DED set sight on industrial parks

KATARE MBASHIRU in Tabora

DISTRICT Executive Directors (DEDs) from the lake zone regions plan to establish industrial parks in all the districts, countrywide to speed up transformation of the nation to a semi-industrial economy.

That came out of the just concluded first forum on establishing Regional and Local Government Authorities (LGAs) industrial parks for industrialisation process in Tanzania organised by the registered Trustees of Communication for Development Africa Initiative (DEVCOM).

DEVCOM in collaboration with the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) kicked off its forums to be held in six zones of the country in Tabora, Arusha, Tanga, Morogoro, Mbeya and Mtwara regions.

According to DEVCOM Executive Director, Gaston Kaziri, in consultations with the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities (PO-RALG), DEVCOM decided to prepare “ground breaking” forums in 15 regions and their LGAs on creating Regional and LGAs Industrial Parks (RLIPS).

The regions are: Manyara, Simiyu, Arusha, Morogoro, Tabora, Kigoma,Geita, Kagera, Singida, Mtwara. At the first forum in Tabora, DEDs said they were supporting and implementing the president’s directive on establishing industrial zones in their areas and welcomed a support by DEVCOM, after a presentation by the executive director.

In his presentation, at the first forum, Mr Kaziri said the establishment of industrial parks would promote industrialisation and economic development. Misenyi DED Mr Limbe Maurice suggested that there was a need for the best technology, enough capital and labour if establishing the parks was anything to go by.

Another participant at the forum, Dr Peter Mateso, suggested that for the establishment of industrial parks to prosper, it was equally important to do mapping on every resource that the country has and that the government should expedite the process.

On June 13, 2017, President John Magufuli in his speech in Dar es Salaam directed Regional Commissioners (RCs) to work on all available opportunities of establishing industries in their respective areas.