Cooperation between Tanzania and African regional groupings

The African Union is the cooperation of African countries that make up the continent of Africa. This cooperation was officially launched in 2002. It has its roots in the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which was formed on 25th May, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2002, the OAU was transformed and gave birth to the African Union (AU). The headquarters of the cooperation remained to be in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. Figure 1 shows the flag and emblem of the African Union, while Figure 2 shows the countries that form the African Union.

The flag and emblem of the African Union

Member countries of the African Union

The objectives of the African Union

The main objective of forming the African Union was to promote unity and solidarity among the African nations. Under this main objective, the African Union had the following specific objectives:

1. To promote the cooperation of African countries so that citizens can get development;
2. To eradicate all forms of injustice in the African continent, including racism, neo-colonialism, exploitation, and oppression;
3. To defend sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of its member states;
4. To struggle for economic independence;
5. To coordinate efforts to achieve better life for the people of Africa;
6. To promote sustainable development in the continent at the economic, social and cultural levels;
7. To promote political and social unity as advocated by the founders of Pan-Africanism;
8. To promote good governance, democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law;
9. To promote peace and security in the continent; and
10. To build people-centred development which utilises the talents of women and youths.

The African Union works with other international organisations in the implementation of its objectives. Some of those organisations are the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the United Nations Children's Fund, formerly known as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF); the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); as well as the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Achievements of the African Union

The African Union has many achievements. The following are some of them:

1. Resolution of some political conflicts through negotiations;
2. Development of regional cooperation such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the East African Community (EAC), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS);
3. Creation of the African Development Bank (AfDB) which provides soft loans with low-interest rates to African countries;
4. Improvement of the lives of citizens of the member states; and
5. Building infrastructures which encourage development among member states.

Challenges facing the African Union

Wherever there are achievements, there are challenges. What is needed is to have various strategies for solving or minimizing those challenges.

The following are some of the challenges facing the African Union:

1. Economic dependence: Loans and aid from imperialist countries negatively affect the organisation;
2. Food shortage which causes famine and deaths of Africans almost every year;
3. Poor infrastructures which affect economic growth in many member countries;
4. High level of poverty in Africa;
5. Civil wars which lead to famine, refugees, and deaths;
6. Shortage of funds to run the Union; and
7. Environmental degradation, caused by climate change and unplanned human activities such as deforestation and unauthorized burning of vegetation.

Ways to overcome the challenges facing the African Union

To address the challenges facing the African Union, Africans are supposed to do the following:

1. To stop violence and crime in the member states;
2. To conserve the environment in order to fight climate change which leads to food insecurity;
3. To give equal economic, political and educational opportunities to all people especially the youth, women and those with special needs in order to bring peace and harmony;
4. To prepare an enabling environment for smooth trade by removing trade barriers, reducing taxes or custom duties, and controlling the quality of domestic and foreign goods;
5. To set an effective control system of financial markets;
6. To improve investments from within and outside the African Union in order to increase income for each member state;
7. To apply principles of good governance in the public sector, for instance, effective management of public resources such as funds, people, and equipment;
8. To ensure effective management of health services in order to minimize the spread of diseases;
9. To improve infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports and airports;
10. To improve the accessibility of energy by using alternative sources such as wind, solar and natural gas; and
11. To reduce poverty by creating more employment opportunities.

Working on the issues mentioned above will help Africa to achieve sustainable development in the continent.

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation comprising seven countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was established to promote economic, political, social, and cultural integration among member states.

Objectives of the East African Community (EAC)

The following are the objectives of the EAC:

1. To promote political, economic, and social cooperation among the member states for the benefits of their people;
2. To reduce poverty among citizens of the member states of the EAC;
3. To strengthen peace, defence and security;
4. To promote gender equality;
5. To build good relations between the government and the private sector; and
6. To promote sustainable use of the natural resources found in the member states.

With those objectives, the Community formed a customs union in January 2005 and a common market in 2010. The Community also intended to establish an EAC common currency by the year 2012 and finally the EAC political federation.

Organs of the East African Community

The EAC has two main operating organs. These organs are those which make decisions and those which implement the decisions.

