BANNED PLASTICS: TACKLE PRODUCERS, IMPORTERS
The government banned the import, production, sale and use of plastic bags with effect from June 1, 2019 – thus becoming the 34th out of the 55 African countries to do so.
In that regard, the Prime Minister of the Day, Mr Majaliwa Kassim Majaliwa, called on the plastics producing industries in the country to diversify to some other technology for manufacturing carrying bags instead of using plastics technology.
However, the ban seems not to have been working across the land, as plastic carrying bags are still in use, as can be seen in metropolises and other habitats. Largely as a consequence of this, the National Environmental Management Council (Nemc) has “launched a manhunt for traders selling the plastic bags that were totally banned in 2019 for polluting the environment in general, including water sources in particular.” As reported yesterday, Nemc officials made impromptu/surprise inspection tours of the Kisutu Market and the Machinga Complex Market in the nation’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Friday. In the process, the Nemc officials – accompanied and ably aided by several policemen – “impounded” more than 100 cartons-full of the banned plastic bags that were openly on sale to one and all.
In due course of time and events – said the Nemc Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Manager, Ms Redempta Samuel – the banned plastic bags end up in refuse dumps from where they pollute the environment. ‘Plastic pollution’ is generally “the accumulation of plastic objects and particles – e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads – in the Earth’s environment that adversely affect all living things, including humans”. This is a global problem that cannot be surmounted by a single country, or even by a few countries alone – basically because the oceans are chock-a-block with plastic pollutants, which they continually spread worldwide.
No Sir - and Madam, to be politically-correct... The authorities should tackle importers and manufacturer of the banned items, not hapless retailers and/or consumers
SMEs BANK A POSITIVE MOVE
Between 800,000 and a million youth are spilled onto the country’s jobs market every year, with only about 40-60,000 of then assured of salaried employment.
This makes it imperative for the relevant authorities – including the government – to constantly search for ways and means of engaging the otherwise jobless youth in beneficial occupations of one sort or another.
The occupations should not only keep the youth out of (sometimes criminal) mischief; they should also provide them with the necessary wherewithal, including sustenance, well into the future.
This, in our view, is wherein comes the sixth-phase Government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, which is embarking on establishing a Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Bank – doing so with the guidance and collaboration of the country’s development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The proposed bank would be mandated with the role of functionally addressing the challenges that beleaguer our youth today, including especially the lack of capital for starting up and effectively conducting ‘productive’ activities, including businesses.
The government would also increase the number of Vocational and Educational Training Centres under Veta to provide our youth with suitable knowledge and skills in support of self-employment. We applaud the government’s move to establish an SMEs Bank, and wish it Godspeed in this
