TANZANIA National Parks (TANAPA) is on the verge of establishing its service and investment wing in a bid to complement the authority’s efforts of managing 22 national parks in the country.
The authority’s Conservation Commissioner, Dr Allan Kijazi, revealed here yesterday that the service and investment wing will become operational by March this year.
Among other things, the special wing will be tasked with the responsibility of rehabilitating dilapidated infrastructure in national parks and protected areas to ensure that such attractions become accessible throughout the year.
According to Dr Kijazi, the special service and investment wing will be comprised of Tanapa staff.
“Apart from the paramilitary unit, plans are also underway to establish such a wing with a sole purpose of maintaining our national parks and eventually lure in more tourists,” hinted the Tanapa boss.
Dr Kijazi, who was speaking during the inauguration of the Tanapa’s board of trustees, further disclosed that the authority responsible for the management of Tanzania’s national parks will this financial year strive to repair some damaged infrastructure inside the national parks, following the ongoing rains.
The Conservation Commis sioner pointed out that the ongoing rains witnessed in different parts of the country, had dealt national parks and protected areas major blow, rendering them almost impassable.
“Some of our roads have been badly damaged by the deluge and this has a tremendous decline of tourists visiting our national parks,” he said.
Dr Kijazi also singled out the novel coronavirus infection as one of the factors that saw a decline in tourists visiting the country.
On his part, General (Retired) George Waitara, who will be chairing the eight-man board members for a second term, took stock of the achievements of the team that was appointed by President John Magufuli.
“One of the successes that we will all be proud of is the implementation of the paramilitary unit in Tanapa and of course settling the contentious concession fee debate,” explained the former Chief of Defence Forces.
In his remarks before inaugurating the Tanapa board of trustees, Tourism and Natural Resources Minister Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla challenged the board to roll out strategic plans of boosting revenue collection as well as promoting the southern tourism circuit.
“You have six new national parks to your name…therefore you have an enormous task of promoting these attractions and this entails rehabilitating and upgrading their infrastructure and constructing hotel facilities,” the minister remarked.
