FCT urged to prioritise social welfare in appeal decisions

ARUSHA: THE Fair Competition Tribunal (FCT) has been instructed to carry out thorough reflection on appeal decisions that impact people’s lives in the interest of social welfare and national development.

The directive was issued on Monday in Arusha by the Director of Policy, Planning, and Coordination from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr Needpeace Wambuya, on behalf of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Hashil Abdallah, during the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop for newly appointed board members of the tribunal.

He stated that the government’s goal is to strengthen the national economy through investment in industries and the fair conduct of business, including efforts to ease the burden on consumers.

“This tribunal was established to protect consumers in the market and to contribute to economic growth. Therefore, justice delivered by this tribunal should promote innovation and productivity, as well as capital development. Deliver decisions in accordance with the law and the evidence presented,” he said.

He emphasised that the nation aspires to have an economy worth 1 trillion US dollars and thus, a conducive environment for development must be created by aligning with the priorities outlined in the National Development Vision 2025– 2030, including continued investment in industrial growth along with ensuring national security and safety.

ALSO READ: Isles registers progress in social welfare

Chairperson of the Tribunal, Justice Rose Ebrahim, stressed that the training aims to enhance the members’ capacity to effectively execute their duties and deliver sound decisions when reviewing case files, to boost the country’s business performance.

Meanwhile, Mr Mbeyu Kaskasi, Registrar of the Fair Competition Tribunal said that the tribunal is responsible for hearing appeals from various regulatory bodies, including the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) and the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA).

This month (August), the tribunal is expected to handle 32 cases involving local traders and mergers between domestic and foreign companies.

“We thank President Samia for appointing us as members of this board. From now on, our decisions will be delivered in a timely manner, and we will also adopt better business strategies to strengthen business clusters across the country,” he said.