CCM’s employment drive: achievements, challenges, 2030 vision

The term “employment” appears 82 times, signalling that job creation is not mere political rhetoric but a foundation for social and economic development.

This analysis examines CCM’s intentions and assesses progress in implementing job creation, including challenges and areas requiring further momentum toward 2030.

Data from the manifesto shows that between 2020 and 2024, Tanzania recorded 901 investment projects through the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), valued at $9.31 billion, compared with 207 projects worth $1.09 billion in 2020.

These projects are expected to generate 212,293 jobs, reflecting a significant improvement in the business and investment climate and directly contributing to youth employment.

While these figures show notable achievements, it is crucial to consider job quality as long-term, stable, and compliant with nationally and internationally recognised work standards.

The manifesto reports that a total of 8,084,203 jobs were created across formal and informal sectors, with the informal sector contributing 7,037,024 and the formal sector only 1,047,179.

This means over 87 percent of jobs were informal, raising concerns about job security, social protection, and income stability.

Informal employment often lacks contracts, pensions, healthcare, and workplace safety, placing future responsibilities on the government to safeguard workers’ welfare.

Nevertheless, the government has leveraged strategic sectors such as agriculture, industry, tourism, energy, and construction to advance employment.

In agriculture, food crop production rose from 18.6 million tonnes in 2020 to 22.8 million tonnes in 2024, while fertiliser use increased by 107 percent and irrigated farmland expanded by over 80 percent.

These improvements have boosted food security and created numerous jobs in rural areas across production, processing, and distribution.

The industrial sector has also grown, with 47,063 factories established, including 365 large, 1,360 medium, and 45,338 small-scale factories.

This has stimulated employment and increased industrial exports from $908.6 million to $1,363.3 million by 2024.

Establishing industries in all regions and districts, as the manifesto recommends, appears logical for sustaining employment by linking agricultural, forestry, fisheries, mineral, and construction outputs.

Tourism has seen remarkable growth, with international arrivals rising from 620,867 in 2020 to over two million in 2024, and revenues increasing from $700 million to $4 billion.

The sector employs thousands, including tour guides, hotel staff, cooks, and vendors of cultural products.

The manifesto aims to raise employment from 1.5 million in 2024 to 3 million by 2030, highlighting the need for professional training to enhance service standards and competitiveness.

Large infrastructure projects, such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which received Sh3.69 trillion in contracts, are expected to generate over 180,000 direct and indirect jobs, demonstrating how strategic investments can drive employment.

In Zanzibar, 217,500 jobs have been created, representing 72.5 percent of the 300,000 target by 2025, with ambitions to generate 350,000 by 2030, showing that both sides of the Union prioritise employment, particularly for youth.

The manifesto also outlines plans to establish youth skills development centres, promote overseas employment, and empower citizens economically through revolving funds.

If implemented effectively, these measures could cultivate a modern, skilled workforce and shift employment from informal to productive, formal, and economically significant sectors.

However, challenges remain, particularly in addressing geographic inequalities.

Most jobs are concentrated in urban areas and near economic hubs such as Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Mwanza.

Inclusive employment requires faster investment in social and economic infrastructure in peripheral regions.

Formal sector jobs must also grow more rapidly. CCM targets at least 50 percent of the eight million jobs planned over the next five years to be formal.

Achieving this will require accelerating the formalisation of informal employment through business registration, financial literacy, and access to affordable capital for entrepreneurs.

Therefore, CCM’s 2020–2025 manifesto provides a clear roadmap for job creation.

Its implementation up to 2024 shows statistical successes, particularly in job generation, funding for special groups, and building transformative sectors.

Nonetheless, there is a pressing need to improve job quality, formalise employment, promote relevant skills, and ensure equitable opportunities for all social groups.

As Tanzania approaches the 2025 elections, employment will remain a key benchmark for how political promises translate into the real-life conditions of ordinary citizens.

mere political rhetoric but a foundation for social and economic development.

This analysis examines CCM’s intentions and assesses progress in implementing job creation, including challenges and areas requiring further momentum toward 2030.

Data from the manifesto shows that between 2020 and 2024, Tanzania recorded 901 investment projects through the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), valued at $9.31 billion, compared with 207 projects worth $1.09 billion in 2020.

These projects are expected to generate 212,293 jobs, reflecting a significant improvement in the business and investment climate and directly contributing to youth employment.

While these figures show notable achievements, it is crucial to consider job quality as long-term, stable, and compliant with nationally and internationally recognised work standards.

The manifesto reports that a total of 8,084,203 jobs were created across formal and informal sectors, with the informal sector contributing 7,037,024 and the formal sector only 1,047,179.

This means over 87 percent of jobs were informal, raising concerns about job security, social protection, and income stability.

Informal employment often lacks contracts, pensions, healthcare, and workplace safety, placing future responsibilities on the government to safeguard workers’ welfare.