TANZANIA: THE government has directed the new board of directors for the National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC), to exercise integrity and professionalism to build an inclusive economy.
Established under the Empowerment Act No 16 of 2004, the NEEC spearheads economic empowerment initiatives in Tanzania through coordinating, facilitating and monitoring.
Gracing the launch of the new NEEC board at the weekend, the Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs and Coordination), Ms Ummy Nderiananga said so far, the NEEC was doing a good job but called on the new board to up the bar further through innovation.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government trusts that you will perform. I believe that through working together with the NEEC management, you will achieve much more,” she said.
The board, she said, was duty-bound to come up with candid directives that would show the NEEC management what is to be done to further Tanzania’s economic empowerment initiatives.
The new board, which is chaired by Prof Aurelia Kamuzora, will be in office for three years. In her remarks, the NEEC executive secretary, Ms Beng’i Issa said her management will cooperate with the new board in all matters that are meant to increase the involvement of Tanzanians in various economic undertakings.
Particularly, she said, the NEEC management team will cooperate with its board in ensuring that Tanzanians in the special group category [women, youths, the elderly and those with physical disabilities] get actively engaged in all economic undertakings including in public procurement.
“As NEEC, we currently coordinate a total of 72 empowerment funds. This number involves 62 government owned empowerment funds while ten are owned by other institutions which we are bound to receive their operational updates,” she said.
In its empowerment initiatives, the NEEC also conducts training programmes for various groups on how they can utilise the government’s existing systems and also on how they can formalise their business ventures.
The outgoing NEEC Chairman of the board, Prof Lucian Msambichaka urged the new board to build a teamwork spirit while abiding by the policies, laws and regulations governing their work.
Earlier, Ms Stella Mwaiswaga, the Director of Administration and Human Resources in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), made a statement on behalf of the Permanent Secretary Dr Jim Yonazi, emphasising that the council is accountable for ensuring that it monitors the execution of the country’s economic empowerment policy.
“We understand how crucial it is for this Seventh Council board to steer and oversee NEEC to make sure it carries out its responsibilities to the people’s satisfaction. In addition, I would like to congratulate the new members as well as the departing members on their excellent work during the sixth council,” she noted.
