24 Apr 2010

Waungwana,ni MwanaFA hapa..i dont usually do this kwenye blogs na sites (ku'post maoni) but naona nichangie this time since naona concerns zimekuwa za kistaarabu hapa na zina lengo la kujua tu na si vinginevyo...

Yes,nimefanya masters degree ya finance,Coventry University,ilianza January 2009 na ikamalizika January 2010,natakiwa kufanya mahafali aidha July ama November(kwa jinsi ntakavyoamua)...

Sichukui maoni yeyote kati ya haya vibaya,na pengine yanamaanisha kitu nilichofanya sio kidogo mpaka kufika mahali waungwana wanashindwa kuamini nimeweza kukifanya...

NB: na yes,nikijaliwa uhai na uwezo wa kuhudhuria mahafali ntawaletea picha...

Wasalaam...nawasilisha!!

KULIKONI UGHAIBUNI: Asante Mwana FA kwa  hope ufafanuzi huu.

This day last year,at 1400,I received my miracle from the Lord.Two months earlier,I was introduced to a Houston,TX-based powerful woman of God,Apostle Esther.She taught me that when praying,I should ask the Lord for receiving,rather than seek for, my miracle because it was already there.She also gave recommended the ever powerful Psalm 91 to read every day for a number of days.And guess what,as she assured me,I eventually got something that has people waiting for up to a decade to get it, if they at all are successful.God is really Great,and this particular miracle is a living example.I would also like to thank Christha, the woman whose love and care comes only second  to my mother's,for introducing me to the Apostle,and for her tirelessly efforts in praying with me.Praise the Lord,Ameen.For Christa,I dedicate the following video (though I know you don't fancy secular music).

23 Apr 2010

Majuzi Rais Jakaya Kikwete alimteua Doug Pitt,mdogo wa staa wa filamu Brad Pitt,kuwa balozi wa heshima (goodwill ambassador) kusaidia kuitangaza Tanzania hususan kwenye sekta ya utalii.Kwa kuzingatia wasifu wa Doug,na umuhimu wa kuitangaza nchi yetu,uteuzi huo unastahili pongezi za kutosha.Hat hivyo,ili Doug awe na umuhimu kwa Tanzania,au uteuzi wake uzae matunda yanayotarajiwa,kuna mambo kadhaa tunayopaswa kuyaangalia kwa makini 
Kwa hakika hatuna kisingizio cha kwanini nchi yetu inahitaji nguvu za ziada (kama akina Doug) katika kujitangaza.Tuna kila aina ya utajiri na vivutio ambavyo laiti tungejibidiisha kuvitangaza kwa bidii basi huenda tungekuwa mbali sana kimaendeleo.Kwa mtizamo wangu,kikwazo kikubwa ni uhaba wa uzalendo.Baadhi ya wateule wanaopaswa kuwajibika ipasavyo kulitangaza taifa letu na raslimali zake wako bize zaidi kuangalia maslahi yao binafsi badala ya kufanya kile wanacholipwa mshahara kukifanya.

Lakini kama unadhani hilo ni tatizo dogo basi kuna suala la mazingira yanayopaswa kuboreshwa ili jitihada za Doug ziweze kuwa na maana au zilete ufanisi unaotarajiwa.Kwa mfano,Doug anaweza kuhamasisha watalii waje kwa wingi Tanzania,lakini kwa ufisadi unaoendelea kila kukicha katika sekta ya umeme,ni dhahiri kuwa watalii watakaoitikia wito wa Doug wanaweza kuhisi 'wameingizwa mkenge' baada ya kukutana na adha za mgao wa umeme ambao unazidi kuzoeleka kwa Watanzania wengi.Danadana zinaendelea kuhusu kutafuta ufumbuzi wa kudumu wa tatizo sugu la umeme.Na kikwazo kikubwa katika kupatikana ufumbuzi huo ni wahusika kutanguliza maslahi yao binafsi badala ya yale ya taifa.Ni katika mazingira hayo ndipo matapeli wa Richmond na Dowans walifanikiwa kutufisadi.

