
John Mashaka
Joni mashaka, wewe ni jinias, lakini kwa nini uwatetee watu ambao wenyewe hawaelewani? Alafu ili nisome mada yako, ni bors ukajifunze kiswahili
ReplyDeleteI usually do not comment on articles, but this one hits the nail on the head perfectly. Tanzania wake up !!!
ReplyDeleteAga mang'ana ghasalikile. Murah1
ReplyDeleteWatu kama hawa wenye akili nyingi wanaishia kufundisha vyuo vikuu. Hawana mchango mwingine kwenye jamii
ReplyDeleteHawa Diaspora kama wale wa DC sijui wakina nani wale wa kijiwe cha ughaibuni ndio picha yao kamili, basi wabaki huku huko. Hatuwataki. Tunataka watu wenye maendeleo. Mashaka kelele zako hazitakuwa na faida ikiwa wenzako hawana ushirikiano kwenye hili swala
ReplyDeleteBrother Mashaka. I am joining my fellows in describing as one of the geniuses of Tanzania descent. Bank of America picks the best minds to work for them, and that is why you are there.
ReplyDeleteWe are proud of you our brother. now, it's been a long time since I've had to think about the diaspora, but if anything helps I'll try.
Now, Diaspora means, in general, "the spreading". In the particular case of the Jewish Diaspora it's extremely important. If the Jews had not spread out among the middle east many people wouldn't have known about the religion.
Most Jews now wouldn't be in existence, and would more than likely be a member of another religion. Tanzaians like Benjamin Mwaipaja spread umbea across the world. Some in Houston spread wizi and mortgage fraud while jews think of their homeland
For example, think of the news. If it was going to rain in the mountains where you don't have many neighbors to talk to, you wouldn't know it was going to rain without the news. (lets just say these people are really dumb and can't tell what rainclouds look like!)
They would need the broadcast to reach their house in order to inform them. You need information and stories to be spread, to travel, so others can learn.
Hahaha wewe kama umelipwa na Diaspora...Kwani hiyo haki ya kuzaliwa ilipotelea wapi? Kizunguzungu tu hiki...Tuwekeeni mchango wenu kwa uchumi wa Tanzania. The Remittance statistics then we can listen to you. Otherwise you are like frog in the river. The Noise cannot limit the donkey from drinking
ReplyDeletedugu yangu john Mashaka, tafadhali jifunze kiswahili ili haya yote mazuri unayoandikaga iwafikie watanzaia wote. Hongera sana kwa maandiko mazuri
ReplyDeleteOnce again a well written article by Mr Mashaka.The fundamental birth right of millions of Tanzanians is flagrantly violeted and this is at the cost of the Tanzania country as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI still hold my bongo passport after more than 20 years abroad, but I fully support my fellow diaspora who chose to take different citizenship.
I heavily invest in Tanzania and support a couple of charitable organisations. Bring the dual citizenship NOW!
Don`t be scared of us guys, let us build our country together, albeit from a distance.
Dr Gangwe.
The nature of these ties is diverse: they can be political, economic, cultural as well as social and academic. Often, Diasporas are also linked to a “founding myth” related to their place of origin and to the conditions under which they were forced or urged to leave their motherland.
ReplyDeletemany Diasporas are built on a major event, often dramatic, which ties a community together, despite its geographical dispersion. This is, for example, the case for the Jewish Diaspora, which appeared after the destruction of the Temple and the annexation of Judea by Romans.
As of today, the African Diaspora is one of the most important in the world in terms of numbers. According to the African Union, the African Diaspora is composed of “people of African origin living outside of the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality, and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Unio
Too much blah blah!! Tumechoka na hadithi za kila siku, tunataka matendo, FULL STOP!
ReplyDeleteMmewaona majirani zetu wanavyokimbia. Sasa mizigo na abiria kutoka Mombassa itakuwa inafika Rwanda na Burundi mapema zaidi kuliko kutoka Dar es Salaam! Hii yote ni kutkana na blah blah nyingi badala ya vitendo!!
Upembuzi yakinifu mapaka unakuwa upembuzi kinaifu!!
Very sad indeed!
Na hii inatokana kwa sababu ya ulevi wetu kudhani nchi inaendelea kwa kuwa tu kuna "natural resources". No, kinachoendeleza nchi ni "Human Resources".
Inaonekana hii rasilimali ndiyo inayokosekana hapa kwetu, na hakuna jitihada za kuihimarisha mpaka sasa. Tuko nyuma katika region kwa high learning enrollment!
