By Alawi Masare
Dar es Salaam — The
death of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) chairman Salum
Shamte is a blow not only for the sisal industry in Tanzania, but also
for the
entire business community to which he had significant
contribution.
Shamte - who died
at the age of 69 yesterday at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (Moi)
where he was hospitalised following spinal complications - was a
seasoned member of the business community for long.
Apart from leading
the private sector, he was on several boards as chairman or member and
has participated in founding influential organisations of the private
sector.
"He was one of 35
people who set out to form TPSF to unite the private sector. We have
lost the person who knew it properly and who stood firm on issues," said
TPSF acting chairperson Angelina Ngalula.
Shamte fought for
empowering farmers in Tanzania and was pushing for full implementation
of the blueprint which he also participated in formulating. He was one
of members of the team that spent almost five years to prepare the
blueprint book that sets the stage for a raft of amendments to laws and
regulations governing the conduct of businesses
He spent much of
his lifetime in the agriculture sector, especially sisal where he was an
influential commercial farmer who risen to become the leader of the
country's private sector.
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"When I visited him
at the intensive care unit (ICU) on Friday, he insisted on the unity of
the private sector. It was really shocking to hear that he passed on,"
said Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) executive secretary
Godwill Wanga.
He joined the sisal
subsector in 1975 as a director at the London-based Tanganyika Sisal
Marketing Association (TASMA) where he worked for 10 years.
He also happened to
be the chairman of the Tanzania Sisal Authority (TSA) before
privatization of the sisal industry that led to the formation of Katani
Limited, a sisal growing and processing company in Tanzania.
The company
produces sisal fibre through a smallholder outgrower scheme, and sisal
cordage and woven products for the Tanzanian and export markets. It also
produces biogas, electricity and organic fertiliser from sisal biomass
residue and breeds heifers.
Shamte also grew mangoes, rice, chicken and fish.
"A patriot who
dreamed of making Tanzania a top exporter of sisal, a founder of
Agricultural Council of Tanzania died in prison. Hard to swallow," said
opposition politician Zitto Kabwe on Twitter.
Shamte - who is a
former managing director of the Tanga-based sisal firm Katani Limited -
and two officials of the firm were charged last October at Tanga
Resident Magistrate's Court with three counts of economic sabotage
offences including money laundering which is non-bailable.
He remained behind bars until his death.
From 2006 to 2013,
Shamte chaired the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), the private
sector apex agricultural body which he participated in establishing in
1999.
In that period, ACT
was actively involved in the preparation of the Kilimo Kwanza
[Agriculture First], a policy resolve which has put agricultural
transformation at the top of Tanzania's economic agenda.
ACT also runs the
Tanzania Agricultural Partnership programme which brings together
private and public sector players to intervene in the agricultural value
chains.
It has been
instrumental in developing the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of
Tanzania (Sagcot) which Mr Shamte chaired from its inception in 2011 to
2017.
Shamte - who held a
Bachelor's degree in Commerce, and a Master's in Business Management -
has been the vice chairman and board member of the Southern Africa
Confederation of Agricultural Unions (Sacau) a body that brings together
all farmer organisations in Sadc. He also chaired the National Ranching
Company.
By virtue of his
position, he was a member of the Tanzania National Business Council -
the forum chaired by the president of the United Republic of Tanzania
bringing together the private and the public sectors in Tanzania to
address economic issues.
Additional reporting by Bakari Kiango
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