Kwa Watanzania walio nje watakubaliana nami kwamba kwa hawa wenzetu,'holidays' ni suala lenye umuhimu wa kipekee katika kalenda na ratiba zao.Ni matarajio ya wengi kwamba holidays walizozihangaikia kwa muda mrefu zitaacha kumbukumbu nzuri maishani mwao,na sio kugeuka 'holidays from hell'.

Kuna tatizo jingine katika suala la udokozi.Pale Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport panahitaji tahadhari kubwa ili mizigo ya msafiri itoke eneo hilo salama.Sasa kama kweli tunataka jitihada za akina Doug ziwe na maana ni vema tukafahamu kuwa pasipo kudhibiti wahuni hawa wa airport ambao inaonekana dhamira yao kuu ni kutoa 'karibu Tanzania ya majonzi' tutaishia kukimbiza watalii badala ya kuwafanya wawashiwishi ndugu na jamaa zao nao waende Tanzania kutalii.Wadokozi wengine mahiri wako Posta.Kwa vile mawasiliano yetu bado si ya kisasa sana,umuhimu wa Posta unabaki kuwa mkubwa,na si ajabu kwa baadhi ya potential watalii kutumia huduma hiyo kabla ya kwenda Tanzania,au wakati wakiwa hapo.Sasa it seems as if baadhi (au pengine most) ya watumishi wa Posta wana 'allergy' na kitu chochote chenye address ya ng'ambo.Ni lazima wafungue na wakikuta chochote 'wanakitaifisha'.

Tuna matatizo ya miundombinu.Tumeruhusu wahuni wa TRL wafanye usanii wao pasipo kuleta mabadiliko yoyote ya muhimu zaidi ya kuandika historia ya kuwa wawekezaji wa kwanza kusaidiwa na serikali kulipa mishahara ya wafanyakazi wao.Ni dhahiri kuwa laiti waliosaini mkataba wa wababaishaji hao angekuwa mzalendo wa dhati angetambua kuwa wangekuja kuikongoroa zaidi Reli ya Kati kuliko walikvyoikuta.Je watalii wakitaka kutumia usafiri wa treni kutalii inakuwaje?Huko TAZARA nako hadithi ni ileile.Na hii ni njia muhimu kwa mtalii anayetaka 'kuifaidi' hifadhi ya Selous.

Kuna tatizo la barabara zetu.Na hapa kuna suala la barabara za msimu ambazo kupitika kwake kunatarajia msimu wa mwaka.Nyingi ya barabara hizi hufanyiwa ukarabari pale tu panapokuwa na ujio wa kiongozi.Uelekeo wa kule kwetu Ifakara tuna hifadhi ya msitu asilia,lakini kufikika kwake ni mbinde msimu wa masika.

Kwa kifupi,nachojaribu kupigia mstari hapa ni umuhimu wa kuboresha mazingira yatakayopelekea watalii kuhitimisha kuwa hawakufanya makosa kukubali ushauri wa Doug kuitembelea Tanzania.Pasipo mazingira bora basi tunaweza kuteua mabalozi Hollywood nzima lakini itakuwa kazi bure.

Na jingine la muhimu zaidi ni manufaa ya ujio wa watalii kwa Watanzania.Sote tunashuhudia jitihada za kuvutia wawekezaji na mwitikio wao lakini pia sote twafahamu namna uwekezaji ulivyoshindwa kuwa na manufaa kwa Watanzania walio wengi.Makampuni ya madini yanazidi kumaliza raslimali zetu huku sie wenye utajiri huo tukibaki na mashimo matupu.Sasa Doug anaweza kulivalia njuga suala la kuhamasisha watalii,nao wakaitikia wito lakini kitakachopatikana kikaishia kwenye ununuzi wa ma-vogue,ujenzi wa mahekalu au kuongeza idadi ya nyumba ndogo za mafisadi.

Ndio maana basi,pamoja na kupongeza uteuzi wa Doug Pitt kuwa balozi wa hisani wa Tanzania huko Marekani,ni muhimu kuwekeza zaidi katika uzalendo utakaopelekea kuzalisha akina Doug wa ndani (na hakutokuwa na gharama ya kuwafuata ng'ambo) na, cha muhimu zaidi,kuchangia maendeleo ya taifa letu 'changa'.

