Tanzania Industry Minister says Govt doesn’t aim to put a ban on exports

Dar es Salaam. The Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Charles Mwijage said on Thursday October 4 that, as a minister, he cannot put restrictions on exports by local manufacturers.

“But I have to ensure that what’s produced locally, satisfies local needs,’’ he said during the Mwananchi Thought Leadership Forum in Dar es Salaam.

The forum brought together stakeholders to discuss opportunities, challenges and solutions for Tanzania as the country seeks to graduate into a semi industrialized middle income economy by the year 2025.

“The middle income economy that we want to build is one where every Tanzanian earns $3000 a day and not $1000. Let’s remain calm. We just have to have to maintain peace and good governance,’’ he said.

Presenting the Economic Survey Report for 2017 and the National Development Plan for 2018/19 in Parliament on June 14, 2018, the Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Phillip Mpango said on average, a Tanzanian was worth Sh2.26 million in 2017 from Sh2.086 million in 2016.

In United States Dollar terms, Tanzania’s per capital GDP rose to $1,021 in 2017 from $958 in 2016, said Dr Mpango said.

The Per capita GDP is a measure of the total output of a country that takes the GDP and divides it by the number of people in that country.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, October 04, 2018, Mr Mwijage said the industries which would be put up are those targeting special natural resources and those that are inclusive.

‘In order to build an industrialized economy, it’s not necessary we do this in the Workshop. If one can deal in fruits, transport and sales, that’s also participating in industrialization,” he said.