Ziwa
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| Ziwa | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
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| Capital | Mwanza |
| Largest city | Mwanza(12 million) |
| Official languages |
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| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion |
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| Demonym | Ziwa |
| Government | Constitutional Republic |
| Legislature | Bicameral Legislature |
| GDP | estimate |
• Total | $14.5 billion |
| Time zone | EAT (GMT+3) |
Contents
Political
Ziwa’s history since gaining independence is fraught with a history of coups, disputed elections, regional and ethnic violence, and general instability. While Ziwa has demonstrated intent to improve its democratic governance, a lack of deep-rooted democratic and civil society institutions make it one of the most vulnerable and unstable countries in the region. Despite a troubled past, Ziwa is making progress in recent years toward greater transparency and good governance practices.
Military
The Ziwa People’s Defense Force (ZPDF) is the state military of the Republic of Ziwa. Its structure and focus has adapted over the last decade alongside the country’s economic development. The ZPDF consists of the Ziwa Ground Forces Command (ZGFC), Ziwa Air Corps (ZAC), and the National Guard. Ziwa’s military relations with its neighbors – Amari to the north and Kujenga to the south - is generally stable, despite sporadic low-level incidents along the border. The scope of border control operations has contributed to the forward deployment of dedicated maneuver elements and leveraging of former rebels to ensure the appearance of security.
Multiple threats exist to exploit Ziwa’s dependency on natural resources and external power generation and transmission. Brutal militants in the northeast mountain area (“The Watasi Gang”) and pockets of ethnic rebels throughout the country continue to plague stability and keep the military at continually high operational tempo. Although both Kujenga and Amari have active security agreements with Ziwa, rumors persist of covert support to the rebels by both countries.
Economic
To the casual observer, Ziwa’s relative smallness in size masks an abundance of natural resources. It is one of the world’s largest sources of raw materials. From more than 30 functioning mines, the country produces more than 10 percent of the world’s gold. Other natural resources include mineral reserves of iron ore, copper, platinum, silver, manganese, titanium, chromium, and uranium. Ziwa possesses approximately two-thirds of the world’s platinum, and about half of its chromium.
Ziwa’s diamond trade is one of the largest in the world. It exports large quantities of diamonds each day to destinations around the world, including New York, Olvana, Dubai, and Bangkok. The diamond industry provides a livelihood for millions of people, within as well as outside the country. Many Ziwans have found employment opportunities in jewelry manufacturing, retail, mining, cutting, sorting, polishing, and valuation. Although Ziwa is most famously known for its mineral resources, the country also boasts exportable quantities of sugar and timber.
In descending order of importance, Ziwa’s main competitors in East Africa are Amari (the regional economic hegemon), Kujenga, and Nyumba. Although all of these nation-states are economic rivals, their diplomatic and military relationships are essentially stable. Militant non-state groups and organized criminal elements are the main source of political-military tension in the region.
Ziwa’s economic growth has decelerated in recent years, and last year slowed to a rate of 0.5 percent. Although some private enterprise is allowed to function in accordance with open market dynamics, a state-run electrical utility company underscores the reality of the government’s active role in managing the economy. The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for last year reached $14.5 billion, climbing from $12 billion three years ago. Its GDP growth rate last year stood at 0.2 percent. A chronic and pervasive lack of electricity generating capacity impedes economic growth. Powercom, the state-run utility company, is currently building two new power stations, and implementing new power demand management measures to improve electrical grid reliability. For the past three years, Ziwa’s lack of electricity generating capacity has caused rolling blackouts, as the demand for power consistently exceeds supply. Ziwa’s economic policy has focused on controlling inflation, but economic growth is impeded by factors such as skills shortages, the country’s declining competitiveness within the global economy, and episodic work stoppages due to strikes or other forms of labor protest. The government finds itself increasingly challenged to deliver basic essential services to urban constituencies, especially in low income areas. Other pressing demands on the government relate to a shortage of jobs, and a growing desire among the country’s youth to attain a university-level education at an affordable price. Infighting among Ziwa’s ruling party and its political competitors, jeopardizes the country’s future economic growth. Last year the most prestigious international credit monitoring agencies placed Ziwa’s credit rating at the same level as junk bonds.