22 Apr 2010

Dressed to kill.Our sisters looking good.Picture courtesy of Miss Jestina's Blog.(1st left ).

'SOS' Appeal!

Yea,I normally blog about politics and such stuffs,but,well,there's no harm in touching some other  issues that make the world go around.I'm talking about fashion.If you happen to visit as many blogs each day as I do you certainly would appreciate that our sisters are doing quite an excellent job in blogging about different stuffs in our lives,especially fashion.However,unfortunately,most of them tend to 'forget' including men's fashion trends in their blogs.They justifiably could 'defend' themselves by arguing that it's not up to them to make sure that we look as good as they normally do.But,honestly,when you have the likes of me whose taste for fashion is as good as a blind man in a dark alley,that spells trouble,and calls for an urgent need for help.Arguably,I'm not an exceptional case as there's probably a whole bunch of guys out there who seriously need help.So,come on sisters,we all know that if what a man dresses pleases you it certainly would please the rest of the world.Could you kindly please think of us,at least once a month, when you keep your audience posted about latest fashion trends?

21 Apr 2010







Picha zote hapo juu zinaonyesha maadhimisho ya 'Siku Ya Bangi Kitaifa' (National Weed Day) almraaduf '4/20' (April 20) nchini Marekani.ANGALIA HAPA kwa habari kamili na picha zaidi

20 Apr 2010

Hapa chini kuna habari ambayo kama ni ya kweli basi hatma ya nchi yetu iko mashakani.Lakini kabla hujaisoma,angalia picha ifuatayo na inaweza kukusaidia kukupa uelewa wa namna tulivyofika tulipo.






KUMBE Rais Jakaya Kikwete hakusoma sheria aliyosaini kwa mbwembe. Sasa baada ya kugundua kasoro zake anataka ikarabatiwe kwa njia ya kanuni, MwanaHALISI limeelezwa.

Hilo liligundulika katika mkutano wa wajumbe wa Halmashauri Kuu (NEC) ya Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), wenyeviti na makatibu wa wilaya uliomalizika wiki iliyopita mjini Dar es Salaam.

Taarifa za ndani zinasema, bila aibu na hasa kwa ujasiri wa kiongozi mkuu wa nchi, Rais Kikwete alimuuliza Philip Marmo, waziri wa nchi, Ofisi ya Waziri Mkuu, maana ya baadhi ya vifungu katika sheria hiyo.

Lakini katika hali ambayo haikutegemewa, Marmo alijibu kana kwamba anamkejeli rais, jambo ambalo lilistua wajumbe wa kikao hicho cha juu cha utekelezaji wa sera za chama.

MwanaHALISI limeelezwa kwamba Rais Kikwete alistushwa na kifungu cha sheria kinachotaka mgombea kuwasilisha katika ofisi za msajili, taarifa ya fedha atakazotumia.

Kifungu hicho kinatoa siku saba kabla ya siku ya mwisho ya NEC kutangaza majina ya wagombea.

Kifungu kingine kinachodaiwa kumstua kinahusu idadi ya wajumbe wa kampeni. Kwa CCM, yenye hata vikundi vya ngoma na nyimbo kama ToT, kuweka timu ndogo kunaweza kupunguza shamrashamra na kuathiri kampeni.

Kwa mujibu wa mtoa taarifa, ilikuwa baada ya rais kupitia maeneo hayo, alimuuliza Waziri Marmo iwapo kile alichokuwa akifafanua kimetokana na sheria iliyopitishwa.

Naye Marmo, akiongea kwa sauti ya unyenyekevu alijibu, “…hiki ndicho ulichosaini.”

Kwa kauli ya Marmo, Rais Kikwete alionekana kustuka na kusema, kama hali ni hivyo, basi sheria itakuwa imeingilia hata mchakato wa wagombea ndani ya vyama, kimeeleza chanzo chetu.

Taarifa zinamnukuu rais akihoji kwa nini “sheria imekwenda mbali mno” na kuagiza papohapo kuwa wahusika waangalie ambapo sheria inaingiliana na watengeneze kanuni zitakazoleta nafuu.

Rais amenukuliwa akimwagiza Waziri Mkuu Mizengo Pinda kutengeneza “kanuni vizuri” ili kuondoa mwingiliano unaoleta ugumu wa utekelezaji.

