The role of the World Bank in the forestry sector in Tanzania: a case of Sao Hill Plantation Forest, 1960-2010

Abstract

The International community has been one of the key stakeholders in policy making for both plantation and natural forests in Tanzania. These international efforts have been through UN agencies, World Bank, FAO, and sometimes independent developed countries through bilateral cooperation. The World Bank specifically has unwaveringly “assisted” Tanzania by funding the forestry sector. In essence, the international community has influenced the management culture of forestry in Tanzania since independence. This paper uses Sao Hill plantation forests of Tanzania to map out the role of the World Bank in the forestry sector between 1960 and 2000. Through the use of archival sources, and interviews with few officials who served during the expansion of the forest; it is shown that the current structure and size of the Sao Hill forest bears a lot from the influence of the World Bank.