Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Charles Mwijage
The minister made the remarks when receiving a delegation from the
Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) Secretariat and few
representatives of the manufacturing sector body that paid him a
courtesy call in his office recently.
The minister pointed out that the fifth phase Government was out
and determined to serve its citizens calling for manufacturers to
support it.
“My ministry has, as President John Magufuli has been stressing,
decided to take deliberate initiatives to make industrialisation a
priority, and I will start with industries that add value to
agricultural produce,” he said.
He also said that the government will ensure all importers paid
their due taxes as one of the measures taken by the government to
enhance fair competition between local producers and importers of
foreign goods.
In his briefing to the minister, CTI Chairman Dr Samuel Nyantahe
pointed out that there were a number of issues which made Tanzania
manufacturers uncompetitive in local as well as regional markets.
Dr Nyantahe said that CTI was ready to support the government to
revive industries as an engine of social and economic growth based on
the Tanzania Development Vision 2025.
He said that local manufacturers vow to work diligently to enhance
their businesses and help the government stimulate national growth.
On the industrial sector’s successes, Dr Nyantahe said that during
the past ten years, the industrial sector grew by an average of 7
percent per year, and its contribution to the National Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) averaged 7 percent.
He said the sector employs an average of 11 percent of all national
work force for the last five years, while for the last two years;
production in the sector grew by 6.8 percent.
The contribution of the sector’s products in foreign exchange
earnings reached an average of 23 percent, adding: “CTI and its members
believe the sector can perform much better and is determined to use all
available avenues to fulfill the National Development Vision which aims
at making Tanzania a middle income country by 2025.”
However, the chairman said that despite the achievements, the
industrial sector is faced by a number of challenges including
inadequate economic and social infrastructure and old and insufficient
central railway line which contributes to delays in clearance of goods
at ports.
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