Hakuna muujiza mwingine utakaoikomboa hii nchi!! Sio dolari kutoka kwa wana-diaspora au hata kwa wafadhili wengine watakaoleta ukombozi wa kiuchumi. Ni akili za wananchi tu ndizo zitakazoleta suruhu!!
hela za diaspora zilizokusanywa ndio john mashaka ameongwa ili awatetee....Huu kama siyo ufisadi ni nini?
ReplyDeletelicha ya yote kuna tetesi kwamba haya maandiko siyo ya mashaka mwenyewwe. haya yameandikwa na US STATE Department. john mashaka ni mouthpiece tu. hawa diaspora si ndio wale wanaofika hapa na kuanza kuuza mabinti zetu kwenye mitadao? Huyu ana tofauti gani la lemutuz ambaye ndiye kiwanda cha mbebes?
KUTUPOTEZA KUTOKA KWENYE MJADAL AWA KATIBA INATUMIKA JOHN MASHAKA, NA UGONJWA WA DENGU. KIPINDI CHA NYUMA WALITUAMIA BABU WA LOLIONDO, MABOMU YA MBAGALA ETC.....JOHN MASHAKA NI JINI AMBALO LIMETENGENEZWA NA MICHUZI PAMOJA NA USALAMA WA TAIFA. HILO PICHA LIMEIBIWA KWENYE MITANDAO. THE GUY DOESNT EXIST.
ReplyDelete1.AMESOMA WAPI HAKUNA NAYEMJUA, 2.KWAO WAPI HAKUNA NAYEMJUA.
3.NANI ASHAWAHI KUMUONA, HAKUNA
HUU NI USANINI
Kaka Mashaka, umeandika vizuri sana na kweli tunahitaji kupewa hiyo nafasi na Watanzania walioko nje ya nchi wawezi kuekeza kwenye inchi walizo zaliwa.
ReplyDeleteMfano mzuri ni Uvumbuzi wa Gesi,waziri anatamka kabisa kuwa hamna Mtanzania/Watanzania wenye uwezo wa kuchimba na kusambaza gesi ndio maana kampuni za nje zimepewa nafasi hiyo
Mimi nakupa changamoto,kama unaweza kuunga watanzania walioko nje kujiunga pamoja kiuchumi na kuwekeza pamoja itakuwa vizuri au kundi la wataaluma pamoja na kuisadia tanzania kwenye mambo mengi.
Tatizo DIKOTA na makundi mengi haya ya pamoja ya kiuchumi ni matatizo matupu.Sijui kurudi kutasaidia nini.Ni bora tuwaachie watanzania walioko huko kupata vibarua. Na nyie mliokuwa overeducated make tu huku mfanye mambo mnayoaka
Nigeria Biafra war, Uganda's General Amin, Kenya's special relationship with the UK and 1950s/60s scholarship programmes to USA, Israelis (Jews) emigration & anti- Semitism all caused massive number of people from these countries to work and live abroad.
ReplyDeleteSo John Mashaka and other don't ignore historic factors which have no relation to Tanzania's 'Amani, Utulivu, Uzalendo na Upendo and Ujamaa which made few Tanzanian to make decision the live abroad like the mention countries above.
Tanzania's US$ 400 million as remittance from diaspora is a bit exaggerated by Western Union as a marketing campaign to sell its services to the potential Tanzanian diaspora who don't use Western Union.
So far you don't need dual citizenship to contribute in building Tanzania's economy through various activities be employment, investment etc.
what you diaspora need is just a special recognition via a certificate, ID or a stamp on your passport that you were once a Tanzanian but due to various circumstances like been born abroad from a Tanzanian parentage or you decided to hold another country's passport.
Dual citizenship wont work for our mother country Tanzania as it will open the flood gates to be abused economical by foreigners.
Mdau
Team Pasipoti Moja tu.
Mimi ni mmoja wa diaspora.
ReplyDeleteNimependa na kufurahishwa sana na mada yako
Lakini naomba tu, siku nyingine uandike kwa kiswahili ili watanzania wote wa kuelewe
LUGHA YETU YA TAIFA NI KISWAHILI
Haya mambo ya kiingereza mureeefu ni kuwachosha wasomaji na hasa ukizingatia kuwa sio lugha yetu na ni wachche sana waliosoma wakakuelewa, najua wengi wame scroll down haraka kwa sababu umewachanganya
Huwezi kuwa unaomba uraia wa nchi yako kwa lugha ya kigeni...
