Thinking about Faith and Development – Insights from Tanzania following Lutheran World Federation (LWF) ‘s #MaranguConference

Since we started offering consultancy services in 1981, one group of our major clients has been faith institutions in Tanzania and the whole region of Africa. This is because faith institutions are the key development partners in Africa. They are at the forefront in the fight against poverty. As a management consultancy firm that works towards development, we have been close to these institutions in various capacities including training, development project formulations, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and capacity building.

From 19^th to 24^th   May 2015, there was a big regional conference for all Lutherans from Africa. The Conference titled - Marangu Conference - commemorated 60 years after the first Lutheran Conference in Africa (1955), which was held in Marangu, a village on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Conference was organized by the Lutheran World Federation and hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. Our Managing Director, Mr. Clement Kwayu, was one of the hosting committee members.  The Conference brought hundreds of people from different countries in Africa and outside Africa to Kilimanjaro. It provided opportunity to share experience and talk about issues in Africa. 

These issues included diseases such as Ebola, terrorism, and other threats to peace.  The need to join efforts in eradicating poverty and fighting traditional and new enemies could no further be emphasized. The participants discussed the role of the church in countering these issues in Africa as well as to ensure peace and stability in the region.

The Lutheran Church in Tanzania is an example of the ability, willingness, and capacity of the church in pushing development in Africa. With 24 major hospitals across the country, and hundreds of dispensaries and health centers, the church provides 15% of health care services in Tanzania. The church also owns hundreds secondary schools in the country and the second biggest University in the country- Tumaini- with various constituent colleges across the country offering various courses including medicine, pharmacy, law, theology, education, and business studies.

In addition, the church runs income-generating businesses such as banks, bookstores, buildings for office rents, hotels and conference centers. In this way, it has provided employment to hundred thousands of people in the country.

For such reasons, we, at BUMACO, are very proud to have worked closely with the Lutheran Church together with other Churches in Tanzania and Africa towards fighting poverty. We have, with favorable rates due to their charity nature, provided management and other expertise services to church organizations so as they can be more effective and efficient.

Literatures emanating from the World Bank and other donor agencies together with academic analyses have proven that faith institutions are key to development in Africa and crucial partners in fighting poverty.  We will keep walking together with them until we realize the light that Africa is!

BUMACO- The Light To Manage!