AfricaPress-Tanzania: 2022 about 27.8 million Tanzanians will have possessed National Identity Cards (IDs), thanks to the new modern equipment procured by the government recently.
Speaking at a news conference here yesterday, the Minister for Internal Affairs, George Simbachawene, said the 8.5bn/- machine will start operations by the end of this month, and will have a capacity to produce 9,000 IDs per hour.
According to the minister, the National Identification Authority (NIDA), targets to identify and register 27.8 million Tanzanians, refugees living in the country and resident immigrants countrywide.
“So far, as of March 27,2020 about 21, 823,026 people have been identified and registered out of 27,796,983 targeted population,’’ he said.
However, Mr Simbachawene expressed his dismay over the number of Tanzanians, who have been issued with National Identification Number (NIN) and National IDs.
According to him, only 17.8 million people have NIN but surprisingly only 6 million people have been issued with the IDs.
However, Mr Simbachawene said with the new machine, the government was optimistic that in the next two years, all Tanzanians will have the IDs.
The minister asked NIDA officials to increase pace in identifying and registering the citizens, and refrain from using bad language, while serving the public.
He said within a short period he has been in office, he has received several complaints from the public that they are unhappy by the way NIDA officials treat them.
Mr Simbachawene, therefore said, as from today, he would go for a comprehensive reshuffle within the authority that would see underperforming staff transferred to new duty stations and other assigned different duties.
He equally directed all Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners to make sure that they closely supervise NIDA officials in their areas to ensure that they discharge.