Hoja ya maelekezo ya sheria mpya ya gharama za uchaguzi ilikuwa moja ya ajenda za kikao cha NEC, wenyeviti na makatibu wa CCM wilaya kutoka kote nchini.

Tarehe 17 Machi mwaka huu, Rais Kikwete alisaini hadharani na kwa mbwembwe Sheria ya Gharama za Uchaguzi, ikulu Dar es Salaam ambapo hafla hiyo ilihudhuriwa na majaji, wabunge, viongozi wa serikali na vyama vya siasa, mabalozi na waandishi wa habari.

Hata hivyo, sheria hii imekuwa ikilalamikiwa na vyama vya siasa na wanaharakati, kabla na baada ya kusainiwa kuwa itakuwa ya udhibiti kwa wenye msimamo tofauti na watawala.

Aidha, siku tatu baada ya sheria hiyo kusainiwa, mbunge wa Karatu (CHADEMA), Dk. Willibrod Slaa alitupa kombora kwa kusema sheria aliyosaini rais ilikuwa na vipengele ambavyo havikujadiliwa bungeni na kwamba “viliingizwa kinyemela.”

Ubishi wa Mwanasheria Mkuu wa serikali, Jaji Frederick Werema kwamba hakukuwa na chochote kilichofanywa kinyemela ndio umekuza hoja ya Dk. Slaa na kufanya achimbue zaidi kshfa hiyo.

Katika kufukua, Dk. Slaa amekwenda hadi kwenye kumbukumbu za bunge (Hansard) na kuthibititisha kuwa Kifungu 7 (3) ambacho kimo katika sheria aliyosaini rais hakikujadiliwa bungeni na hivyo hakikurekodiwa katika hansard.

Mtunga sheria huyo kutoka Karatu amesema pia kuwa chochote kilichojadiliwa bila kuamuliwa na bunge kilikuwa kinatarajiwa tu katika kanuni au fafanuzi za au ainisho za maneno na taratibu lakini siyo katika vifungu vya sheria.

Katika majibu yake kwa kauli za Dk. Slaa, Jaji Werema alitetea serikali na kuthibitisha kuwa kifungu hicho kiliwekwa na waziri Marmo.

Dk. Slaa amesema katika andishi maalum, “Hakuna mwenye mamlaka, hata rais hana mamlaka hayo, sembuse waziri.

“Baada ya mjadala katika Kamti ya Bunge zima, maneno yakikubaliwa ndiyo hayo yanaingia kwenye sheria na serikali haina mamlaka ya kwenda kuyarekebisha inavyotaka. Ndiyo maana ya kusema ‘kifungu kimepitishwa,’ ” ameeleza Dk. Slaa.

Akiweka msisitizo, Dk. Slaa anasema, “Kitendo cha kuchomeka kinyemela ni kitendo kibaya sana na kinapaswa kulaaniwa, kwa sababu, kwa utaratibu huu wataalam wanaweza kuipeleka nchi pabaya kwa kupenyeza jambo lolote wanalotaka wao hata kama halijajadiliwa au limekataliwa na Bunge.”

Dk. Slaa anafafanua hatua ya serikali ya kuingiza mambo kinmyemela katika sheria kuwa ni kosa la jinai na kusema hata kifingu walichochomeka kinyemela kina madhara makubwa.

Kifungu kilichoongezwa na serikali kinataka timu ya kampeni kukaguliwa na watendaji wa serikali ya CCM.

“Kampeni ndiyo inayobeba mikakati na siri yote ya uchaguzi. Haiingii akilini kabisa kuwa serikali (pengine unayotaka kuiondoa kwenye uchaguzi ambayo ndio haki ya msingi ya kila mgombea) ndiyo inaweka mkono wake kwenye udhibiti wa mikakti hiyo,” anafafanua Dk. Slaa.

Anasema kuweka kifungu kama hicho ni “wenda wazimu, kwa mtu yeyote aliyefikiria jambo hilo, au anaandika tu kutoka mezani na au hajui maana halisi na majukumu yake.”

