DODOMA: THE Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism expects to collect 968.8bn/- in revenues from institutions under the ministry in the next Financial Year, Parliament was told on Friday.
The collection target was unveiled in the august House by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Angellah Kairuki when moving the 2024/2025 budget estimates for her ministry.
She requested legislators to approve 348.13bn/- in both recurrent and development expenditures. The minister outlined eight key priority areas, including intensifying efforts to market the country’s tourist destinations inside and outside the country as part of a special programme for the Royal Tour and Amazing Tanzania documentaries.
“This includes major strategies such as adverts in major football championships, airline companies, international festivals, international social sites and international media,’’ she said.
Other priorities include identifying and developing strategic tourism products such as historical sites, beach tourism, conference and events tourism, ship, sports, health and cultural tourism.
Another priority will be on strengthening security and protection of wildlife resources, forests, bees and historical products.
ALSO READ: Why Tanzania deserves top tourism investment
“Also, the ministry plans to implement conservation plans and strategies as well as increasing the production and value of forests and bee products,’’ noted the minister.
She added that her ministry was also planning to intensify a massive public education and awareness campaign on conservation as well as the sustainable use of wildlife, forests and beekeeping resources among others.
Additionally, the minister said that the government will strengthen systems for the availability of proper statistics, conduct strategic research and offer advice on sustainable conservation.
Furthermore, Ms Kairuki said that the government will implement strategies to increase revenue, strengthen revenue collection systems, and double foreign currencies.
In efforts to protect wild animals and those destroying people’s crops, the minister said that her ministry will spend 45.1bn/- in the next fiscal year to overcome that challenge.
Among the important plans that will be implemented, she said, the government through the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) will purchase two helicopters.
In what comes as good news, in the 2024/25 financial year, Ms Kairuki said, through its various institutions, the ministry will employ a total of 850 conservation officers.
ALSO READ: NMB supports tourism sector growth in Arusha
TANAPA will get the lion’s share of 454 officers, followed by the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) with 345 new officers, and NCAA with 51.
The move seeks to intensify patrols and protect wild animals from attacking civilians. Also, she said, the government expects to construct 10 centres for conservationists in the districts of Mbarali, Kalambo, Kilwa, Bariadi, Manyoni, Kilosa, Rufiji, Morogoro Rural, Babati, and Monduli.
“The ministry plans to use technology in the fight against wild animals by buying 16 drones through TANAPA (13 drones), TAWA (2 drones), and NCAA (1 drone),’’ she said, adding that through the Tanzania Wildlife Protection Fund (TWPF) it will also purchase 100 GPS Satellite Collars that will be used to trace the whereabouts of such animals.
In the next financial year, the minister noted that TANAPA expects to record a total of 1,950,000 tourists, an increment of about 6.5 per cent.
She added that the authority will equally intensify electronic systems for revenue collection by installing 30 smart gates in eight national parks, including Arusha, Mkomazi, Lake Manyara, Mikumi, Nyerere, Ruaha, Kilimanjaro and Serengeti.
However, in parliament yesterday, MPs were not satisfied with the 19bn/- that the ministry increased on its budget. 5bn/- (26 per cent) is for development projects, while 14bn/- (74 per cent) was allocated for Other Charges (OC).
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, Natural Resources, and Tourism, Timotheo Mnzava, said that in that increment, his committee was not happy with the ratio in which the money was distributed due to various reasons.
“This is due to the fact that some institutions under the ministry are renting offices, others have accumulated debts, poor infrastructures while our people are still facing a challenge of wild animals invading their residences,’’ he said.
ALSO READ: AICC new boss vows to heighten conference tourism
Therefore, the 22-member committee suggested that the increment should be slashed as it was not adding value to the problems and challenges bedeviling Tanzanians.
“This amounts to extravagance, as MPs we cannot agree to see this increment to be spent in OC sailing through in this House while our people are struggling with poor roads, they have no access to clean and safe water and other important social services,’’ said the vocal CHADEMA’s Special Seats lawmaker, Ms Ester Bulaya.
No comments :
Post a Comment