Decision making organs of the EAC

The major decision making organ of the Community is the General Assembly of heads of the member states. This assembly is the main organ which decides on issues related to policy and daily functioning of the Community.

The General Assembly is normally held once per year. During this Assembly, the chairperson of the Community is chosen on the rotational basis. For instance, in 2016, His Excellency President John Joseph Magufuli was chosen as the chairperson of the Community for one year.

Other decision making organs of the Community are the Council of Ministers and the EAC Legislative Assembly (EALA). The Council meets twice per year. One of their meetings precedes the General Assembly to prepare the meeting of the heads of the member states. The Council links the General Assembly with daily operations of the Community.

The EAC Legislative Assembly contains 27 parliamentarians from the National Parliaments of the member states. It makes the law which guides the daily functioning of the Community. It also approves the annual budget of the Community.

Implementation organs of the EAC

The EAC implementation organs are the Secretariat, the EAC Court of Justice and Sectoral Committees. The Secretariat is the permanent organ which carries out the daily functions of the Community.

The EAC Court of Justice administers justice affairs such as hearing of cases brought to its attention about issues within the Community.

The EAC Sectoral Committees interpret and implement the decisions of the Council of Ministers for each sector, develop programmes, and supervise their implementation.

Achievements of the EAC

The following are the achievements of the EAC:

1. Reduction of the cooperation obstacles between member states, for instance, the availability of travel documents within each member state;
2. Improvement of cooperation in sectors such as education and public services: For example, people are allowed to seek and secure employment in any member state. Upon securing a job, the individual will be required to abide by the laws and regulations of the hosting country;
3. Establishment of the East African Business Council: This has enabled private investors to start and run businesses smoothly within the member states. For example, the Cooperative and Rural Development Bank (CRDB) of Tanzania has branches in Burundi. In addition, the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) has opened branches in Tanzania and other member states in the Community;
4. Some of the challenges in the transport and communications sector have been resolved. Almost all member states are connected by road. For example, Tanzania and Burundi are connected by road through the Kigoma region. Moreover, Tanzania and Kenya are connected by road through Horohoro, Sirari, Namanga, Rongai, and Holili. Tanzania and Rwanda are connected by road through the Rusumo border. In addition, plans to construct a crude oil pipeline to transport oil from Hoima in Uganda to the Tanga port in Tanzania are underway;
5. There are collective efforts to strengthen the defence and security of the member states. The member states have agreed to defend their boundaries against any invasion or attack from enemies such as terrorists; and
6. Establishment of the East African Common Market in 2010: It led to common tariffs to the goods produced within the member states.

Challenges facing the East African Community

Apart from the above achievements, the EAC faces the following challenges:

1. Shortage of capital for industrial development: To a larger extent, the EAC member states' economies depend on agriculture, livestock, and minerals. Products from these economic activities are exported while raw; therefore, they fetch low prices. The foreign currency obtained from this export is too small to support industrialisation;
2. Shortage of experts and heavy machines for refining and adding value to our exported goods;
3. Shortage of funds to run the EAC's projects;
4. Mistrust among the EAC member states: For instance, in 2019, Rwanda closed her borders with Uganda. This is because Rwanda accused Uganda of supporting and training her enemies. Uganda then reacted by closing her borders with Rwanda;
5. Lack of a common currency, contrary to the earlier plan of introducing a common currency by 2012;
6. Failure to adopt a political federation as originally agreed;
7. Terrorist threats and attacks, such as the Westgate and Gharissa terrorist attacks in Kenya between 2013 and 2018;
8. Failure to reduce poverty among the citizens of the EAC member states; and
9. Affiliation of member states to multiple regional groupings.

