MWANZA: MWANZA regional authorities have invited the Cuban companies to explore and invest in the various production sectors in Tanzania for the benefits of the people of the two countries. Furthermore, the government re-affirmed its commitment to continue strengthening and broadening the relations, which exist between the two countries.
Mwanza Regional Commissioner Amos Makalla made the remark here on Monday, when he was welcoming the Cuban Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Yordenis Vera, during his two-day official visit in the region.
Mr Makalla said the region is rich in raw materials that could provide opportunities for investing to add value to various economic sectors, including agricultural sector (crop and livestock) and fishing products.
“There is great potential for investing in these areas including setting up industries for production of animal, fish feeds, fish cages and fertilisers,” he pointed out.
He said Mwanza region is a business gateway to the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mr Makalla said Tanzania and Cuba over the years have been enjoying the high level political and diplomatic relations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels which continue to cement the relationship.
Citing an example, the regional boss said Tanzania and Cuba established diplomatic relations in 1962 soon after the former attained her independence.
“Since then, the relations between the two countries have remained excellent, vibrant and continued to expand,” he said.
He said however the historical bond between the two countries was nurtured by the close personal relationship between the father of the nations, the late Mwl Julius Nyerere and the late Commandant Fidel Castro Ruz.
“The two leaders laid a firm foundation of friendship and brotherhood, which has been maintained by the subsequent national leaders of the two countries,” he added.
At the international level, Mr Makalla said Tanzania and Cuba continued to have a common stand where they have always demonstrated solidarity on issues of mutual concern.
In a related development, Mr Makalla praised the Cuban government for continuing to improve the relationship in medical matters for both countries where in 1990, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding on medical cooperation that covers different areas including deployment of Cuban medical personnel (doctors, experts and nurses) to both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
He said by 2022 there were more than 860 Cuban health professionals, who were dispatched to provide services to Tanzanians.
He said currently there are 26 Cuban medical personnel working in different hospitals and educational institutions, whereas in Tanzania mainland there are 16, where three of them are still working at Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital and nine in Zanzibar.
For his part, the Ambassador Vera said the Cuban government will continue to cement the available long relationships between the two countries in the education, health, agriculture and fishing sectors.
He said his government will be ready to exchange has so far registered and issued national identification cards to 84.3 per cent of the eligible, the National Identification Authority (NIDA) announced recently.
Speaking during the launch of an ID card issuance exercise for Mwanza region, NIDA Mwanza Regional Senior Registration Officer Mr Daud Abdallah, said that latest information they have is that the number of those registered stands at 716,245.
“This is equivalent to 84.3 per cent of the target of registering 1,786,876 people,” said Mr Abdallah at an event that was graced by the Mwanza Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) Mr Elkana Balandya.
Mr Abdallah has called on the public to take advantage of the opportunity as the main criteria for registration is reaching the age of 18 years old.
“For the Mwanza region the authority has a target of registering 1,786,876 citizens but until now the authority has succeeded registering and identifying citizens and foreign residents together and their number has reached 1,506,536 which is equal to 84.3 per cent of the target,” he said.
He said that among them about 1,311,801 identification numbers (NIN) have been generated and 786,805 identification numbers have already been distributed to local government offices in the region.
In addition, he mentioned several challenges facing the authority in the exercise, including the low response of citizens in taking IDs, a situation which leads to accumulation of IDs in local and government offices.
“Education through the media has continued to be provided by the authorities through the radios and other media channels to sensitise the public on the importance of registration and identification at local government offices,” he emphasised.
Mwanza Regional Administrative Secretary Mr Elikana Balandya asked the citizens to show up at the centres to register and thereafter go and collect their cards. He said that there are still many identification cards in the Local Government Offices.
84pc of eligible Mwanza residents get national IDs expatriates and experience in the fishing sector which will help its people like it did in the health sectors for Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
He invited Mwanza regional administration and residents as well to visit the Tanzania Biotech Products limited which his government supported its establishing so that they can learn about the production of food and cash crops pesticides and improve their agriculture.