PRESIDENT John Magufuli has commended Unilever Tea Tanzania for putting up a tea processing factory in Njombe region, ordering government officials to shun red tape in investment processes.
President Magufuli issued the order here after launching the Kabambe factory during his tour of the Southern and Southern Highland regions to inspect and launch development projects.
“We have been moving backwards due to undue bureaucracy in some of government executives, leading to delays in achieving the envisaged goals, I therefore call upon all the government executives to avoid bureaucracy in executing their duties,” he directed.
He called upon investors experiencing difficulties due to red tape in the process of investing to report the matter to his office, promising to take strong disciplinary measures against the culprits.
“Officials must be accountable for bureaucratic acts that make our country to be perceived as difficult to put up investments, we need and welcome investors,” President Magufuli said.
He pointed out that the government must come up with a strategic plan on better ways to protect investments in the country and protect industries that will be constructed in the country.
“Over 49bn/- has been invested in this facility (Kabambe Factory), there must be strategic measures to have it protected to ensure it operates smoothly and continues creating jobs and realise our goal of building an industrial based economy,” he said.
He commended the British High Commission, The Wood Foundation, former Chief Secretary Ambassador Philemon Luhanjo, former Speaker Anna Makinda and Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania among others for realising the factory construction.
“I call upon tea farmers in Njombe region to continue cultivating the cash crop to tap the market opportunities of this modern tea processing factory, with the capacity of processing 150 tonnes of tea with 70 percent of tea leaves expected from farmers,” he said.
President Magufuli added that the factory will boost small famers’ income and prompt economic growth in the region and the country in general through revenues from the factory.
Unilever Tanzania Managing Director, David Minja said the company has employed over 7,000 people and benefited over 40,000 others through its investments, including the factory.
“We are committed to ensuring that we offer training on modern tea farming to enable farmers get quality output and get good price for their produce,” he said.
Mr Minja noted that the major challenge faced by the factory is that of poor infrastructure especially roads from farms to the facility leading to perishing of some raw materials before reaching the factory.
