THE National Service (JKT) plans to spend 9.96bn/- in the construction and renovation of infrastructure it its camps to allow all youth who complete Advanced Secondary Education in the country to join compulsory training.
The improvement of the infrastructure follows instructions issued by President Samia Suluhu Hassan during the climax of JKT’s 60th anniversary celebrations that called for improvement of infrastructure in camps.
Speaking in Dodoma yesterday, JKT Chief Major General Rajabu Mabele said that there has been an increase in number of youth who complete Form Six, requiring them to join compulsory training.
“Plans for the year 2023/2024 include making improvement to the existing infrastructure and building new ones,” he said.
“In 2022, youth who joined the training in accordance with the law were 26,000 where in 2023 the number has increased to 52,119, equivalent to an increase of about 54 per cent. So, the goal is to ensure that all youth completing A-Level join this important training that is why we need to expand our infrastructures.”
Major General Mabele said that in 2023/2024 financial, JKT also expects to improve infrastructure in vocational training colleges’ camps to help youth who join the volunteering programme to learn work skills and entrepreneurship.
The skills are useful in helping youths to survive in the community after completing training.
“We have added one VETA Kibondo-Kigoma college. Youth who join the volunteering programme have 24 months of which four months are for learning military activities and 20 months are for learning work skills. We must improve these colleges so that we can provide this skills efficiently” he said.
In addition, Major General Mabele said that JKT also expects to continue with the construction of the Chita Irrigation Scheme Project for the purpose of providing training to youth as well as reducing the costs of feeding them, noting that the government has already allocated 4bn/- for the purpose .
“We want to increase the agricultural areas to strengthen food security and make Tanzania a food basket in the world. In 2022/23, we had 3,950 acres of rice but in 2023/24 we expect to increase them to 5,000 acres that will produce 6,750 tonnes.We farmed 6,626 acres of maize in 2022/23 but we expect to increase to 8,500 acres that will produce 12,750 tonnes” he said.
“In 2022/23 also we farmed 2,115 acres of sunflowers and we expect to increase them to 6,000 that will produce 2,160 tonnes, we will also start cultivating other food crops such as beans and cassava so that by 2024/2025 JKT can be food self-sufficient,” he added.
Major General Mabele said that another plan to be implemented by JKT in 2023/2024 includes strengthening industries and other production activities carried out through his company SUMA JKT so as to continue contributing to the country’s economic growth through taxes and dividends given to the government.
“Through the Ministry of Defense and National Service, 3bn/- has already been allocated to develop the Mgeda plantation, but also through internal revenue we will continue to strengthen our factories including the Mgulani Garment Factory, leather factory at Mlalakua, the furniture factory at Chang’ombe as well as other food processing factories for adding value to food crops” he said.
