AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE government has identified five key areas to focus on during the implementation of the 3rd National Development Plan (2021/22, to 2025/26) to enable the country attain its goals articulated in its National Development Vision 2025.
The areas include stimulating a competitive and inclusive economy, strengthening industrial production capacity and provision of services. Others are promotion of investment and trade, people’s development, human resources development as well as achieving good governance and rule of law.
Tabling the 114.8tri/- plan in the August House on Thursday, the new Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba said that the proposals for the 3rd National Development Plan will enable the country to attain the objectives of its Vision 2025, including achieving quality and good life for all.
Giving details on the five key areas, Dr Nchemba said that in building a competitive and inclusive economy, the government will implement projects which will focus on building a society that can compete at regional and global levels. The government will also stimulate the stability of economic indicators, strengthen trade and investment environment and develop infrastructure and services such as roads, bridges, marine and air transport, ICT, energy and airports.
He said the focus will also be on value addition to agricultural, livestock, fisheries and mineral products. Dr Nchemba said the government will also encourage production of goods that use locally produced raw materials.
“This area also involves other projects and programmes aimed at enhancing tourism, finance and insurance services,” Dr Nchemba said.
He further said that the government will implement programmes that will help to strengthen local markets and utilise regional and international market opportunities to promote growth and expansion of businesses.
“The targeted markets are those which will provide opportunities for products produced in the country, including agricultural, fisheries, livestock and forestry related products,” the Minister noted.
He explained that through the plan, the government will stimulate people’s development by executing projects that will enhance people’s lives in different aspects among others education and training, health and social welfare.
The plan also targets to improve the provision of water services and environment, city planning, housing and human settlement development and addressing impacts of climate change. Dr Nchemba said that human resources development will involve programmes and strategies aimed at promoting skills development from nursery to tertiary level.
“This area will also include enhancing standards for provision of vocational and technical education, in order to increase efficiency and citizen competitiveness in using available resources, to bring development in the country,” he said.
He said that the 3rd National Development Plan will also include among other things, implementation of strategic projects such as 2,115MW Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project, to enhance Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL), construction of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), Mchuchuma Coal Mine, Liganga Iron Ore Mine and construction of SGR from Mtwara to Mbambabay as well as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline from Hoima (Uganda) to Tanga (Tanzania).
In addition to the five key areas, the plan also focuses on increasing the annual national income from six per cent in 2021 to eight per cent in 2026, with the collections in local government councils being expected to increase from 15.9 per cent in 2021/22 to 16.8 per cent in 2025/26.
“The inflation is expected to remain on single digit form, at a range of between three and five per cent respectively,” Dr Nchemba said.
He said the reserve in foreign currency on import of goods and services will continue to meet the ceiling of a minimum of four months, as well as active involvement of the private sector in creating eight million new employments between July 2021 and June 2026.
Presenting recommendations of the Budget Committee, the Chairman Sillo Baran urged the government to make sure that the plan objectives are being implemented in line with appropriate actions that will help to realise the objectives.
He also said that the government should invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and innovation, to facilitate execution of the plan. Mr Baran said that although the plan encourages local factories to use raw materials produced in the country, the government should find out ways of protecting them, especially those using raw materials which are not available in the country.
He also stressed that the government should make sure that infrastructure identified in the plan is being constructed in strategic areas.
