Achievements of African Socialism / Ujamaa Policy / Arusha Declaration In Tanzania
The Ujamaa promoted education development which greatly reduced Illiteracy in Tanzania from 68% in 1967 to about 23% by 1982. This was achieved through the introducing Universal primary education and adult literacy campaigns to cater for the elderly, construction of more schools within Ujamaa villages, training more teachers and improving their welfare, providing mid-day meals or lunch to school going children among others.
Socialism in Tanzania also fought against and reduced on the levels of corruption and embezzlement in public institutions and the Tanzanian society. This was achieved through putting in place a strict leadership code of conduct to be followed by all leaders from local to national level. this required leaders to be exemplary, honest and loyal in their service to the nation and corrupt officials were imprisoned which greatly reduced the vice of corruption.
African socialism also promoted National unity and brotherhood among the people of Tanzania. This was attained through creating communal or Ujamaa villages where all people from different backgrounds and lived together in harmony, emphasizing the collective effort of the nationals and promoting one uniting Language -Kiswahili that was universally spoken by the entire population and provided a common identity among the masses.
The Ujamaa policy succeeded in establishing a strong national army –the Tanzanian Peoples’ Defense Force (TPDF) to provide national security and defend the country from external aggression. This was created through introducing national service where every Ujamaa village was required to send its able-bodied men and women to serve in the national army and this created a strong army that defended the country from any aggression.
The Ujamaa policy reduced income inequality in Tanzania through introducing a progressive taxation system where the high income earners or the rich were charged higher taxes compared to the poor and the revenue generated from taxation was used to offer free and subsidized services like education, health care to the low income earners, this reduced income inequality and uplifted the standards of living of the population.
The Arusha declaration in Tanzania promoted democratic governance and good governance through decentralizing political power and authority to the Ujamaa villages or grass roots. For example, the population or the masses in the Ujaama villages were allowed to elect their own leaders, the population from the village level was consulted during planning and political decision making and implementation.
The Ujamaa policy also promoted and financed agricultural development in Tanzania. For instance, the policy led to the establishment of state owned cooperative societies that provided soft loans, agricultural machinery like ox-ploughs, hoes, storage facilities, fertilizers to the farmers, they educated farmers in modern farming practices and helped in the marketing of the framers’ produce. All these increased agricultural production leading to the maize boom of 1978 and food security in the long run.
The Ujamaa policy promoted small scale Industrialization in Tanzania that boosted agriculture and created employment opportunities to the nationals. Small scale agro- processing and cottage industries to produce soap, cooking oil, sugar maize and wheat flour were established which not only provided employment opportunities to the Tanzania nationals but also contributed to the country’s economic growth and development and reduced poverty levels among the population.
The policy also promoted love for work and self-reliance through emphasizing the teaching of practical skills and vocational subjects such as Agriculture, Wood work, Carpentry, Metal work, tailoring among others and this produced Tanzanians who were job makers or creators other than seekers and this made Tanzania to become self-reliant, escape neo-colonial control leading to the country’s economic development.
The policy also promoted uniform rural development in Tanzania through providing funding for agricultural development to the rural areas to encourage the population to live in rural areas and through extending socio-economic infrastructure like roads, schools, railways, electricity, clean water among others to the rural areas to encourage people to live in the rural areas and Ujamaa villages.
The Ujamaa policy also promoted nationalism, a spirit of patriotism and nation building among the Tanzanians. This was instilled among the Tanzanian population through civic education and teaching of patriotism to the population in Ujamaa villages and this taught them to love their country, love their leaders and live in harmony with one another thus enhancing unity and nationalism.
The Ujamaa policy also attracted increased material, financial, technical and humanitarian support to Nyerere’s government from the communist states. When Nyerere adopted African socialism as his government’s development strategy, he received technical advice and other forms of support from communist states like Russia, China, Cuba and Czechoslovakia that enabled Nyerere to deliver services to the population in the Ujamaa villages.
The Ujamaa policy led to the establishment of one party system of administration or governance in Tanzania. Under the Ujamaa policy the TANU united with Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) of Zanzibar island and they formed the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CMM) that was supported by all Tanzanians and this promoted peace, stability in Tanzania by allowing for peaceful transfer of power from one government to another through periodic democratic elections.
The policy also reduced capitalist influence and neo-colonial control over Tanzania by the western world. When the policy was adopted, the government nationalized all private owned enterprises and means of production to reduce capitalist exploitation of the Tanzanian population by private individuals and capitalists that were providing aid with strings attached because the policy rejected such capitalist aid to Tanzania.
The policy led to the provision of better social services like piped water, shelter, clean drinking water, electricity, improved health services and education to the population in the Ujamaa villages and rural areas and this improved on the standard of living of the population in the communal villages.
The Socialist policy also led to the introduction of Kiswahili as a national language and medium of communication in schools, offices and parliamentary debates. This eased communication among the masses, promoted trade, enhanced or consolidated national unity and togetherness among the Tanzanian people.
