Economic Processing Zone in Kibaha set to create 15,000 jobs

Kiluwa Steel Group Company Limited executive director Mohammed Kiluwa. Photo |File

What you need to know:

  • At least 20 industries are expected to create a total of 15,000 job opportunities when they begin their production processes at a special zone (Kiluwa Processing zone) in Kibaha District in Coast Region before the end of this year.

Kibaha. A total of 15,000 jobs are expected to be created at the end of this year when 20 industries put their investment facilities at Kiluwa Free Processing Zone in Kibaha District in Coast Region, ready to start production.

This was said by Kiluwa Steel Group Company Limited executive director Mohammed Kiluwa, who donated the processing zone, when briefing journalists on the expected projects in the area yesterday.

Mr Kiluwa said he had so far reached out to 73 international investors who were willing and expected to start putting up their investment projects in the area as a way of meeting President Magufuli’s industrial expectations by 2025.

“The 1,000-hectare area will host a total of 73 industries. We are expecting to have at least 20 companies at the end of this year; four of them have already brought in investment facilities, including machines, in the area,” he said.

He added that at least 15,000 Tanzanians would be employed in the 20 companies that would be part of the zone.

For his part, the acting director of Investment Facilitation (DIF) from the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC), Mr Ayubu Sizya, said they were focusing on ensuring that local and international investors who would want to invest in Tanzania were getting a conducive environment for their projects.

“We are always encouraging more investors to grab the available opportunities in our country.

“For instance, if all the 73 title deeds in this area get investors, then we expect more than 40,000 job opportunities to be created,” he said.

Mr Sizya called upon Tanzanians with bare lands to submit them to TIC, which would further distribute them to those willing to invest in industrial production.

“Tanzanians who own lands and who are willing to let it be used by investors should contact us (TIC) in a bid to get investors to such areas,” he said.

Some of the industries will, among other things, produce refrigerators, Air Conditioning equipment as well as engage in timber processing using waste as raw materials and assemble vehicles, according to Mr Kiluwa.