A Dissertation Submitted to Mzumbe University in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Award of Degree of Master of Business Administration in
Corporate Management (MBA-CM) of Mzumbe University
This study was conducted in Dar es Salaam local NGO and explored the current
internal governance practiced by local NGOs. The questions explored were: what is
the governance mechanisms practice, how do NGOs operationalize internal
governance, what is the function of governing body and what are the accountability
mechanisms practices by NGOs.
The research used a qualitative approach and data were collected through
purposively selected board members, key experts and management team from
conveniently selected nine (9) NGOs who were interviewed.
Findings from the study show that, NGOs lack uniformity to practice governance,
and this is mainly contributed by lack of resources and knowledge on governance.
Also, functions of governing board that are mainly done include resource
management, financial controls, monitoring and evaluation, although there is no
distinct separation of responsibility between management team and board members
as each sometimes assumes the roles of the other due to lack of knowledge.
Also, findings have revealed that, local NGOs from the study very rarely conduct
capacity building on governances, mostly because these NGO are donor dependent
and governance is mainly not supported by donors as key activity that needed
separate funding. Additionally, NGOs have admitted that they have little awareness
on NGO governance and request training and frequent facilitation on internal
governance