Bureaucracy will not be tolerated, warns President

Arusha. Investments worth Sh11.7 trillion would soon start flowing into the country, President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced yesterday.

This follows her just-ended visit to the world’s strongest economy during which she unveiled The Royal Tour documentary.

She said upon arriving home that she and her high powered delegation had reached out to a number of potential investors in New York and Dallas.

“We have signed investment projects worth Sh11.7 trillion,” she said upon arrival through the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

She could not reveal the nature of investments but hinted that they will create at least 301,000 jobs if successfully implemented.

However, she warned that this time around she would not tolerate unnecessary hurdles or bureaucracy that would frustrate the investors.

President Hassan addressed a gathering at the airport when she arrived back home from the US aboard Qatar Airways.

She said her trip has generally been successful in that besides launching the documentary she reached out to the international financing agencies.

These included the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank where the two pledged to extend more support to Tanzania.

Discussions were held between her delegation and an American multinational involved in manufacturing of high tech cleaning supplies.

The giant private entity pledged to support the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), the Ifakara Health Institute and an insect control institute in Tanga.

On tourism, she said the response of the American market since The Royal Tour film was premiered has been positive.

“Of course, not much was known on some Tanzania tourism insights but the market response was generally good,” she told a crowd at the airport.

She lauded the private sector players within and outside the tourism sector for their contribution to the successful shooting of the film.

“We should expect goodies,” she said as she headed for Arusha city where she later launched the documentary at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC).

According to President Hassan, tourism, which was severely battered by Covid-19 two years ago, was on the recovery path.

Foreign visitors tumbled three times to 620,000 in 2020 from upwards of 1.3 million the previous year but picked up to 922,992 last year.

This, she said was a 48.6 percent increase while revenue earnings for 2020 was $714 million, rising to $1.2 billion in 2021.

“This was a 76 percent increase. Now we are ready for the influx of tourists,” she said, beaming with confidence.

The shooting and premiering of the film has won the support of the tourism industry players in and around Arusha.

“She has made us proud! Tanzania is a premier destination. It just needed little support as the one Honourable President has done,” said Mr Andrew Malalika, a tour operator.

He added when reached out by The Citizen yesterday: “We, stakeholders, have a role to play too. We should emulate the President’s efforts”.

Mr Malalika, who is the director of Arusha-based Jackpot Safari and Tours, called on fellow players in the industry to “push even harder the tourism wheel that the President has brought in”.