Africa-Press – Tanzania. A NEW survey released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that in 2019 the informal sector contributed a total of 6.2tri/-, an equivalent to 22.5 per cent of Dar es Salaam Region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
During the year under review, Dar es Salaam region’s GDP amounted to roughly 23.9tri/-.
he findings were announced on Monday in Dar es Salaam by the Government Chief Statistician Dr Albina Chuwa, saying a total value of investment in the informal sector in the recorded at 901.5bn/-.
A report titled ‘Contribution of Informal Sector to the Dar es Salaam GDP in 2019, also revealed that out of 901.5bn/- investment, 436.6bn/- was on mechanical garages while 188.7bn/- was injected in agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors.
According to Dr Chuwa, players of the informal sector also invested a total of 81.1bn/- in Dar es Salaam’s food and hospitality sector.
“Also the annual average income of individuals who ventured in the informal sector in Dar es Salaam by the year 2019 was recorded at 11.4m/-,” she explained in the event that was attended by the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Amos Makalla.
Expounding further she said, Dar es Salaam constitutes 10 per cent of Tanzania population going by the official statistics from the 2012 Population and Housing Census, as a result it was crucial for the bureau to undertake such a study.
Speaking of the business ownership, she said 41.9 are owned by youth aged between 15 and 35 years old of which women owned 57.4 per cent of the business and the remaining 42.6 are possessed by men.
Moreover, 61.9 per cent of owners of the informal business applied for loans for the sake of improving their investment capital while 46.1 percent sought to get market information based on their activities.
This is the second time that NBS is conducting a survey on the contribution of the informal sector to the economy of Dar es Salaam.
The first one was carried out in 1995.
For his part, the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Mr Makalla commended NBS and in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO) for conducting the survey, noting that the findings are so useful for development of the region.
He said, findings of the report have come at the right time as the government has just completed an exercise of relocating petty traders to their new designated areas.
“In our region, we are working closely with petty traders, bodabodas and all others in the informal sector,” he said, noting that they are also executing a plan to clean up the region for it to increase the contributions to the national income,” he noted further.
According to the RC, the study has also enabled authorities and residences in Dar es Salaam to identify opportunities that are yet to be explored for the greater interest of the individuals, regional and country’s economic growth.
Mr Makalla also reminded Dar es Salaam residents to get ready for the Population and Housing Census that will be conducted in August 2022.
Speaking in August this year, Dr Chuwa said the government is fully committed to overseeing the census, which is expected to take place next year while calling upon Tanzanians to show up in large numbers during the exercise.
“This census will be the sixth to be administered by the sixth phase government with great professionalism. We expect to count more than 64 million people, as each year the number of people increases by 3.1 million according to the last census conducted in 2012 of 49 million people,” she said.
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