Tukumbuke kuwa hata wabunge ni wachache wanaojua hii lugha na baada ya bunge hili suala litarudishwa kwa wananchi walipigie kura. Sasa sijui kule kwetu kalenga kama watakusoma vyema...
Much as i concur with Mashaka arguments, allow me to give you guys in the Diaspora a brutal truth; YOU WILL NEVER EVER get anywhere with your daily laments in social mediums. This is the only and crucial time that you can be able to convince members of the Bunge la Katiba (not all Tanzanians, mind you) to swaying in your favour only IF you pool your resources together as one and lay your case there in Dodoma. The waheshimiwas (again, not all Tanzanians) are the ONLY bunch that can save you. A simple way to doing this is to, again, pool your resouces together, pick a team from all over the world, convene to Dodoma and give the waheshimiwas a one-day seminer on dual citizenship and what it takes. A seminar for waheshimiwas is costly, mind you, therefore msije kichwea. To know what am talking about let your rep there do his homework and come up with a budget. From there, i promise, its gonna be a downhill task.
ReplyDeleteBwana Mashaka,
ReplyDeleteNapenda nikupongeze kwa uzalendo wako na umahiri wako. Ama kweli umeonyesha uwezo wako wa ki uongozi. Hii ndio aina y viongozi wanaohitajika hapa Tanzania kwa sasa. Watu wenye uelewa na uwezo wa kuchambua mada kwa kina
Ingawa umeonyesha kuwatetea wana Diaspora kwa kipindi kirefu, sipendi kukukatisha tamaa, bali kukupa changamoto ya kuutumia umahiri wako kuwakusanya watanzania wenzako duniani kote ili kulipigania hii vita. DICOTA imekuwa ni chama cha kifisadi na viongozi wake hawaaminiki kabisa.
Ningekushauri uwatafute vijan kama 20 mahiri uwapeleke bungeni wakawaone wabunge na kuwashawishi. Napenda tena kurudia kukupongeza kwa kazi nzuri na mada zako zenye ujumbe mzito.
Nakubaliana na ushauri wa mdau hapo juu. Mashaka anaandika mambo ya maana sana, kama wenzie hao wana diaspora wangekuwa ni watu makini wangefika mbali. Aisee hii inagusa. The guy is talented.
ReplyDeleteWord
ReplyDeleteChina, japan and Germany have no dual nationalities and are 2nd, 3rd and 4th biggest GDP in the World! Why should a poor country like that Tanzania goes for dual nationality? to enhance plundering? The FGI in Tanzania is over US$ 2 billion and from individual without dual nationality, how comes those who have roots in Tanzania find it hard to invest on the grounds that non Tanzanians find them non existent! You need to convince us more than that, less of that is simply a decoy to win a bread after finding it hard to flourish where you perceived to be a greener pasture. There can only be a Tanzanian with single nationality, nothing more
ReplyDeleteHuyu kijana angekuwa bungeni. Ila nina uhakika atakuja kuwa Kiongozi mkhbwa sana humu nchini
ReplyDeleteMashaka John, ungeanza kwa kuwashauri hao wenzako wawe na mshikamano. Hao ma Diaspora kama kweli wanaipenda Tanzania wangekuwa ni watu serious siyo kwenda kwenye balozi zetu kupiga majungu na umbea. Watu wa DMV na London badilikeni. Mnatutia aibu. Mnaonyesha ni kiasi gani msivyofaa kwenye jamii ya kitanzania.
ReplyDeleteHii vita siyo ya mtu mmoja kama naona ni ndugu John akiwa mpiganaji tu. Anyway, maoni yangu tu
NIMESHAWAONYA. HUYU MASHAKA NI JANJA YA CCM KUTOA AKILI ZA WATANZANIA KWENYE MJADALA WA KATIBA TUNAYOITAKA.
ReplyDeleteMASHAKA NI JINA LA KUSADIKIKA ILI TUANZE KUMJADILI TUONDOKE KWENYE MADA NZITO.
NDIYO HAYO MAJANJA YA UGONGJWA WA DENGUE. CCM BANA MNA MAMBO SANA. MARA BABU LOLIONDO, MABOMU MBAGALA, MARA JOHN MASHAKA, NA SASA DENGUE. TUKO PALE PALE NGANGARI ...
.NI TATU TU....hatudanganyiki tena
Ntaleta ushahidi kwamba mashaka john siyo mtu bali ni mtu wa kubuniwa na Ankal na kundi lake........wewe binadamu gani anakuwa na upeo mkubwa kwenye kila kitu ?