The National Sites and Services Project in Tanzania : a case study
Creators: name: Remtulla, Zubeida H.
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2010

description: Due to the high fate of urban population growth in Tanzania, there is an inadequate supply of housing, particularly for low-income groups, which has caused a proliferation of squatter settlements in the urban areas. The Tanzanian Government is trying to improve the quality and quantity of the housing supply for low-income urban groups. In 1973, the planning of the National Sites and Services Project, jointly financed by the International Development Association (IDA) and the Tanzania Government, was undertaken in three urban centres in Tanzania: Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Mbeya. This study of the National Sites and Services Project in Tanzania examines the different stages of the project cycle normally pursued by the IDA for planning various development projects. The distinctive objectives of this study are: to identify various problem areas that require attention when planning future sites and services projects in Tanzania; and to provide guidelines on IDA project cycle which would be useful for the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (Ardhi) when planning IDA projects. This information could be particularly useful for other sites and services projects, especially since it is hoped that the IDA would continue to play an active role in supporting sites and services projects in Tanzania. The IDA project cycle is composed of five stages: identification, preparation, appraisal, negotiation and supervision. Since the National Sites and Services' Project had effectively completed only the first three stages of this cycle when this study was undertaken in April 1974, analysis of the negotiation and supervision stages is not included in the study. Before analyzing these three stages of the project cycle, the first chapter of the study examines some general aspects of foreign aid projects in developing countries. It points out various motives behind aid giving and examines some problems that the recipients and the donors face in the course of undertaking aided projects. The method of investigation used for this study was that of participant observer. The author spent about six months in the Sites and Services Section of Ardhi in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during which time contact was established with various officials in the Tanzania Government involved in the Project. Prior to this six-month observation period, the author visited the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., to interview various IDA officials involved in the project. Contact was also made with IDA officials involved in the Project who visited Tanzania on project missions during the observation period. This study concludes that though the project was operating satisfactorily during its planning stages, the success of the project depends largely on the implementation stage of the Project. The last chapter of the study focusses on the various operational and institutional problems facing the Project and attempts to outline the possible steps that could be taken to overcome these problems. These recommendations are developed through the author's subjective reactions as a participant observer.