Kutokana na kuibuka kwa kashfa hii, serikali sasa imeamua sheria hiyo irejeshwe bungeni ili kufanyiwa marekebisho yanayostahili.

Naye Dk. Slaa tayari ametoa pendekezo: “Namna pekee ya kuepukana na athari hiyo ni kwa serikali kukiri imefanya makosa, na ndio ustaarabu bila kutafuta visingizio.”

Anasema serikali iwasilishe kwenye Mkutano wa 19 wa Bunge hili ulioanza jana, kitu kinachoitwa “Miscellaneous Amendment” – marekebisho ya sheria mbalimbali – na au ikichelewa sana katika Bunge la Bajeti.

Wachunguzi wa mambo wanasema Rais Kikwete atakuwa amesikitishwa sana na hatua ya wasaidizi wake ya “kumchomekea” vitu ambavyo baadaye vinamomonyoa hadhi yake kama mkuu wa nchi.

Miongoni mwa wanaotajwa kuwa wamempotosha au wameshindwa kumsaidia rais, ni pamoja na Jaji Werema ambaye ametetea uingizaji kinyemela kipengele ambacho hakikujadiliwa bungeni.

Mwingine anayetajwa ni waziri Marmo ambaye ambaye nduye hasa ametajwa kubuni na kuingiza maneno ya kifungu kinacholaaniwa.

CHANZO: Mwanahalisi.



19 Apr 2010

Ni dhahiri unapokutana na kitangulizi 'http://...' unafikiri kuwa kinachofuata ni anuani ya tovuti flani.Lakini je 'http://' (kifupisho cha Hypertext Transfer Protocal)bado ina umuhimu katika mazingira ya sasa ambapo unaweza kuitambua anuani ya tovuti hata bila kitangulizi hicho? . 
Wanateknolojia wa Google Chrome hawadhani kama kitangulizi hicho bado ni muhimu na wameamua kukificha katika toleo jipya la browser hiyo.

Hata hivyo,ufumbuzi huo sio rahisi kama inavyoonekana kwani unaweza kuficha kitangulizi hicho unapoandika anuani ya tovuti lakini bado kipo.Pia inatarajiwa kuwa maendeleo hayo yanaweza kuzua mkanganyiko kwa baadhi ya watumiaji wa intaneti.

Makala hii imetafsiriwa (katika tafsiri isiyo rasmi) kutoka mtandao wa Mashable

Kuna busara moja inayotuasa kuwa mpuuzi husema kwa vile anajiskia kusema (hata kama ni upuuzi) ilhali mwenye busara husema tu pale anapokuwa na kitu cha kusema (ikimaanisha kama hana cha kusema,au haoni umuhimu wa kusema kitu,atakaa kimya. Busara zaidi zinatuasa kuwa makini na tunayosema hadharani kwa vile mara nyingi jamii humtambua zaidi mtu kwa kauli zake.Sema upuuzi,utaonekana mpuuzi.Sema ya busara,utaonekana mwenye busara.Sasa kuna huyu msomi,Dokta Benson Bana,ambaye licha ya kuwa mhadhiri katika Chuo Kikuu cha Dar Es Salaam,ni mkuu wa idara ya Sayansi za Siasa na Uongozi na pia ni Mwenyekiti Mwenza wa REDET.Yayumkinika kusema Dkt Bana amekuwa mahiri zaidi wa kutoa kauli zisizoendana na wasifu wake kitaaluma kuliko umahiri wa wa usomi wake

Na leo,kwa mujibu wa habari katika gazeti la Mwananchi,msomi huyo 'amelipuka' tena kwa kauli kwamba tuhuma zilizokithiri dhidi ya ufisadi zinaweza kusababisha taifa kukosa viongozi wazuri wakati wa uchaguzi mkuu wa Oktoba.Huhitaji kuwa na hata asilimia moja ya kiwango cha elimu ya Dkt Bana kutambua kuwa tuhuma zilizotapakaa kuhusu ufisadi ni matokeo ya kuwepo kwa ufisadi.Msomi huyu anaishi Tanzania lakini yaelekea hafahamu mazingira yanayomzunguka,na hilo linaleta wasiwasi mkubwa kuhusu mchango wa wanataaluma katika maendeleo ya nchi yetu.

