On the afternoon of May 28, 2025, the Sub-Saharan Africa Research Center at Tsinghua University's Institute for International and Area Studies successfully hosted an academic lecture titled "The Political Economy of Immigration in Zanzibar." The lecture was delivered by Dr. Lupa Ramadhani, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and moderated by Dr. XIAO Qijia, Assistant Professor at IIAS. The event attracted over 30 scholars and students from Chinese and international institutions via online participation.

Drawing on extensive historical and field-based research, Dr. Ramadhani traced the shifting dynamics of migration in Zanzibar, shaped by centuries of Arab and European influence, the legacies of slavery, and the political rupture of the 1964 Revolution. He noted that the formation of the Union between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania facilitated internal mobility but also brought about governance complexity and statistical limitations, such as the exclusion of migration figures from the 2022 national census.

In his analysis of current trends, Dr. Ramadhani highlighted how Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has contributed to regional imbalance. While tourist hubs in Unguja North attract migrant labor and foreign capital, Pemba remains marginalized with less than 2% of FDI employment. Labor market disparities are reflected in gendered migration patterns and the overrepresentation of non-Zanzibaris in managerial roles. Cultural shifts—such as locals learning Italian in tourism zones—underscore broader social transformation. At the same time, Zanzibar’s large diaspora remains an underutilized resource. Although the 2017 Diaspora Policy acknowledges their value, restrictive dual-citizenship laws and historical mistrust have limited engagement.

During the Q&A session, participants raised critical questions on identity politics, internal inequalities, diaspora policy, and the long-term implications of borderless migration under the Union framework. Dr. Ramadhani emphasized the need for inclusive, data-driven policy approaches that acknowledge Zanzibar’s complex historical and contemporary realities. The lecture provided a timely and rigorous exploration of how global and local forces intersect in shaping migration governance, offering a valuable platform for future research on African political economy.

Speaker Profile: Dr. Lupa Ramadhani holds a PhD from University College Dublin, Ireland. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His research focuses on identity politics, conflict and conflict resolution, African international politics, and democratization in Africa. He previously served as Director of the Office of the Vice Chancellor and as Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies at the College of Social Sciences. He was the founding Chairperson of the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network, based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is currently a guest lecturer at the National Defence College of Tanzania.