After Africa

What can technology do for transparency and accountability?

If you are interested in what technology can do for transparency and accountability I suggest you read this report (left) from Transparency & Accountability Initiative in Cambridge.

The authors have reviewed more than 100 projects where new technologies as a means to promote transparency and accountability have been applied.

Seven key findings are presented on page 5-6, and here I just want to focus on what I found particularly interesting from reading the report:

The cool factor:

'However, one lesson from the Ushahidi/Uchaguzi experience
is that the success of a tool in one context can inspire others
to quickly launch projects using the same tool without a clear
strategy or a solid methodology capable of yielding credible
results. We identified a number of these cases during our
research; while they are not profiled here, they reinforce the
point that the ‘cool factor‘ of technology tools can at times
exacerbate the lack of rigor found in some initiatives. This
poses a risk of diminishing the role that technology can play
in the transparency and accountability field.' (page 16).

Traditional organisations continueing to think that using tech tools refer to tweeting and having a website:

'Some efforts are just starting, and some are more solid and
thought out than others, but selected initial efforts already
seem to be moving ahead of traditional transparency
and accountability organisations and their models, many
of which continue to think that using ‘tech‘ tools refers
to tweeting and having a website. These traditional
organisations often fail to take advantage of more powerful
technology tools, even though they are experts on the
transparency and accountability subject matter.' (page 19)

Lack of knowledge of the subject to be monitored:

 In addition to the lack of knowledge on an academic
level, we also sometimes observed a lack of knowledge
about the specific issues that project organisers intend to
monitor or evaluate, such as electoral protocols or complex
mechanisms of corruption in public procurement, all of
which hurts the good intentions the creators of many
projects have.

Don't throw away the old-fashioned tools for all that glitters: 

'Technology for transparency and accountability
tools do not necessarily have to be sophisticated
to succeed, but they need to be designed
intelligently and with an eye towards local
context.' (page 23)

Finally, I think the long list of short descriptions of case studies and the section on commonly used tools are useful for people to get an idea of what technology applied for transparency and accountability really is all about - short, but google on yourself. One example is for instance the description of how the Tanzanian-based NGO, Daraja works with 'Maji Matone' (page 16 and 31).

Tanzanian Government's take on the Internet

 

On May 25, 2011 the Tanzanian newspaper Daily News quotes President Kikwete for promising that 'the national fibre-optic network currently under construction is set to cover all districts in the country by June, next year'.

The article goes from praising Microsoft to the benefits of the implementation of the fibre-optic network. For instance, it mentions 'e-learning at different levels of education', and quotes President Kikwete:

'We will from next financial year set aside a budget for the implementation of the Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow (TBT) project in which through ICT a teacher can teach many students in various regions at a time. This will, to a large extent, reduce the problem of teachers' shortage'

Neatly the article adds clear numbers in term of the assumed progress: According to the article the fibre-optic network has reached 19 regions and 59 districts out of Tanzania's 30 regions. Nice numbers for press conferences. However, the style of the article makes me think of territory of microphone holders, and this article, too, leaves me with a strong wish that the reporter had investigated further:

Is it really true that over half of Tanzania's regions by now are covered by the fibre-optic cable?

According to the blog Bora Kujenga Daraja, it hasn't yet reached Njombe in the Southern Highlands, and the map illustrating the progress leaves space for interpretation (for one, it is in Chinese):

It may be relatively easy to monitor the amount of kilometres of fibre-optic cables digged into Tanzanian soil, but what do the numbers actually mean for the 42 million people living in Tanzania? 

Internet is obviously nothing without electricity, computers, money to buy an Internet subscription and the skills to utilize it for meaningful purposes. So, I'd also like to know more about the numbers of people for whom this makes a difference, and what kind of difference it makes practically. 

The government's 'Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow', as mentioned above, may be a part of the answer, but the President's vision of solving the problems in regard of the lack of teachers eventually depend on the answers to the questions above.

Earlier this week the blog Swahili Street noted another relevant perspective of this development by referring to the government's training of the police force to do on-line patroling. Swahili Street also poses questions: 'And what will it mean practically? How does an “online patrol” take place? Where exactly will be patrolled? And who?'

