Private sector calls for prompt, firm decisions

        Dodoma. Members of the business community are unhappy with what they say is dillydallying on the part of government officials on matters related to business and investment, saying this has a negative impact on the economy.

Meeting under the auspices of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), they said indecision among some government officials was hampering the industrialisation drive.

Speaking during the third high-level public-private dialogue on doing business in Tanzania held in Dodoma recently, the chairman of Parliament’s Industry, Trade and Investment Committee, Mr Sadick Murad, said some government officials responsible for decision-making on the matters related to trade and investment were dragging their feet.

“My committee has discovered that many matters related to trade and investment have yet to be harmonised, and coordination between government officials is poor, leading to unnecessary delays in decision-making,” he said.

Mr Murad said dillydallying in making decisions on important issues invariably led to corruption, adding that this was contrary to what President John Magufuli’s government stood for.

“Discussions in meetings such as this are very important since they will help to give the country’s direction as far as socioeconomic development is concerned,” he said.

The meeting brought together representatives from the private sector and the government to chart out the best ways of improving the investment and business environments in the country.

Earlier, TPSF executive director Godfrey Simbeye said the private sector needed to be fully involved if the government hoped to attain its goal of transforming Tanzania into a middle-income economy in the next few years.

“The private sector has a pivotal role to play in the whole process,” Mr Simbeye said, adding that the private sector’s involvement would be easier if the government promptly addressed various challenges investors were facing.

Industry, Trade and Investment minister Charles Mwijage, who chaired the dialogue, said the government was committed to improving the business and investment environments as part of the drive to transform Tanzania into a middle-income economy by 2025.