This was revealed by the Dar es Salaam City Council Mayor, Dr. Didas Masaburi,  while addressing  reporters on the forthcoming Association of  Local Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT) General Assemble to be held  between May 7th  and 9th  this year.

 

Focusing on this year's theme, “Public Community Partnership,”  Masaburi said  its  main aim  is  mobilizing  local  governments  to participate effectively  in celebrating the country's 50 years of independence in  partnership with the private sector.

 

In doing so,  he said,  ALAT  is aimed at  preparing councilors  to carry forward  implementation of the   government  program  of decentralisation by devolution and charting  means of carrying out strategies  outlined  in the President's  speech to  Parliament  in November 2010.

 

In order to achieve the goal there must be improvement of socio-economic services by local  governments,  specifically  the need to  promote  local  economic development.

 

Dr. Masaburi who is also the chairman of ALAT  said, “There have been  promotion of  public-private  partnership (PPP)  which  enabled  the private sector  to be active  in  economic development  but in order to  make further extension of  goods and services to the  whole community  it is  now the right time to join forces  by making a Public Private  and Community  Partnership”.

 

By considering the  the importance of strengthening  the association for  more benefit of  Local Government  Authorities  and the general public  there is a deliberate  determination  to strengthen  its  branches  especially  at ward level.

 

“What is needed at this level is to make sure  that the available structure, leadership  and executive are empowered to enable them execute the responsibilities  as stipulated in the ALAT constitution,” he said.

 

He added that  the ward branch is the heart of the association  hence councilors, the  ALAT  ward level chairman  and other officials at such level are its members. 

 

As  the association brings together all districts, towns, municipals  and city councils  in Tanzania  Mainland  there are  133 urban  and district councils unified by it.

 

The mandate of ALAT  lies in its  vision  that is  to have  responsible  and autonomous  local  government  that effectively  and efficiently  deliver  quality  services  and  responding to  the needs  and priorities of  the people.

 

 However, its presence as far as decentralization is concerned is to be recognized  as a representative body  and voice  of the local government  that provides  professional  and technical  services.

 

ALAT  aims to be  a representative  body of local  government  authorities  in respect of their  rights  and interests  at national  and international  bodies, to engage  advocacy  and  lobbying  to influence policy  change  to enable  evolution  of meaningful  local  government  system  underpinned  by principle  of decentralization by  devaluation.

 

Moreover,  it has to foster and promote  smooth  local government  development in Tanzania and to be a platform  for  dissemination  of relevant information, best practices  and  experiences from  national and international levels  and to support  services such as  capacity building.

 

The history of functioning local government in Tanzania mainland  is as old as  country's history 

 starting with the Native Authorities Ordinance in 1926. 

 

In 1972 the Local Government was abolished and replaced with a direct central government rule. The

reintroduction of the Local Government occurred in the beginning of the 1980s, when the

rural councils and rural authorities were re-established.

 

Local government elections took place in 1983 and the establishment of functioning councils in 1984. In 1993 the one party political system was abandoned and replaced with a multiparty

system of government and  the first multiparty elections taking place in 1995.

 

 Following the liberalisation of the political field was a major public sector reform which included a Local Government Reform Program (LGRP). The LGRP covered four areas: political decentralization, financial decentralization, administrative decentralization and changed central local

relations, with the mainland government having overriding powers within the framework of the Constitution.

 

This process of local government reform is still ongoing  and its aim  is to promote democratic,

accountable and autonomous local government authorities, with wide discretionary powers

and a strong financial base implemented by  this year 2011.

 

Even though local government is a non-Union matter. It is nonetheless enshrined in the Union constitution as well as in the constitutions of the mainland and Zanzibar.  

 

All in all, the  objectives of the local government is “to enhance the democratic process within its area of jurisdiction and to apply the democracy for facilitating the expeditious and rapid  development of the people.” 

 

However, though in the current legislation with various  functions  been assigned to the local government, it seems that most services and infrastructure are still being provided by the central government or its executive agencies.