The Mikocheni Report hits the nail on the head on the role of social media in developing countries:

Social media are an elite concern at this point in time, limited in their reach and somewhat unsuited for mass political campaigns except through SMS. Still, they are important for convincing the reluctant voters in the Blackberry class that as a tech-savvy politician, you might be someone they would like to do business with.

Bingo. Twitter won’t overthrow any country until it becomes an everyday part of life and Facebook isn’t really of much value if you live in a village without electricity. SMS, by contrast, is an everyday part of life in many developing countries and is playing a role in political mobilization.

2 com

Three cheers for the Mikocheni Report for starting an election lexicon for Tanzania. Her explanation of “fisadi” made me laugh out loud. Best definition of corruption ever. Can’t wait for the next installment.

none

Here’s my analysis at Election Guide.

one

The picture to your left is the scene of a recent accident in Dar es Salaam. As you can see, the Toyota minivan is on top of the Mercedes sedan. I can’t figure out how the van wound up on top of the car. Weird.

none

The Mikocheni Report has a spot-on post on the terrible traffic in Dar es Salaam. The city is seriously out of control: massive population growth + no new roads = traffic nightmare. Where I disagree is that the traffic situation in Dar is idiosyncratic. The traffic in Dar reminds me a lot of traffic in Nairobi a decade ago, or in Accra and Cairo today. Rather than being special, Dar es Salaam today is an excellent example of growth without government.

none

It’s not what you think.

one

Abdicating responsibility edition. I think Tanzania’s civil service needs a bit of an overhaul:

The breakdown of two cars in the presidential motorcade during [Tanzania's] President Jakaya Kikwete’s inspection tour of development projects in Dar es Salaam on Monday has raised serious questions about the reliability of his official transport and his own safety.

However, the concerned authorities were not forthcoming with an explanation on whose responsibility it is to ensure that the vehicles used by the Head of the State are in good working condition…

President Kikwete was forced to change cars twice. He abandoned the first one he had been travelling in as he visited Dar es Salaam’s suburbs to assess the residents’ water supply needs, when it broke down. But the second car also developed mechanical problems.

In three short paragraphs, we have both incompetence in the civil service and abdication of responsibility. How can it not be clear who is in change of maintenance for the president’s vehicles? I am certain this will cause President Kikwete to think harder about the benefits of a meritocratic civil service.

none

archives

tag cloud

Switch to our mobile site