This work explores the role of customary and informal actors in governance processes in Tanzania. The report draws on findings emerging from qualitative data collected in February 2015 in nine wards in two districts in Iringa region and one ward in Morogoro region.
The case study is embedded in a larger learning project entitled ‘Actors of local democracy – opening up the perspective’. In Tanzania, the traditional chieftaincy structure was formally ended after independence and no longer plays a significant role in everyday governance processes. The analysis thus focuses on other customary and informal actors such as clan leaders, village elders, religious authorities and self-help groups that mediate the relationships between the state and citizens.