Strategies for addressing the challenges facing the EAC

The following are some of the strategies for addressing the challenges facing the East African Community:

1. Developing an industrial economy The industrial economy will enable producing industrial goods needed in member countries and surplus for export to earn foreign currencies. Such industries will also use raw materials from agriculture and mining. Moreover, the industries will facilitate processing raw materials to add value. In addition, the industrial economy will offer more employment opportunities to citizens. This will enable the member countries and their citizens to earn more income and reduce poverty;
2. Common interest The EAC leaders should have a common interest when negotiating with other regional groupings in Africa and the world at large. This will enable the EAC to voice its opinions to defend its interests before others;
3. Stable leadership The EAC member states should stabilize their leadership systems and promote the rule of law. This will save the countries from internal conflicts which may lead to civil wars, famine, poverty, and deaths;
4. Improve anti-terrorist systems This involves improving and modernising anti-terrorist systems in order to fight terrorism. This will improve the defence and security of member states; and
5. Cultural cooperation Widen the cooperation of member states in cultural affairs in order to unify the ethnic communities in the EAC. This will promote interactions between such people in the EAC.

This cooperation involves 16 member countries found in the southern part of Africa. It was formed in 1992. Its main objective was to strength regional cooperation. Figure 5 shows the SADC member states, and Table 3 shows member states and their respective flags.

SADC member states

Objectives of SADC

The South African Development Community has three main objectives:

1. To eradicate poverty among the citizens of the member states and promote economic development;
2. To strengthen peace and security of the member states; and
3. To improve the living conditions of the citizens of the member states.

In addition, this Community has the following specific objectives as listed in the 1992 cooperation agreement:

1. To promote economic growth which is necessary for reducing poverty and improving the living standards of the people in the Community;
2. To develop ethical systems in politics and to build stable institutions;
3. To promote and safeguard peace and security;
4. To promote the development of member states in order to be selfreliant and independent;
5. To accomplish the national, regional, and international strategies, programmes, and plans;
6. To increase employment opportunities in the member states;
7. To achieve the sustainable use of natural resources and better protection of the environment; and
8. To promote and strengthen the long-term historical, social and cultural cooperation between countries in the regional cooperation.

These objectives would be realised if the cooperation among the member states is good. This cooperation requires strong democratic foundations, equality, and sustainable development.

Achievements of the SADC

The following are the achievements of the SADC:

1. The member states have made efforts to promote peace and security in the region;
2. The Community has implemented national, regional and international plans, strategies and programmes; and
3. The Community has promoted historical, social and cultural cooperation in the region.

Challenges facing the SADC

The South African Development Community faces the following challenges:

1. Many citizens of the member states are still living in dire poverty;
2. Most of the institutions in the member states are yet to establish stable ethical systems in politics and public services. For example, corruption is still a major challenge in the member states;
3. The member states have dependent economies. This interferes with their efforts to develop economic independence and impairs their ability to make independent decisions;
4. The member states have not yet created sustainable employment opportunities. This is caused by their lack of a solid industrial base and poor utilization of resources;
5. The member states have not yet achieved sustainable environmental conservation. Therefore, they have not achieved sustainable utilisation of natural resources;
6. There are still political conflicts in some of the member states, which sometimes cause wars. Examples of such conflicts are the internal conflicts in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as the xenophobic attacks in South Africa; and
7. Most of the member states have multiple memberships of other regional groupings.

Ways of overcoming the challenges facing the SADC

Some of the ways of overcoming the challenges facing the SADC are as follows:

1. Leaders of the member states should innovate and implement profitable economic projects;
2. Institutions within the member states should build stable systems which promote ethics in politics and public services;
3. The cooperation should build an independent economy, especially the industrial economy;
4. The cooperation should increase and improve employment for its citizens. This will be possible by promoting innovation, building an industrial economy, and effectively utilising raw materials among member states;
5. The citizens should work hard;
6. The leadership and administrative systems should be strengthened in order to stop corruption and oppression so as to bring development to the citizens; and
7. To strengthen environmental conservation activities in order to achieve the sustainable use of the natural resources of the member states.

The above solutions may enable the SADC to overcome its challenges.

