Institutions and Wood Supply to Construction Wood Markets in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza: Implications for Policy and Enforcement

Abstract

This paper identifies measures that facilitate the supply of construction wood to African cities. The institutional analysis and development framework is applied to supply chains to Dar es Salaam and Mwanza by focusing on interlinkages between institutional setting and rules-in-force, to evaluate the effectiveness and credibility of exchange. The necessary conditions for a credible institutional setting and low-cost transactions, which probably make the best contribution to socioeconomic development and sustainability, should be met under institutional conditions that harmonize with the actors' ideological attitudes and perceptions. The current policy framework, however, does not meet the need for legitimacy. The route forward is (1) to improve the rights and responsibilities of people to facilitate their participation in management and utilization, thus contributing to their everyday subsistence, and (2) to restructure forestry organization and its means for enforcement that would provide cost-effective management and safeguard the economic independence of officials.