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Mobility as a Driver for Economic Development: Tanzania Case Study

Written by: Shona Grant

Article Overview: As economic growth and industrialization accelerate and livelihoods and incomes improve, so the demand for mobility increases. However, in much of the developing world, demand for mobility solutions to drive economic growth continues to outpace supply, while paradoxically the growing number of vehicles and other mobility solutions has not been matched by improved infrastructure. Business is stepping up efforts to understand and address the sustainable mobility issues being faced by developing economies.

Mobility as a Driver for Economic Development: Tanzania Case Study

As economic growth and industrialization accelerate and livelihoods and incomes improve, so the demand for mobility increases. However, in much of the developing world, demand for mobility solutions to drive economic growth continues to outpace supply, while paradoxically the growing number of vehicles and other mobility solutions has not been matched by improved infrastructure.

Business is stepping up efforts to understand and address the sustainable mobility issues being faced by developing economies. The WBCSD’s “Mobility for Development” workstream, embedded in the work program of the Development Focus Area, aims to raise awareness in the following three areas:

The importance of mobility as a driver for economic development
The need to narrow the mobility opportunity divide
The need for sustainable mobility solutions for rapidly growing cities in the developing world
The work builds on the WBCSD Mobility 2030 report that was published in 2004, which defined sustainable mobility as: “The ability to meet the needs of society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential human or ecological values today or in the future.”

Case studies form a key part of the work program and four are being conducted in Tanzania, India, China and Brazil, with the aim of learning more about the mobility needs and examining different solutions to some of the key mobility challenges facing these locations. A high-level dialogue is being conducted at each case study location to test the findings against a broad range of stakeholders and get their perspective on possible solutions.

The Tanzania case study

The Tanzania case study ( 4.7 MB) assesses the mobility challenges and opportunities within Tanzania with specific reference to Dar es Salaam, the country’s capital, in two broad ways:

Urbanization and the challenges and opportunities facing Dar es Salaam as the population expands.
Connectivity to national, regional and international trade as a means to promote economic development and social progress.
Tanzania and Dar es Salaam were selected for the African case study as they incorporate many different forms of mobility and also connect to a hinterland of several landlocked countries in East Africa.

The case study was prepared by the consultants’ bureau at the University of Dar es Salaam and benefited from input from many institutions and organizations in Tanzania and elsewhere.

Some key observations from the case study include:

Tanzania’s recent economic performance is impressive with an average GDP growth rate of almost 7% since 2001. Mining and construction are the fastest growing sectors - both heavily dependent on mobility. Agriculture, which comprises almost half of Tanzania’s GDP and dominates employment, grew less and is faced by significant transport and third party costs to get goods to market, reducing the price paid to the producers.

Dar es Salaam’s population is growing at greater than 4% per annum, vehicle ownership in the city is growing at 10%, but infrastructure is not keeping up with this growth leading to poorly served informal settlements, pollution and congestion. The government’s focus on improved urban planning, improved public transport, infrastructure and alternative transportation solutions is therefore key to solving this issue.

Some 80% of Tanzania’s population lives in rural areas where roads dominate as the means of access. However only 5% of the roads are all weather, making it difficult, time consuming and costly for people and goods to make it to the regional, national and international markets all year round.

The second “Mobility for Development” case study will be carried out in Bangalore in India, and will examine urbanization and the challenge of rural to urban connectivity between Bangalore and the surrounding region. The final “Mobility for Development” report will be published in the second half of 2008.

For more information, click here.

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Article Tags: broad ways, developing economies, developing world, development focus, ecological values, focus area, incomes, india china, industrialization, infrastructure business, livelihoods, mobility increases, mobility issues, mobility solutions, possible solutions, study location, sustainable mobility, urbanization, values today, wbcsd



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