A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of Master of Leadership and Management at Mzumbe University, Dar es Salaam Campus
In August 2019 SADC elected President John Magufuli its Chairperson effectively bestowing the responsibility of leading this regional organisation to the Tanzanian government in 2019/20. Tanzania, therefore, faces a daunting task of ensuring the success of the final stages of the implementation of the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Plan launched in 2015 and ending in 2020. This study aimed at assessing the present performance and the resulting limitations that Tanzania will have to encounter right from the time of commencing its leadership. The study wanted, ultimately, to recommend to the Tanzanian government and SADC on approaches to ensure successful implementation of the plan on Social and Human Development priority area. Thus, the study employed mixed method case study using qualitative and quantitative analysis to uncover several limitations that impeded the implementation of the plan. These were the political factors, which includes political instability, poor institutional capacity, poor enforcement mechanism, and inefficient domestication of the plan.
Secondly, lack of financial resources, weak state economies and poor intra-regional trade as economic factors while external factors were the external interference from powerful nations and organizations and overlapping memberships in regional organisations. On the approaches the study recommended increasing visibility and promoting awareness of plan; applying inclusivity and citizen participation; improving domestication and strengthening institutional capacity; instituting an effective and efficient mechanism to enforce compliance; promoting and facilitating intraregional trade; mobilising local funds; empowering the Secretariat; creating joint programs to address the issue of overlapping membership; and finally, implementing strategic plan on matters of peace and security. The study concluded that, Tanzania must employ “warrior type of leadership" if it wants to successfully steer the implementation of the plan as it is action-oriented, quick, courageous, innovative and dedicated; thus, capable of enabling the attainment of regional goals on a timely manner.