Law and Development

Abstract

Underdevelopment is a badge of colonial ism. A state emerging from a colonial environment has development as one of its objectives, as no true development can be achieved under foreign domination. For Tanzania true development is that of the people and not things or according to President Nyerere: “The creation of conditions, both material and spiritual, which enable man an individual and man the specie, to become his best”. It is one thing to define the goal and quite another to attain that goal and the methods employed in the attainment of that goal, we shall call “strategy” and this is usually embodied in the policy. Tanzania’s policy for development is that of socialism and self reliance and the strategy has been that of rural development. This strategy has been adopted mainly because most of the citizens are rural based and since agriculture accounts for a greater part of the country's economy it remains the backbone of our economy. The article begins by examining the background to the Act, briefly looking at various efforts in rural development and later on concentrates on the Act itself and finally mention is made of some of the problems inherent in the Act.