TPSF wants a central unit to oversee implementation of business reforms blueprint

Dar es Salaam. The  association of private businesses want an institutionalised approach to the rollout plan of the Blueprint, a document drafted to improve the ease of doing business in Tanzania.

Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) chairman Salum Shamte said the private sector was not involved in the implementation action plan of the blueprint, warning the situation would adversely affect investments if not revisited.

Mr Shamte told The Citizen that unless the private sector is involved in implementation of the document which started on July 1 this year, changes of laws and regulations may be done by people he said do not apprecuate business challenges.

But Industry and Trade deputy minister Stella Manyanya refuted the TPSF’s claims, saying the government involved the private sector.

She said the implementation of the document will set the stage for a raft of amendments to laws and regulations with a view to improving business environment.

“Saying they are not involved in the implementation of the blueprint suggests that they are inconsistent in following up what is happening,” said Ms Manyanya in a phone interview.

She said while the private sector was involved in each stage of preparation on matters related to changes in laws, they were only not involved in administrative issues.

According to Mr Shamte, the concern among private players is in the capturing of the proposed legal changes that they feel they should at least have a say.

“If not keen, one sentence by government officials implementing the blueprint alone could destroy the intended changes,” Shamte warned.

As it is, he cautioned, the government will keep changing laws every day, a move likely to be translated by investors as unpredictability of the business environment.

Over a week ago Investment minister Angellah Kairuki said drafts of policy changes on a new investment policy were ready to be tabled in Parliament in the next session later in November. It is believed that the new policy will incorporate some of the blueprint recommendations.

“We were involved in the preparation of the blueprint document but we don’t see ourselves deep in the implementation of the action plan,” Mr Shamte said, adding that it was their view that the private sector must be involved in the implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

“We are the ones to be affected by the changes to be made through the blueprint,” said the TPSF boss, who currently doubles as the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) business council chairman.

“It will not sound well if the government alone draws the implementation plan of the document and we as targeted businesses just wait and see,” said Mr Shamte when he spoke to the media. He suggested that the implementation be coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office to get quick results instead of an ad hoc arrangement where different agencies worked on the same.