Certainly, the Tanzanian government has embarked on an intensified process of adressing the use of the Internet, and having the President promoting it up front is definitely interesting. One may however hope that media and others interested in the impact of the Internet, freedom of speech and education also will manage to intensify their observance, too.

The illustration was sent to me from a friend in Tanzania, and is cut from last Wednesday's Mwananchi. My Kiswhaili isn't perfect, but I believe the text can be translated to: 'Citizens, your government is now
on Facebook. You have to be on Facebook.' (Please, do correct me if not so).

Africans redefine Africa (without my help)

While a selection of Denmark's largest development NGOs together with Denmark's Broadcasting Corporation (DR) and private companies enter a collective coma on Saturday (in Danish), nationally fundraising for what they dubbed 'The New Africa', Africa is redefining itself.

Every day, in all ways, by its own drive, creativity, history and energy.

If you want to know what's rocking Africa, circle Twitter, blogs and Facebook for inspiration and updates. Or, if in Africa, attend the events included on the list below, check out the products produced, or ask people out and discuss what's going on between reality and cyberspace.

Activism, intellect, ideas and creative skills are here combined via social media, which provides options for exchanging and learning. It is interesting because it is relatively new, it is inviting to engage and share, but it is also rather unfiltrated.

The list below isn't prioritised in any ways, but impulsively compiled based on my specific interest in art, culture, music, social media, photography, design, fashion, politics, activism - and East Africa. 

• This Is Africa… How Music and Social Media Are Re-defining A Continent
• Doreen Mashika
• Society hae - Change the World, Create Something!
• TedxDar
• A new breed of techno-savvy politicians in Africa?
• Afri-Love
• Swahili Fashion Week
• Kate Bomdiggity
• PEN & MIC 1
• Alfredmutua
• iHub, Nairobi
• Ladies' Mapping Party
• The Mikocheni Report
• Vijana FM
• Pecha Kucha, Dar es Salaam
• Sanaa Republic
• Kina Klothing
• Global Voices Tanzania
• Sauti za Busara
• MaKuYa Festival in Mtwara
• Swahili Street
• White African
• Mzungu Kichaa
• Pop Africana

And the list doesn't end here, please let me know what I've missed...

Leasing fertile chunks of land in Tanzania: Who benefit?

'Tanzania expects South Korea to begin farming 15,000 hectares of land in the east African country early next year for food production and processing, a senior official said on Thursday'....and 'Tanzania is blessed with millions of hectares of fertile farm land, but most of this land has been under-utilised for a long time'

The words 'blessed with' stick out in this article from Reuters Africa, and makes me think that the line between a blessing and a curse could be a thin one.

• Will this deal make Tanzanians more capable of utilising other hectares of under-utilised land?
• Will this create employment for ordinary Tanzanians?
• Will it accumulate another kind of profit which will be for the good of Tanzania?
• Will it affect any one living on it, and will they be compensated by what and whom?
• Or will they be watching from the sidelines of villages bordering the 15,000 hectares of blessed land?

What exactly is in it for the watanzania?

Another one of those workshops

 

BBC One - Comic Relief (and I'm an even bigger fan of Ricky Gervais)

 

Education in Tanzania: Quantity or Quality?

 
These days and in this end of the world we count in quantity and not quality - when it comes to Africa and the Millenium Development Goals.

For the past months I have been working with engaging Danish civil society organisations in development cooperation in a Danish campaign, which directly translated is called 'The World's Best News'.  In brief, the campaign is aiming at informing the Danes about the progress made in developing countries, not just in terms of 'our' support, but in general. The overall message is that it makes a difference to support development, and that we have a responsibility to do so. So far, a very successful campaign, the largest of its kind in Denmark, which amongst others have generated a lot of activities in the Danish civil society, but also managed to make us focus on progress.

