Priority areas for next financial year unveiled

Dodoma. Finance and Planning minister Philip Mpango yesterday tabled the 2019/2020 budget speech in Parliament outlining priority areas on which the government will set its focus.

Dr Mpango, who was highlighting key areas in the government development plan for 2019/2020, which he tabled in the House, will focus on sustaining macroeconomic performance.

According to the plan, the government intends to sustain growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) at the average rate of 6.9 per cent and ensure that inflation rate remains in the single digit.

Dr Mpango showed that some of the key projects from last year’s development plan were included in next year’s plan.

These include those related to agriculture and education.

According to him, the government will continue to ensure that the stability of the shilling against other currencies is sustained and that efforts to reduce poverty incidence cuts the phenomenon from 28.2 per cent to 26.4 per cent.

He further said that the plan to relocate the operations of the central government to the Capital, Dodoma, and development of the government city involving construction of 23 government office buildings for all ministries and that of the Attorney General’s Chambers, with basic amenities including electricity, water and roads, will continue to be implemented in the new budget.

Another priority area, according to Dr Mpango, is the commencement of the implementation of the fast tracking of the industrialisation strategy in order to improve electronic revenue collections as well as improving its administration.

He also revealed that so far the private sector and the social security funds have invested in industrial projects, whereby 7 out of 25 projects were being developed by the funds.

Government financial management has been strengthened, including establishment of the Treasury Single Account, the minister insisted.

Dr Mpango also said that the government will continue combating corruption and embezzlement of public funds, whereby, according to Transparency International Report of 2018, Tanzania is ranked 16th among the Sub-Saharan African states compared to 27th in 2015.