Social
Ziwa’s history since gaining independence is fraught with coups, disputed elections, regional and ethnic violence, and general instability. While Ziwa has demonstrated intent to improve its democratic governance, a lack of deep-rooted democratic and civil society institutions make it one of the most vulnerable and unstable countries in the region. Despite a troubled past, Ziwa is making progress in recent years toward greater transparency and good governance practices. Ziwa is making strides toward improving the lives its citizens through better delivery of services that is being seen in improvement of life expectancies, containment of diseases, and literacy.
Information
Ziwa is a very progressive information sharing and management country with a relatively small population of 11.6 million. The government and population seized on the opportunities that technological advancement offers to enhance the quality of life in Ziwa. The information domain continues rapidly expanding with the aid of government and private support. Seeking to gain the maximum advantage from adoption of new technologies, Ziwa is gaining the economic benefit of improved efficiency and global recognition as an up-and-coming country. The government is using the latest technology to improve the population’s standard of living while maintaining regional security. Information media remain under the control of the government that seeks to establish a protected environment using active monitoring to detect any censorship or limits on message traffic. Strong legal and legislative systems maintain active checks against government censorship and abuse of the information environment.
Infrastructure
Two distinct regions characterize Ziwa’s population density and infrastructure development: the thickly populated band around the southern half of Lake Victoria, and the sparsely population Serengeti Plain. Though it has no megacity, Ziwa has the highest population density in the region. This insulated population benefits from plentiful water and good all-weather road access to both Amari and Kujenga. Ziwa depends on Kujenga for electricity, though Amari is eager to provide an alternative supply. Ziwa’s infrastructure development focuses around a new international airport complex—intended to compete with Amari and Kujenga—and capitalize on tourism interest at the Serengeti and the Olduvai National Parks. Additionally, private entities want to expand the current gold and diamond mining operations around Shinyanga.
Ziwa’s key infrastructure feature is the modest port of Mwanza, that links south Lake Victoria commerce with a north-south spur to the Dar Es Salaam – Kigoma (DARGOMA) road/rail corridor.
Physical Environment
Ziwa is a relatively small country located in central Africa. It is a completely landlocked country that encompasses a portion of Lake Victoria, Lake Natron, and Lake Eyasi. The country’s terrain varies from significant a rift valley and lakes in East. Arid desert lowlands and open savannah comprise a majority of the country. Climates range from semiarid and in the west, warm desert and arid climate with increased humidity near Lake Victoria.
Time
Ziwans use the Gregorian calendar. However, within that daily routine great importance is paid to the rising and setting of the sun. Ziwa's proximity to the equator means there is little difference in the hours of daylight seen in the summer or winter. As is common in equatorial Africa, none of the regional countries observe Daylight Savings Time (DST).
Once the differing approach to time is understood, business should be straightforward. Attempting to impose a Western approach to time will not benefit either party. This is the case in the cities as well as the countryside.
Significant Non-State Threat Actors and Conditions
| Group Name | Type | Country | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic Front in the Heart Africa (AFITHA) | Violent Extremist | -Multiple |  |
| Union of Peace for the Ziwa (UPZ) | Insurgency | Ziwa | Large pockets of these former regime loyalists and disaffected persons have developed into regions in which Ziwan government forces are consistently harassed and even attacked. UPZ forces have been blamed for and/or taken credit for attacks on tourists and government anti-poaching patrols in the Serengeti and northwestern regions. The most brutal violence occurred in the south, in which UPZ forces claimed responsibility for atrocities against mining operations with ties to the government. |
| Watasi Gang | Militia | Ziwa | The Watasi Gang is an extremely violent militia group operating in Ziwa's mountainous northeastern region. They have also been known to operate across the border in Amari as part of the Mara-Suswa Rebel Army. Watasi Gang members also routinely engage in banditry, raids, poaching, kidnapping, and drug trafficking or smuggling. |
Illicit Mining Operations