However, it also means that the Danish prime minister has learnt his lines well, when he from the Millenium Development Goal Summit in New York the day before yesterday underlined the success of the Danish achievement in development support: 'Now, 9 out of 10 children are in school', meaning we are close to reaching the second Millenium Development Goal: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

All fine on a global level. However, coming almost straight out of Tanzania I had one clear problem with oversimplifying the question of education when it comes to East Africa. I have visited too many schools around Tanzania, Uganda and Tanzania for the past 5 years, not to ask the question: Haya, so what do the 9 out of 10 children actually learn there...? Last year in November I wrote this blog post from Longido in northern Tanzania. The schools are there, even in the most remote parts of Tanzania, but they are crowded with children, who walk far every day; and have teachers with insufficient resources.

However, Uwezo, which is part of Twaweza, on September 21 launched interesting findings in its Annual Learning Assessment Report Tanzania 2010. The study assessed literacy and numeracy skills of over 40,000 children in over 20,000 households - the largest survey of its kind: Are Our Children Learning? 

The key findings say:

One in five primary school leavers cannot read Standard 2 level Kiswahili
Half the children who complete primary school cannot read in English
Only 7 in 10 primary school leavers can do Standard 2 level Mathematics
Urban based children perform better than rural based children
Girls do slightly better than boys
Children with educated mothers perform better

  
Basically the Twaweza went into details, focusing on quality and on the outputs. 

And it doesn't look good comparing to the fact that Tanzania is actually one of the countries in Africa, the Danish politicians in general like to draw upon when giving good examples.

The conclusion appears positive in donor countries when counting the amount of children in school, but rather sad when you take a close look in Tanzania. Tanzania might have come far in terms of putting its children to school - on a quantitive level, but qualitatively there is something utterly wrong. 

Other bloggers picked up on the survey. Swahili Street noted that 'It is a sensitive time for them (Twaweza) to do this'. And it made The Mikocheni Report suggest reflection here.

I'll finish off with the same words I used last year in Longido:

'...it all boils down to utilised and appreciated human potential, creativity, personal drive, eagerness and motivation, which will be the only forces change is made of.'

Talking about progress and change in terms of quantity is one thing, but says close to nothing about the quality of what we want for the children in Tanzania. Do we want full schools, or do we want to work with the fantastically, massive amount of human potential which is the ultimate feed for the change a country like Tanzania need?

Now that we are this close to having 9 out of 10 in school, it might be time to focus on quality?

I think Twaweza has done an excellent job pointing this out, and if you are a blogger, journalist or communication officer in an international NGO, I believe this is a really useful tool to pass forward or use in further argumentation. 

Download the full survey here.

Who’s Really Fighting Hunger?

 

 
ActionAid's HungerFREE Scorecard Investigates why a Billion People are Hungry. Yesterday Action Aid asked the question on Twitter: 'Which developing country do you think is closest to tackling hunger? Tweet us with your guess! (Answer will be revealed at 6pm.)'

Yesterday I noted that I found something so important being made silly in such a context just for the sake of creating awareness. Respect to the people, however, who combine research with advocacy and awareness in the interest of the poor. I looked into the report this morning, limiting myself to Tanzania. While some countries may talk about progress towards the Millenium Development Goals, Tanzania still has a long way to go before the fulfilment of the government's slogan (2009): Maisha Bora Kila Mtanzania:

An estimated 35 percent of Tanzanians go hungry during an average year, but recently this situation has been exacerbated by an extended drought in the centre and north of the country.

While the government has been steadily increasing agriculture financing and has a good sector plan, it could do much more to redress years of neglect. The budget for agriculture plummeted after liberalisation to 2.8 percent in 2001, from around 16 percent in the 1980s. Since then, it has risen steadily, to around 7 percent this year.

While the Tanzanian government should be congratulated on this increase, they could still do more to reach the 10 percent required by the Maputo Declaration. Much more of this budget could be targeted at smallholders, particularly through better credit and extension services – too much is currently being swallowed up by the provision of chemical fertilisers; support for organic fertilisers must also be introduced.

Critical to the future of Tanzania’s agriculture will be improving water management and irrigation - vital in defending a rural economy which the World Food Programme describes as "highly susceptible to climatic shocks".

