| Tanzanians could 'lose out in EAC' | Send to a friend |
| Monday, 08 March 2010 11:18 |
 By ZEPHANIA UBWANI, ARUSHATanzanians have been warned that unless they change their attitude, they are likely to lose in the East African Common Market set to become operational in July this year. Some regional analysts believe that Tanzania would be left behind by their counterparts in the regional bloc because they lack the necessary business skills and some also lack confidence. Key officials from both the public and private sectors have warned that many Tanzanians are not aggressive enough in business compared to their counterparts in the region. They said with the coming into force of the EA Common Market, Tanzania could be left behind by Kenya, the region's economic powerhouse as well as tiny Rwanda and Uganda in tapping the potentials of the regional market. Ms Jacquiline Mkindi, the executive director of the Tanzania Horticulture Association (Taha) said without radical changes in the way of doing business Tanzania was not likely going to benefit much from the Common Market like her neighbours. She said compared to Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, business people in Tanzania lagged behind in skills besides not being aggressive enough in sales and marketing. She attributed the "apparent sluggishness" to lack of confidence, little exposure and the age-old attitude and mindsets of thinking the government can do everthing for them. Ms Mkindi, speaking during the official launching of the Youth Parliamentary Forum in Arusha recently, said the situation has been compounded by poor communication skills among Tanzanians. She said it was unfortunate that at the current stage of globalisation, many Tanzanians shunned English language, many of them not because they could not understand the language but due to lack of confidence. "I have seen potential exporters and officials avoiding English. How can Tanzanians transact business with the rest of the world without commanding the global languages such as English?" she asked. She further warned there were times when locally produced products cannot compete with those of other countries for not complying with the set standards. However, she noted that not all woes facing the country's competitiveness were to blame on the business people but the government as well. These included lack of credit facilities such as the agricultural and land banks and recent impostion of VAT on airfreight which adversely affected the horticultural exports. Her remarks were echoed by the Arusha regional commissioner Isidore Shirima who said many Tanzanians have not done away with the habit of complaining everytime things go the wrong way. "This is a syndrome we should avoid. We should change our mindsets by working hard instead of complaining" he told youths at the Forum organised by an Arusha-based youth lobby group called Youth Development Network (YDN) . He said the problem was not only confined to the business sector but has extended to the education system, leading to mischiefs such as leakage of examination papers. The RC stated that young men and women in schools and other institutions of learning now felt proud to steal exam papers rather than studying hard in order to pass examinations. "These days we are seeing a lot of students passing with Division One" he pointed out, cautioning some high marks could have been scored through cheating. Mr. Shirima challenged the youth to work hard for the country's development, saying compared to her neighbours, Tanzania was far more rich in natural resources. He told them to emulate Rwandans who have decided to transform their tiny country into an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub for the region. He cited the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) that had set the pace for nurturing 'scientific brains' in the EA region and that Tanzania should invest heavily in science and technology. Job Ndugai, the MP for Kongwa also scorned the 'blame culture' which he said was characteristic of many Tanzanians, addint that the attitude undermined the country's progress. He cited many unemployed people who, instead of seeking skills, wasted much time seeking favours and handouts from the leaders and public officials including MPs. Dr.Flora Musonda, the East African Community director of Trade implored on Tanzanian youths to wake up and vie for jobs available in the five partner states. She said under the EAC Common Market, there would be freedom of goods, services and labour within the region, among other things. "Youths should take advantage of jobs created in the five partner states and work there. You should also take advantage of self-employment such as vocational jobs" she said. Visa and other travel documents were currently being harmonised to ease movement of youth across borders in the region for greener pastures. Such movements, she added, would assit youth to acquire more skills to raise their competitiveness while Right of Establishment will allow them to establish themselves anywhere in the region. However, Dr.Musonda, a Tanzanian , cautioned that for the opportunities to be real, the Tanzanian youth neede appropriate skills, required expertise and education. The EAC Common Market Protocol was officially signed by the five EAC heads of state on November 20th last year after nearly two years of hard negotiations. The Protocol is now undergoing the process of ratification at national level by the partner states. Th process is expected to be finalised by April 30th this year. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
| Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 11:52 |
