The protection of rights of consumers of goods in Tanzania: a law-based approach

Abstract

Consumer protection in Tanzania is a phenomenon associated with the operation of markets. There are also non-market issues that concern or are involved in consumer protection. Law is one of the instruments for protecting rights of consumers of goods. The law provides for the rights of consumers and mechanisms for their protection. This article uncovers that law in Tanzania, which has evolved for many decades, that establishes legal and institutional frameworks for protecting rights of consumers of goods. It demonstrates that the law has inadequacies and the institutions have limitations that undermine their efficacy in safeguarding rights of consumers of goods. The article describes several factors that undermine the capacity of consumers of goods in Tanzania to protect and realise their rights. This unsatisfactory situation calls for reforms of the country‘s consumer protection legal and institutional frameworks. The article proposes some measures that can be implemented to invigorate the law-based consumer protection mechanisms in Tanzania.

Keywords: consumer, goods, protection, law, rights, Tanzania