Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE United Kingdom (UK) government has commended initiatives being undertaken by the sixth phase government to improve the business and investment environment in the country.
The UK government says in addition to such economic development efforts undertaken, promotion of human rights and good governance have altogether strengthened cooperation between the two countries.
The remarks were uttered during a virtual meeting between the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Ambassador Liberata Mulamula and UK Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) James Duddridge.
The talks were part of the implementation of the earlier conversation held between President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Minister Doddridge during his visit to Tanzania early May, this year.
Minister Mulamula noted that, during their talks the two countries agreed to hold a forum that will involve traders and investors from the UK so as to encourage them to come and invest in Tanzania.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Mulamula expressed gratitude to the UK government for supporting Tanzania through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to access 1.3tr/- soft loan to help in tackling economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since being sworn in as the sixth President of Tanzania, Ms Samia has been taking a number of initiatives to improve the business and investment environment in the country.
The government is currently reviewing various laws and policies regulating the business and investment sector to create a conducive climate for investors.
President Samia had in April, this year demanded sweeping reforms in the investment sector, as part of her government’s grand plan to restore trust of investors in the country.
In her directives, she ordered the investment docket under the Prime Minister’s Office to immediately establish a One-Stop Centre in a bid to stamp out bureaucracy in issuance of services. She also insisted that there was no need for investors to hustle around various institutions to secure business certificates and permits.
The president also expressed her concerns over the issuance of work permits, saying there is a bureaucracy that was discouraging and chasing away investors. She also called on Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to work diligently, collect taxes justly, saying she was not in favour of oppressive taxes.
In another development, Minister Mulamula yesterday met and held talks with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ms Clementine Nkwera-Salam.
The minister appealed to the international community to continue supporting the refugee agency so that it can execute its duties effectively including voluntary repatriation of refugees.
“In order for the agency to continue serving the refugees it is important for the international community to continue providing its contribution especially by increasing its budget which will enable UNHCR to fulfill its duties timely and efficiently,” she said.
On her part, Ms Salami commended Tanzania for its long-term support in finding a permanent solution for refugees.
The UNHCR office in Kasulu, Kigoma serves eleven countries which are Burundi, Djibout, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