Katika habari hiyo Dk Bana aliwataka watu "waaache siasa chafu za kuhubiri na kudai kuwa watuhumiwa wa ufisadi hawafai kupewa kura au kuchaguliwa katika nafasi mbalimbali za uongozi kana kwamba wameshathibitika".Huu ni zaidi ya ubabaishaji wa kitaaluma,na kwa kiasi flani inaaibisha Udaktari wa Filosofia tunaohenyea akina sie.Kwanza,Dkt Bana amepata wapi mamlaka ya kuwataka wananchi waache kulalamikia ufisadi?Usomi hautoi mamlaka ya kuizuia jamii kulalamikia maovu yanayoisumbua.Pili,kwa mtizamo wa msomi huyu,kwa vile tuhuma za ufisadi hazijathibitika basi watu wakae kimya hadi 'miujiza itapotokea kwa watawala wetu kuamua kuchukua hatua za kisheria dhidi ya mafisadi'!Hii ni sawa na kuingiliwa ndani na kibaka halafu ukakaa kimya kwa vile tu wewe sio chombo cha sheria.Ukifanya hivyo,hata hao polisi watakuona mpumbavu na unawapotezea muda.La kufanya ni kumdhibiti kibaka au kupiga kelele kuwashtua majirani wakusaidie kumdhibiti.

Binafsi,pamoja na kuheshimu uhuru wa kutoa mawazo,nadhani tatizo kubwa la Dkt Bana ni tabia yake ya 'kusema chochote' hata kama hana cha kusema.Inaelekea aidha hafahamu athari za tabia hiyo au anapuuza tu.Matokeo yake ni kuonekana mbabaishaji wa namna flani.Si lazima jina lake lionekane magazetini au kusikika radioni kama hana la muhimu kuieleza jamii.Eti anatuasa kuwa "si vizuri kwa watu kunyimwa kura kwa sababu ya kutuhumiwa kwa ufisadi hadi hapo watakapothibitika na kutaka wanasiasa waache kuhukumu wenzao bila kosa".Kwanini hajiulizi inakuwaje watu hao wanatuhumiwa ufisadi in the first place?Kwanini ni wao na si Dokta Bana,kwa mfano?

Hivi lipi lililo muhimu zaidi kwa Tanzania kama taifa: kukosa viongozi bora kwa vile wanatuhumiwa kwa ufisadi au kupata viongozi bora watakaowajibika kulitumikia taifa kupambana na ufisadi?Wasiwasi wa Dkt Bana ulipaswa kuwa kwenye athari za ufisadi kwa jamii na sio tuhuma za wananchi dhidi ya mafisadi.Ni mlevi tu atakayeshindwa kuelewa kuwa kinachoumiza Watanzania kwa sasa ni UFISADI na sio TUHUMA DHIDI YA MAFISADI.

Mwanataaluma huyu anaongoza taasisi ya REDET ambayo mara imekuwa ikishutumiwa kwa upendeleo inapotoa taarifa za kura zake za maoni (opinion polls) kuhusu CCM na vyama vingine vya siasa.Sina hakika kuwa matokeo ya kura hizo huwa 'yanapikwa' ili kuridhisha watawala lakini kinachozua maswali dhidi ya polls hizo ni kutoendana na hali halisi na dalili za upendeleo.

Wito wangu kwa Dkt Bana ni huu: wakati mwingine jaribu kuitendea haki taaluma yako kwa kukaa kimya pale usipokuwa na cha kuongea.Kwa kufanya hivyo,utawatendea haki pia wasomi wenzako,taasisi unazoongoza na fani nzima ya usomi.Ni muhimu pia unapotoa matamshi mazito ukajitahidi kutumia theories za kusapoti matamshi hayo badala ya kutoa hisia zenye mwelekeo wa kijiweni.


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Tanzania leads the list of East African states that have lost billions of dollars to money laundering, tax evasion, government graft and other illegal operations, according to a report by a US-based financial watchdog group.


The report “Illicit Financial Flows from Africa: Hidden Resources for Development,” by Global Financial Integrity, states that the country has lost $8.9 billion over the past four decades through the illicit means. Kenya lost $7.3 billion while Uganda lost $6.4 billion over the same period.


