Turn Mkulazi into industrial hub: premier

Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed the ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to develop the Mkulazi Agro-processing industrial area in Morogoro Municipality to make it one of the major Special Economic Zones (SEZ).

The Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) and the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) are supposed to be the major players in implementation of the directive whish is also crossed by the Tanzania and Zambia Railway (Tazara).

Mr Majaliwa gave the directive  yesterday,  after paying a visit to the EPZA headquarters and the Tanzania Tooku Garments, situated at Mabibo External  in the city,  where he held  discussions with  the management and rest of staff.

He also tasked the regional commissioners of Morogoro, Coast, Iringa, Mbeya and Songwe to work closely with the EPZA to identify potential areas traversed by the Tazara railway, that need improvement.

“Chart your regional plans clearly in a manner that simplifies the execution of projects;  they have to appear in development plans in  your respective areas of jurisdiction,” he said.

“These plans should match with industrial strategies for the Second Five Year Development Plan (FYDP II),” he added,  and told RCs to put in place security systems that would assure safety of railway infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the prime minister commended the Chinese  Ambassador  to Tanzania, Dr Lu Youqing, for the efforts he  was making to attract investors to the country.

“Last month, I visited the steel factory in Mlandizi which is operated jointly  by Tanzania and China. I also paid a visit to a tiles factory in Mkuranga; and today we have a Chinese textile factory whose products are being exported  even to the United States,” he said.

He added: “I am so impressed to learn that 99 per cent of the workforce here are Tanzanians and the remained one  per cent are foreigners who are undertaking professional tasks. I am also delighted to see clothes bearing  ‘Made in Tanzania’ labels;  this proves that  our country is making progress,” he remarked further. 

He said  the  government is determined to establish more industries that would uplift the national economy and reduce poverty and unemployment. 

The prime minister  told workers to work hard, to survive in the  the labour market. 

“I am told that there are about 1,500 employees here, moreover they will keep employing new workers  up to the 6,000  figure. It’s a good move and I ask you to make  the best use of it by working very hard,” he said.

For his part, the EPZA Director General (ret) Col, Joseph Simbakalia said the authority was established purposely to steering and implementing government policy on promotion of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the country.

“We are also responsible to initiate, develop and managing the activation and recovery industries in the in Tanzania,”

He said the authority started with the capital $22 million and managed to generate it to the current amount of $4 Billion from 140 investing companies.