Shinyanga invites ‘serious investors’

SULEIMAN SHAGATA in Shinyanga

SHINYANGA Regional Commissioner (RC) Zainab Telack 

SHINYANGA Regional Commissioner (RC) Zainab Telack has revealed some of the opportunities that are available in business which can attract serious internal and external investors in the region.

The RC mentioned the presence of 221,896 hectares of arable land for irrigation. Until now, she said, only 4,899 hectares of the land are used for irrigation farming. A large portion of the land remains
untilled. The region has good soil for farming especially cultivation of cotton, rice, maize, sorghum, soya, sunflowers and groundnuts.
She mentioned also the presence of 2,500 hectares of land reserved for investors. A big part of the area has been covered by social service projects like electricity, water and roads. This area is found in Shinyanga Municipality and Kahama District Council.
The region also is home to a big number of livestock including 1,221,784 cattle, 757,772 goats, 372,351 sheep, 24,538 pigs, 2,308,715 chickens and 19,468 donkeys.
The figures reveal that byproducts of the sector are not used efficiently for lack of investors. For example, a total of 66,973 pieces of cattle skins, 58,521 goat skins and 371,57 of sheep skins are not put to good economic use.
The, absence of a skin processing industry leads to a desire to invite investors to take up the industry. She explained that the region has large forests containing planted and natural which can be used for bee keeping at mainly in Shinyanga, Kishapu and Kahama districts.
At the moment, few residents in these districts capitalize on the presence of forests to produce honey. Shinyanga Region has eight hectares of land which can be used in raising fish in ponds. Although there is a big demand for fish not many residents take of fish farming, a situation that forces business people to shunt in fish from Lake Victoria.
The region has abundant land which can be used for planting trees for timber and charcoal production. The region, which is crossed by a road from Dares salaam to Mwanza and elsewhere has a large population of wild animals.
The RC said the region has attractive tourist places like the presence of the natural warm water spring at Uzogole in Shinyanga Municipality.
Also the area has caves and rocks which were used during the slave trade era for hiding slaves at Usanda in Shinyanga District. Apart from several opportunities available in the area also this region has a lot of mineral deposits like gold, diamond, jewels and gypsum powder at Kahama, Kishapu, Msalala, Shinyanga and Ushetu.