The three East African countries thus lost a total of $22.6 billion, money that would be sufficient to wipe out their combined outstanding external debt while leaving several billion dollars available for fighting poverty and spurring economic growth.

The study points out that the impact of these losses is felt most acutely by the poorest Africans. The illicit outflow of money also “drains hard currency reserves, heightens inflation, reduces tax collection, cancels investment and undermines free trade,” the study says.

Tanzania is ranked 13th among the top 15 countries with cumulative illicit outflows after Angola, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan. Zambia and Zimbabwe take the 14th and 15th positions respectively.

Already, Global Financial Integrity has started collecting signatures to petition the G20 Transparency at the G20 summit this June. The organisation is looking for 100,000 signatures from all over the world to forward to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the current president of the G20. “Our goal is to show him the names of 100,000 people from all over the world who support ending banking secrecy, increasing financial transparency, and finally attacking the root causes of poverty.”

The report says: “So long as illicit capital continues to haemorrhage out of poor African countries over the long term at a rapid pace, efforts to reduce poverty and boost economic growth will be thwarted as income distribution becomes ever more skewed, leading to economic and political instability.”

Tanzania’s Finance and Economy Minister Mustafa Mkulo told The EastAfrican from Dodoma that in order to reverse this situation, the country has set up a Financial Intelligence Unit within the ministry to join international community in fighting money laundering and financing of terrorism.

“This problem indeed exists. At regional level, within the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, we have seen this problem thrive for a long time and decided to jointly act against it,” he said. (See related story, “Will electronic tax registers stem the tide of pilfering?”)

The report says that the figure for Uganda likely understates the true volume of illicit outflows. It notes that civil strife in the Great Lakes region during parts of the 1970-2008 study period resulted in “incomplete and poor quality data” for Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.

In all cases, adds the study that encompassed all of Africa, actual losses due to systematic looting are likely to be far greater than the study estimates.

Researchers Dev Kar, a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund, and Devon Cartwright-Smith, an economist at Global Financial Integrity, note that their figures do not take account of proceeds from smuggling and some of the ways in which trade and services are mis-priced by commercial swindlers.

The actual totals might be more than double the $22.6 billion listed in the report for the three East African countries if those other sorts of illicit outflows were included in the computations, a Global Financial Integrity spokeswoman told The EastAfrican.

Bribery and theft involving government official accounts for only a three per cent share of the money that moves across borders illicitly, the study says.

“Criminal proceeds generated through drug trafficking, racketeering, counterfeiting and more are about 30 to 35 per cent of the total,” the study adds. “The proceeds of commercial tax evasion, mainly through trade mis-pricing, are by far the largest component at some 60 to 65 per cent of the global total.”

Trade mis-invoicing, described in the report as “a significant problem for Kenya,” involves the overpricing of imports and the underpricing of exports on Customs documents, the study explains.

For Africa as a whole, total illicit outflows are said to have amounted to at least $854 billion across the 39 years encompassed in the study.

The top five countries with the highest outflow measured were: Nigeria ($89.5 billion) Egypt ($70.5 billion), Algeria ($25.7 billion), Morocco ($25 billion), and South Africa ($24.9 billion). Most of that money has gone into Western financial institutions, the study says.

“This massive flow of illicit money out of Africa is facilitated by a global shadow financial system comprising tax havens, secrecy jurisdictions, disguised corporations, anonymous trust accounts, fake foundations, trade mis-pricing and money laundering techniques,” Mr Kar and Mr Cartwright-Smith write. “The impact of this structure and the funds it shifts out of Africa is staggering.”

The researchers argue that the existing global financial system, shaped by liberalisation and deregulation of financial markets, has ended up generating ever-rising illicit flows and losses in government revenues. Economic growth without credible reform could lead to more, not less, capital flight, as the increase in incomes would simply finance the increased accumulation of foreign assets.

According to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, $348 billion will be needed to cover MDG costs by 2010 and $529 billion by 2015. The United Nations report World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 notes that a large gap still separates Africa from its MDGs.

By all accounts, official donor aid commitments will probably fall well short of the required funding of MDGs, leaving open the serious possibility that related targets will recede even further.


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