Assessment of the business continuity practices in commercial Banks operating in Tanzania

The main objective of this study was to make assessment of the business continuity practices in commercial banks operating in Tanzania. The assessment was based on adequacy of the business continuity management programs, regular reviews, and periodic testing of the recovery plans. The study constituted a sample size of 50 respondents from ten commercial banks operating in Tanzania whereas descriptive analysis through SPSS was used in data analysis. The study established that ability of a bank to timely resume its operations depends on the adequacy and effective implementation of ICT Security Policy, regularly updating, as well as testing of BCPs. The analysis revealed that there are major weaknesses in implementation of ICT Security Policy and regular testing of BCPs, whereas regular updating of BCPs is moderately done. Analysis of the data and testing of hypotheses led to a conclusion that the level of BCM in commercial banks operating in Tanzania is inadequate, hence efforts should be done by commercial banks as well as policy makers to rectify the situation and thereby ensure timely recovery of critical business operations in case of a disaster.