Majaliwa asks BoA to help foster services in education, agriculture

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.

Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has called upon the Bank of Africa (BoA) to continue with the expansion of its scope of services in Tanzania by putting a special focus on education, agriculture, livestock and minerals.

A statement - a copy of which was availed to The Citizen in Dar es Salaam yesterday - says Mr Majaliwa said this during his recent visit to Rabat, Morocco, where he, among other things, met with the bank’s President, Mr Othman Benjelloun. According to the statement, Mr Majaliwa told Mr Benjelloun that through expanding its services into the four areas, the bank will be able to reach many Tanzanians.

He said Tanzanians were already benefitting from the bank’s presence in the country, and promised that the government would prepare a mechanism that would bring together the bank’s leadership and the private sector in Tanzania to see how they can work together in serving Tanzanians. In response, Mr Benjelloun said the bank’s goal is to grow its investment in Tanzania. “We are ready to invest in areas where Tanzanian leaders will advise us, aiming to contribute to building the economy,” he said.

The minister for Agriculture, Prof Adolf Mkenda, said the bank should help promote Tanzania-Morocco relations in the agricultural sector - especially in crops such as rice, tobacco and coffee.

The Zanzibar minister for Tourism and Antiquities, Ms Leila Muhamed Mussa, said there were some coastal areas that have not been exploited, but which have massive business opportunities. Together with the bank’s participation in various development projects, the bank has shown its determination to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in providing tailor-made products and services.