Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publisher
Edith Cowan University, Western Australia in association with Khon Kaen University, Thailand and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Thailand.
Abstract
Tanzania in 1986 went through a reform programme of shifting from central planned to a marketeconomy in that, trade, exchange and interest rates were liberalized and more than half of the 400 parastatals were closed down and/or privatised. In the second round of reforms that took in 1996 included institutional and structural reforms, at this time further transformation to a market economy, public administration and investment in key development sectors (education, health, agriculture, water, roads) took place. Such transformations resulted in increased macroeconomic stability and growth levels averaging 6 percent last year. In line with national reform programme, the University of Dar es Salaam developed a Corporate Strategic Plan 1993-2008 (UDSM, 1994) and revised it in 2004 for the period 2004 to 2013 (UDSM, 2004). The Corporate Strategic Plan categorically states its intention to exploit all areas of strength and opportunities offered by the current institutional and national policies of liberalization. One such an area that both the national and UDSM Corporate Strategic Plan emphasis is the public private partnership (PPP) or public to public collaboration in investment ventures. The University identified five potential group areas of UDSM resources that are worthy of the investors‘ consideration (UDSM, 2001). Chungu (2002) found that land based investments and knowledge/professional skills investments have higher income returns to the UDSM. This paper therefore focuses on land based investments and attempts to demonstrate a successful PPP collaborative venture initiated in May 2002 and charts out its associated factors to such a success. The Mlimani City project is the case on hand while the project on Information Communication Technology Special Economic Zone (ICT-SEZ) is the second forceful coming project initiated in year 2005. These two projects have taken 116 acres of University out of 268 envisaged for investment. The impacts of these two projects to the University and its surrounding communities as well as the nation at large are discussed. The paper concludes with possible challenges that the University have learnt from the Mlimani City project and how those milestones could be useful lessons for ICT-SEZ, a project which is on its infant, and also, to other incoming PPP collaborative investments.
Comments
EDU-COM 2006 International Conference. Engagement and Empowerment: New Opportunities for Growth in Higher Education, Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia, 22-24 November 2006.