PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa underscored the importance of creating a vibrant tourism sector while directing authorities in Zanzibar to ensure timely and effective rehabilitation of Mkoani Hotel in Pemba Island.
He said the ongoing facelifting of the state-owned hotel will help attract more tourists to Pemba Island, and eventually boost the tourism sector and create job opportunities for locals.
The Premier gave the instructions to the Permanent Secretary for Finance and Planning in the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Mr Khamis Mussa Omar, during a tour of the project.
Mr Majaliwa pointed to the fact that completion of the rehabilitation work will pave the way for bolstering tourism while creating jobs for Tanzanians who will be working at the hotel.
Rehabilitation of the hotel which is situated in Mkoani District in South Pemba region is being funded by the Zanzibar Social Security Fund (ZSSF) at a cost of 4bn/-.
“It is without doubt that the refurbishment of the hotel will provide more rooms for tourists visiting the Pemba Island and at the same time create new jobs for youth and women,” stated Mr Majaliwa.
“Not only that, the renovation of the facility will play a role in boosting technology, increased revenue collections to the government and improving the welfare of the people,” he added.
Earlier, the Investment Manager at ZSSF, Mr Abdulaziz Ibrahim Idd, said the renovation work for Mkoani Hotel started in July, last year and is slated to be completed in March, this year.
“Before the renovation, Mkoani Hotel was a one-storey building with just eight rooms but we have expanded it to three-storey building with 16 rooms, including two rooms for very important persons (VIPs),” Mr Idd told the PM.
He noted further that the renovation work also included construction of a conference hall which can host 100 people at once, in addition to a modern restaurant and laundry services for guests and other people wishing to have such services.
“The refurbishment is 80 per cent complete. Upon completion it will create employment opportunities for 50 people and thus play a crucial role in uplifting the welfare of the people,” he stated.
The state-owned Mkoani Hotel was established way back in 1974 to boost tourism in Pemba Island but it has been inactive for almost 12 years due to dilapidated buildings.
It was at this juncture that the President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, handed over the facility to ZSSF to revamp and operate the hotel.
