Vision 2050: Dr Mpango calls for a youth-centric development strategy

Dar es Salaam. Vice President Dr Philip Mpango, has proposed that Vision 2050 should focus on youth, the successes achieved in implementing the current vision, transforming our agriculture and livestock sectors.

Dr Mpanga also has proposed on identifying in detail the major internal and external challenges, good governance and accountability, and combating the impacts of climate change and adapting to the rapid technological advancements in the world.

The Vice President made the proposal at the first national symposium on the preparation of the National Development Vision 2050 held Saturday on June 8, 2024 at the University of Dar es Salaam’s Nkrumah Hall.

Dr Mpango said, “Vision 2050 should be for and by the youth, as the 2022 census revealed that 77.5 percent of Tanzanians are youth and children aged between 0 and 35, with those aged 15 to 35 making up 34.5 percent.”

He continued: “Vision 2050 must recognize their needs and embody the aspirations of this largest group of Tanzanians. Moreover, the vision and its implementation strategies must identify the opportunities and challenges of this demographic structure.”

He went on to say the vision should be built on the successes achieved in implementing the current vision, strengthening and using them as tools to accelerate major changes.

“It is important for the vision to highlight the country’s capabilities and significant opportunities, considering both domestic and international needs,” he said.

Tanzania is blessed with vast land suitable for agriculture and livestock, but so far, efforts to transform our agriculture and livestock sectors have not yielded the desired results.

“The new vision should focus on transforming the production system in these sectors to double productivity,” he said.

Further, he said it is crucial to ensure that the nation benefits from the blue economy through sustainable use of water resources.

“Stakeholders should provide opinions on how significant changes in agriculture and livestock can be achieved,” he said.

Also, he said Vision 2050 should identify in detail the major internal and external challenges, both past and emerging, that are significant barriers to the country’s rapid development.

“It is essential to address these challenges truthfully and openly,” he said.

Dr Mpango also expressed that there is a need to focus on good governance and accountability at various levels, as well as cultural and moral issues.

He said if we do not address these issues correctly in the vision and its implementation, it will probably have minimal success.

“In my opinion, even if Vision 2050 is well-written, its success will be limited. Therefore, Vision 2050 should guide us on good governance and accountability and initiate cultural reforms that currently hinder us significantly,” he said.

He explained that the new vision should be examined with a new perspective, considering the current global trends, as today’s world sees multilateral decisions being overshadowed by the unilateral actions of the powerful.

“It is important for this vision to build a shared understanding and sustainable strategies to ensure that our country and its people are well protected. In this regard, building a strong and modern army should be given a rightful place in the new vision,” he said.

Finally, he said it should also discuss how to combat the impacts of climate change and adapt to the rapid technological advancements in the world, particularly the use of artificial intelligence and robotics.

“These challenges require adopting these technologies and investing more in research and development,” he said.

At the symposium, the Minister for Information, Communication, and Information Technology, Mr Nape Nnauye, said it has been good for the government to allow this process to be inclusive and to let Tanzanians be involved in shaping their development agenda.

“People's development should involve the relevant individuals being informed because a well-informed society will be better engaged in achieving the respective goals," he said.

The Minister of State in the President’s Office (Planning and Investment), Prof Kitila Mkumbo, who was also in attendance, stated that so far, opinions have been collected from over 800,000 Tanzanians.

He said those views were gathered through mobile phones and online platforms, especially websites. Additionally, he mentioned that the majority of those who provided the opinions were young people aged between 15 and 35, constituting 80 percent of the respondents.

The second method involved conducting a household survey nationwide, reaching a sample size of around 7,000 households.

They also sampled more than 7,000 households through mobile phones, using contacts obtained from the 2022 population and housing census.

“In this process, the National Vision 2050 team asked a few questions, including how Tanzanians see the past 60 years of our country, what successes and challenges we have had.

“Secondly, towards the year 2050, how do Tanzanians want to be? They also asked how Tanzanian society should be and what they want Tanzania as a country to be like. Lastly, how can we achieve those aspirations?” he revealed.