Manufacturers’ awards open

Dar es Salaam. The Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) and Bank M officially unveiled the President’s Manufacturer of the Year Awards (Pmaya) 2016 competition in Dar es Salaam yesterday, calling upon both members and nonmembers to participate.

Pmaya is an annual event on the calendar of the CTI.

This year’s Pmaya winners will be known at a gala dinner that will be held next year.

CTI executive director Leodegar Tenga said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the move to accommodate non-CTI members in this year’s competition stems from an advice that was given to them by President John Magufuli when he graced the Pmaya gala dinner earlier this year.

“Pmaya Patron, President Magufuli, has decided to widen participation by allowing nonmembers to participate in the competition. It is our belief that inviting nonmembers to participate in this year’s Pmaya competition will increase the number of participants and make the contest more competitive,” he said. Pmaya aims at recognizing and appreciating the industrial sector’s important role in Tanzania’s economic development process.

It seeks to encourage and motivate investors in the industrial sector. Pmaya publicises the importance of the industrial sector in the country and raises the standard of business practices as well as promote sound corporate governance in the country. During yesterday’s briefing CTI and with the competition assessors, Ishara Consulting Limited, made a presentation to review the Pmaya basing on the assessment observations from the 2015 event.

The presentation aimed at, among other things, enabling companies that wish to participate this year to be able to better fill in the questionnaires and understand the purpose and importance of the information requested.

For her part, Bank M’s chief executive officer designate Jacqueline Woiso said her bank has been compelled to support the initiative as a way of supporting the government’s industrialisation drive.

“We are proud to support the local manufacturing industry not only financially and in banking services but also through this prestigious competition. The Industrial sector plays a central role in the economic growth of Tanzania. We take this opportunity also to encourage more participants to participate in the awards,” said Ms Woiso.