Make joint visits to investors’ premises, Kairuki urges state bodies

From a Correspondent in Shinyanga

DISTRICT and regional representatives of government institutions should visit an investor’s premises on a single day for sake of productivity and convenience on both sides, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (Investments), Angellah Kairuki, advised here yesterday.

She told a consultative meeting attended by representative of the public and private sectors that joint visits to investor’s premises would save time of visitors and hosts and increase productivity.

The minister said currently representatives of public institutions formulated and observed their own visit schedules to investors’ and business premises. Such visits, she said, had inherent inconveniences to hosts because the visits interrupt working schedules of hosts. “I appeal strongly to representatives of government institutions to formulate joint inspection schedules for visiting premises of investors and businesses, instead of a representative visiting people’s premises at a time and day of his or her convenience.  Joint inspection visits will make your hosts do their work conveniently,” she told the meeting.

The minister re-assured the private sector of the government’s continued efforts to improve the environment for doing business, telling the delegates that all concerns and views raised by the
meeting would be worked upon swiftly by the government.  “I want to assure you that the government is determined to continue improving environment for doing business in this country, just as it is determined to ensure this country becomes a middle-income industrial nation come 2025,” she said.

She told the delegates that the government valued consultative meeting because, she explained, when challenges exposed during the meetings were solved national production increased too.  In that vein, the minister said, the government would use concerns raised by delegates to change laws and regulations governing investment and doing business in the country.

Deputy Minister, Finance and Planning, Dr Ashatu Kijaji, told delegates that a total of 164 taxes and levies have been struck off the list.

 She called on banks to consider reducing interest rates on loans because, she said,  the government was charging seven percent interest on money borrowed by banks from the Bank of  Tanzania. “Charging your clients more the 18 percent interest on loans you give them is wrong,” she declared before the meeting also attended by representatives of financial institutions.

Livestock and Fisheries Minister Abdallah Ulega told the delegates that the government had already banned fish imports to promote local production.  He called on prospective investors to make aggressive investments in  livestock and fisheries sectors because, he said,
their products had a ready local and foreign markets.

Shinyanga Regional Commissioner Zainab Telack reported that 729 industries had been established in the region   ---- 13 big, 11 medium and 705 small, all had created 10,150 jobs.  She said 20,289.25 hectares had been set aside for investment in business, agriculture
and industries.

Kahama town had set aside 2,000 ha, Shinyanga district council 5,560 ha, Ushetu 2,110 ha, Kishapu 10,36l.70 ha and Msalala 257.53 ha, she reported.

Ends.