Tanzania cooperates with many countries in and outside Africa. She is also a member of regional groupings such as the African Union, the EAC, and the SADC. The following are the reasons for Tanzania to cooperate with other countries and to be a member to regional groupings:

1. To find solutions to various economic challenges: Cooperation with other countries stimulates trade development among partner countries. Trade between two or more countries is known as international trade. In this trade, the participating countries obtain foreign currencies which help them to increase their foreign currency reserves. For example, Tanzania trades with Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda;
2. Cooperation creates the possibility of Tanzania to receive humanitarian aid when faced with disasters. For example, in 2017, Tanzania received humanitarian aid from both within and outside Africa to deal with the earthquake disaster which occured in Kagera. The earthquake caused deaths of people and destruction of properties. Many people were left without shelter, food or clothes in Kagera. Kenya, Uganda, and other friendly nations provided humanitarian aid which included money, food, clothes and building materials to Tanzania. Likewise, Tanzania provided humanitarian aid to Mozambique due to deadly floods after being hit by Cyclone Idai in 2019. This hurricane caused floods which killed many people in Mozambique;
3. Cooperation with other countries enhances peace and security in the partner countries. If a country has good relations with its neighbouring countries, it will have less threat of invasion. Enemies cannot use the borders of a partner country to invade another partner country. This situation leads to peace and harmony among the partner countries;
4. Cooperation promotes the development of expertise in the economy, technology and other areas. As a result, sharing of expertise would benefit even the less developed member states, especially in the areas mentioned above; and
5. Tanzania gets loans to finance its development projects. These projects, in turn, improve the living standards of the people.

There are several advantages of establishing cooperation with countries and regional groupings. The following are some of those advantages:

1. It improves cooperation in implementing decisions made by partner countries. For example, when the Apartheid government of South Africa refused to abolish the policy of racism, member states of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) ratified a decision to prohibit all South African planes to pass through their airspace. This was one of the sanctions to pressurise the South African apartheid government into stopping racism;
2. It strengthens the economy of partner countries through exchanging experts, trading together, and removing barriers in various sectors;
3. It resolves conflicts peacefully between countries or within a country. For example, Mwl. Julius Kambarage Nyerere and William Benjamin Mkapa were mediators in the Burundi internal conflicts;
4. It strengthens the defence and security of the partner states by coming up with joint strategies defend their borders as well as to protect resources such as wildlife, minerals, forest products, fishing and others;
5. It enables partner states to cooperate socially. This is noticed in events such as joint preparations for various sports. This kind of cooperation strengthens unity, peace, and good relations;
6. It provides aid and loans. For instance, Tanzania gets loans from the African Development Bank (AfDB) because she is a member of the African Union; and
7. It enables partner countries to overcome challenges of society, including the fight against cultural traditions that violate human rights.

A country may experience challenges in cooperating with other countries. Some of these challenges are as follows:

1. Some of the citizens may imitate harmful foreign cultural practices;
2. It may endanger national security due to the interaction between administrative systems and the conduct of political activities and government business;
3. Citizens of one country may develop interests in the partner countries' working environments. This might decrease manpower in their home country;
4. There is a possibility of a country to lose resources when the cooperation ends. This may lead to permanent hostility and enmity;
5. Chaos may erupt among citizens of the partner countries. There can be several reasons for this; one of them being the feeling among the citizens of one country that their jobs are being taken by foreigners. For example, Xenophobic attacks have been happening in South Africa due to this reason; and
6. Receiving and hosting refugees may lead to negative impacts. For instance, some refugees may engage in criminal activities in the host country. For many years, Tanzania has been receiving refugees from neighbouring countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Rwanda. Criminal cases by refugees have been reported in the neighbouring regions such as Kigoma, Katavi, Kagera, and Tabora.

Generally, cooperation between countries has both advantages and disadvantages. It is, therefore, recommended that member states should frequently engage in discussions to minimise the possibilities of conflicts between them.

In order for cooperation to last, several issues should be taken into consideration before and after its establishment. Table 4 shows important issues to consider before and after establishing cooperation between countries.

Table 4: Important considerations to take before and after establishing cooperation between countries

Before Cooperation	During Cooperation
Study the country with which you want to establish cooperation.	Implementation of the cooperation agreement by focusing on the agreed priorities.
Make sure it is not threatening the security of your citizens.	To assess and evaluate the cooperation to identify implementation challenges and devise strategies to address them.
Identify the advantages and challenges of the cooperation you seek to establish.	Maintain close communication between partner governments at the executive levels.
Prepare a formal agreement stipulating key areas of cooperation.	Maintain close political, economic, technical, social, and cultural cooperation.
Understand the countries involved in signing the cooperation agreement.