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By John Nditi in Morogoro
AT
least 5,400 Tanzanians are set to get employment during the
implementation of Stiegler's Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station (SGHPS),
which will be able to generate over 2,100MW.
Minister for
Energy, Dr Medard Kalemani, told the Parliamentary Committee on Energy
and Minerals, which visited the construction site recently, that 5,000
Tanzanians would be employed as
temporary workers and 400 others would
be employed under permanent contracts.
The parliamentary
committee, which visited the construction site to assess mobilisation
procedures, was led by its chairman, Mr Danstan Kitandula.
According to Mr
Kalemani, between 3,000 and 5,000 Tanzanians will be employed during the
construction, while between 250 and 400 others will get permanent
employment after construction.
"Other 400
Tanzanians will be employed when the project starts to generate 2,225MW.
This means they will be employed after construction," he noted.
He added: "Employment opportunities will help Tanzanians get income and improve their lives."
According to Dr
Kalemani, the implementation of the project will uplift the livelihoods
of Mloka villagers in Rufiji District in Cost Region and of Kisaki
villagers in Morogoro Region.
He added that the
project would enable the supply of electricity to 37 villages in Kibiti
and Chalinze. A total of 12 villages will be connected to electricity
under Tanzania Rural Energy Agency (REA) programme.
The government signed a construction agreement with Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric from Egypt in December 2018.
Speaking after the
signing of the contract, Speaker of National Assembly Job Ndugai
reaffirmed the Parliament's commitment to supporting the implementation
of the hydropower project. Mr Ndugai praised the government for
achieving what he described as a "historic landmark."
He added that: "As
Parliament, we will support the initiative by allocating sufficient
funds to make this project successful and useful."
The project is
expected to cost 6.5tri/-. In October 4, 2018, Prime Minister Kassim
Majaliwa visited the construction site and asked all Tanzanians and
experts to play their roles effectively in ensuring proper
implementation of the project.
In February, this
year, the government handed over the site to the Egyptian contractor.
The move paved the way for the contractor to officially start the job
that will avail additional 2,100MW to the national grid.
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