Tanzania Civil Service reform experience

Reform efforts in this area started in 1991 with the Civil Service Reform Program (CSRP). This program, implemented between 1991 and 1999, was designed to reduce the size of both the civil service and the wage bill to contain costs while strengthening managerial capacity and improving the organizational structure. The main achievements were a decline in the number of central government personnel from a peak of 355,000 in 1992 to 264,000 by 1998/99 (Figure 11); better control over employment levels using a personnel database and a computerized payroll system (the wage bill exceeded budget by 40 percent in 1994 but by only 2 percent in 1999); and recomposition of the aggregate wage bill by rationalizing and decompressing the pay structure and consolidating allowances into basic salaries.

The next stage of reform, the Public Service Reform Program (PSRP), spanned 2000–07. The focus changed to improving delivery of public services. While improvements were made in some areas, progress was slow. Positive areas included the introduction of a performance management system and more decentralized policy making. However, poor service delivery persists in many areas, accountability remains weak, and there are limited value-for-money assessments. The PSRP sought to adjust salary scales to attract and retain qualified staff. For this purpose, it incorporated the medium-term pay policy, which had been adopted by the government in 1999, aimed at gradually increasing civil servant remuneration over the following five years, as well as enhancing the salaries of key professional, technical, and managerial personnel. The policy envisaged a gradual increase in the wage bill of about half a percentage point of GDP by 2003/04, together with a further decline in the size of the civil service. Its implementation was uneven, but the significant wage increase introduced with the 2006/07 budget (reflecting in part a consolidation of allowances previously recorded separately from wages) put remunerations close to the targeted level. Even so, retaining quality staff remains challenging. A further substantial salary increase was granted in 2008. At the same time, the wage bill increased by more than originally envisaged, as the government recalibrated its employment strategy to achieve the MDGs and substantially expanded the hiring of education and health workers.

To enhance performance and accountability and better align its operations with MKUKUTA, a second phase of the PSRP has recently been launched. It emphasizes building the capacity of government entities to formulate policies; decentralizing human resources processes and systems; retaining quality staff through adequate remuneration and incentives; institutionalizing performance management systems; and increasing public sector accountability. The government is still aggressively hiring teachers and health care workers to address pressing social needs. A revised Medium Term Pay Policy is under preparation.

-Tanzania: The Story of an African Transition