Tanzania also needs to rationalise its policies. The government-backed expansion of agro-fuels has shifted more than 600,000 hectares of fertile land suitable for food production into the cultivation of agrofuel crops. This has led to an unregulated scramble for arable land by companies, with no regulatory framework to secure land for food production which is unacceptable in the face of a looming famine.

Might be relevant material to present to the Tanzanian government, asking the question from the headline: Is the Tanzanian goverment seriously fighting hunger? And what happened to Kilimo Kwanza?

Download the full report here.

Who does Africa's media agenda belong to? NGOs, donors or the people?

 

The traditional media scene in Tanzania has changed rapidly within the past years, and add to that an increasing use of social and electronic media. The people I know within this scene have spoken of more openness, that the media is keeping politicians on their toes and making them accountable, but also that the media scene appears explosive and confusing.

The development of the media scene has been strongly targeted by donor funds for many years, evidently from the point of view 'that a stronger, independent media will contribute to anti-corruption and democracy, which again is going to lead to poverty reduction'.

The Dutch NGO, Hivos, is a partner with Twaweza, and has also played a part in managing Tanzanian Media Fund till the Tanzanian consultancy firm, Seregenti Advisers, took over. Hivos is now informing us about a new project; The Daladala Television Recording Studio, run by Twaweza in cooperation with Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) - supported by Tanzania Media Fund according to this blogger. 

Hivos employee Marjan Besuijen explains in the article that "By using a daladala as a television recording studio presenters can have a debate with passengers, for example about agriculture they depend on, poverty they struggle with or problems in education and health care." and one of the presenters, Daniel Kijo, explains in return for exchanging viewpoints people get a free ride, and that "The only target is to get their views on various issues affecting their lives."

I think the initiative is brilliant, mainly because the daladala is famous for going everywhere and playing a vital part in most Tanzanians' lives.

No doubt, the idea is brilliantly simple.

However, Hivos' retorics makes me stumble.

The donor agenda shines so clearly through in this article, which I somehow find contradictory, now that we are in the field of airing free viewpoints.

'Ordinary Tanzanians' are supposed to give their views on issues which are affecting their lives - Hivos is hence assuming that the viewpoints will be along the line of agriculture they depend on, poverty they struggle with or problems in education and health care.

Those life affecting viewpoints are in my opinion, viewpoints the donor have defined, and that doesn't suit the spirit of the project.Maybe I am wrong, but I want to believe that the 'ordinary Tanzanian' thinks a bit more like me than like the donor. Those areas defined might very well make up the majority of the 44 million Tanzanian's problems, but I also want to make space for the idea that ordinary Tanzanians would like to talk about love, music, football (or what happens in the darkness at Cine Club) - not necessarily what the donors have decided as their vital problems.

Think about this:

'As Sarah Boseley of the Guardian reflected on her paper’s three-year commitment to report on the Ugandan village of Katine, when the paper gave out disposable cameras to the villagers in the hope of getting a new perspective, “most of them,” she said, “just took pictures of their cows.”

Quote taken from the article below by Glenda Cooper.

My point is, back to the headline, how far should international NGOs and the donors push an agenda, and whose agenda is it really? The donors, the international NGOs or the Tanzanians?

Do also read these articles:

Glenda Cooper: When lines between NGO and news organization blur

Ethan Zuckerman: Advocacy, agenda and attention: Unpacking unstated motives in NGO journalism

Photos taken from this blog.

Zitto running for Kigoma North

 
Zitto Kabwe is running for the Tanzanian Parliament - Ubunge. Again for Kigoma North.

When I moved to Tanzania in 2007 Zitto was blogging. However, not continously, but he has taken it up again, and has been using social media for a while promoting his view points. I've realised when I was interviewing him back in April for an article for a Danish development magazine that he is also surprisingly available and down to earth.

His Facebook profile is one of the most popular ones in Tanzania, and his statements receive many comments from his Facebook friends. Being well aware that one, especially an mzungu in Europe like me, will never fully comprehend the many layers and nuances of Tanzanian politics, I'll limit myself to say that Zitto undoubtedly makes Ubunge a more interesting place.

And - on a more personal note, the photo above taken from his blog post here on an election rally really makes me miss Tanzania.

Good luck, Zitto.