Tanzania is moving swiftly on the journey toward self-reliance. But despite tremendous economic growth and progress, many Tanzanians remain underserved by public services. The Abt-led USAID Public Sector Systems Strengthening Plus (USAID PS3+) provides technical assistance to the Government of Tanzania to strengthen public sector systems to enable them to address citizens’ needs for quality services at the local level, particularly for underserved populations. USAID PS3+ aims to improve service delivery and public sector systems—including human and public financial resources management and information systems—across the health, education, and agriculture sectors on mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Another key objective is to build the capacity of subnational governments to lead sustainable local development, in part by promoting citizen engagement and social accountability.
Poor access to information makes it difficult for citizens to seek out government services and participate in community decision-making processes and economic opportunities, and USAID PS3+ is working to address this critical issue across other project activities. It was an ideal combination of funding, a revamped government website, and community engagement that prompted recent progress in the Uvinza District of Tanzania's Kigoma region. The Uvinza District Council (DC) decided to invest in palm oil production and promote the strategy using the DC’s website, updated and improved through a collaboration between USAID PS3+ and the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG). The website played a key role in raising awareness and helping to connect citizens and investors to the business opportunity. Investment in palm oil production has the potential to lift living standards for those engaged in its farming and unlock business opportunities, fostering prosperity for others in and outside the district.
Before development of the website, Local Government Authorities (LGAs) like Uvinza DC lacked an efficient or reliable way to disseminate information to the public. Staff in Uvinza DC depended on announcements at public meetings and places of worship, loudspeakers to broadcast messages through busy streets, and posted flyers on public notice boards to communicate information. But local government staff knew this was not sufficient to widely share important information about district priorities, community engagement opportunities, and valuable business ventures.
“The development of LGA websites has revolutionized information dissemination, surpassing traditional methods and reaching a wider audience,” says Winfrida Bwire, an information officer at the Uvinza DC.
After the announcement of the palm oil investment strategy on Uvinza DC’s website, visits to the DC’s website more than tripled, from 15,000 to more than 49,000. The ability to submit forms electronically through the website—rather than in person—made expressing interest in the opportunity easy, reducing the barrier to entry for a critical economic opportunity. As investors and farm workers flocked to the area, demand for mobile money services rose, as did the number of shops and small businesses, availability of transport services, and short-term employment opportunities.
Uvinza is just one example. Across mainland Tanzania, PO-RALG and USAID PS3+ have supported regional and local government authorities to develop and maintain their websites as a way to promote citizen engagement and social accountability. To date, USAID PS3+ has provided technical support to PO-RALG information technology officers to design and develop websites for all 26 Regional Secretariats and 184 Local Government Authorities (LGAs). PO-RALG and USAID PS3+ supported LGA websites had over 8.5 million visitors by the end of September 2023. Dodoma City Council had the highest number, with more than 1.6 million viewers due to a concerted effort by the Council’s information officers, who linked the site to multiple social media platforms.
The project also partnered with PO-RALG and Internews' Boresha Habari, a USAID-funded project supporting an open and inclusive media environment in Tanzania, and started working with several LGA-run and community-run radio stations on community engagement campaigns. Messages focused on citizens’ right to participate in village district assemblies, local planning and budgeting processes, and the availability of small business loans for women, youth, and people living with disabilities. From October 2022 to September 2023, radio programs provided information to more than 13.5 million people in 22 regions, leading to increased enrollment in social programs like the Improved Community Health Fund and participation in local decision-making processes. Citizens like Joyce Lage in Ruangwa confirmed the connection between radio messaging and increased citizen participation. She said, “Through the radio programs, I was motivated to attend meetings related to income and expenditures.”
When citizens are empowered with information, they are better able to voice their opinions, exercise their rights, and hold their local leaders accountable.
USAID PS3+ and its local partners promote citizen engagement in a variety of ways and foster economic growth in Tanzania, helping Tanzania and Tanzanians drive continued progress.