PRESIDENT Ali Mohamed Shein on Saturday laid a foundation stone for the construction of the first ever ‘shopping mall’ at Michenzani, with a call on using local engineers in the construction industry.
“We have trained many engineers; let us cultivate trust that they are capable of working to the required standards,” said Dr Shein at Mapinduzi Square, where people gathered after he inspected the construction site before laying a foundation stone.
The event is among activities coinciding with commemorations for the 56th anniversary of the revolution climaxing at Amani Stadium next Sunday.
He said that since after the January 12, 1964 revolution, Zanzibar has been building the country earnestly.
Most of the old buildings were built by local engineers and the buildings are still strong to-date, he pointed out.
“Let us use our own experts because we trained them to do the work. We have to honour their profession by giving them construction work. This will also help us minimize funds we pay to foreign experts,” he remarked.
Michenzani residential flats are being cited as an example of the government’s commitment to ensure that people here live in decent houses.
“We have now turned towards developing the town and must therefore have shopping malls,” he said.
The Finance and planning Minister Ambassador Mohamed Ramia Abdiwawa thanked Dr Shein for being a leader who is committed to developing Zanzibar, which is fancied as a popular tourist destination in the East African region.
According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr Khamis Mussa, the projects at Michenzani include the shopping Mall and Sheikh Thabit Kombo building owned by the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) youth wing.
The projects being funded by the Zanzibar Social Security Fund (ZSSF) at the cost of about 27.9bn/- for the six storey mall, and 9.7bn/- for the five storey CCM youth (Mwembe-kisonge) building, plus abasement, is scheduled for completion in the middle of this year.
