- 2024 focus will be on implementation
PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has said the year 2023 was a period of reforms and pledged that 2024 will be time for implementation and more results.
Dr Samia urged the citizens to be determined and observing the law and integ- rity, adding that on the part of the government, it will continue to uphold justice and being responsible and discipline.
The Head of State made the statement on Sunday when issuing a New Year message, while also high- lighting achievements made in 2023 and the expectations for 2024.
Speaking on the 2023 successes in the economy sector, President Samia said that the government implemented effective financial policies to ensure price stability, growth and strengthen control in the financial sector.
She said that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for 2023 increased by 5.2 per cent compared to 4.7 per cent in 2022.
According to Dr Samia, in the agricultural sector, the government succeeded in increasing the sector’s budget from 751bn/- in 2022 to 970 bn/- in 2023 equivalent to an increase of 29 per cent.
“Our target is to stimu-ate the growth rate of the agricultural sector to reach 10 per cent per year, by 2030,” Dr Samia said.
Elaborating, she noted that government has continued with its efforts to engage young people and women in production, citing the intro- duction of a modern agriculture programme called Build a Better Tomorrow (BBT) aimed at increasing production, stimulating processing industries, and creating jobs for young people.
“The government will also continue to invest in irrigation schemes to increase the area for irrigation from 727,000 hectares to 822,000 hectares by December 2024,” she added.
Similarly, Dr Samia said in tourism sector, from October 2022 to October 2023, the country received 1,750,557 tourists, compared to 1,381,881 tourists during the same period in 2022.
In the corresponding period, revenue through the tourism sector reached 3.22 billion US dollars compared to 2.33 billion US dollars in 2022.
She also said that since 2017, the government decided to find a permanent solution to the electricity problem in the country by implementing Julius Nyer- ere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) that once complet- ed will add 2,115 Megawatts to the National Grid.
“The good news is that in February 2024, we will officially turn on the first plant and in March we will turn on the second plant,” she said.
Dr Samia also said that government had delivered electricity to 11,447 villages, equal to 93 per cent of all 12,318 villages of Tanzania Mainland and the work of electricity distribution is continuing.
Moreover, President Samia said that a lot of effort was put into strengthening health services in the country by hiring experts and purchasing medicines, medical equipment and tools.
“In 2023, government employed a total of 17,309 experts and allocated a total of 190.9 bn/- for buying medicines.”
Along with the development of the infrastructure of schools, Dr Samia said that in 2023 government also improved the Education Policy and Curriculum to ensure that education provides appropriate skills to children to be self-employed, and those who will enter the labour market, to meet standards of the world market. On the international relations, President Samia said that Tanzania has participated in various influential and economic meetings including the BRICS summit, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Davos Economic Forum.
“Other meetings we participated in include African meetings with various eco- nomically powerful countries and we have received big and famous guests from United States, Germany, Indonesia, Hungary and Ro- mania as well as neighbouring countries and friends of Africa.” She noted.
According to the Head of State, the country got vari- ous achievements due to its participation in meetings, including receiving 550 million US dollars for food security projects, 297.64 million US dollars for the rural communication project and the opening of Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Zanzibar.
On the other hand, Dr Samia explained the country’s expectations in 2024 include marking the 60th anniversary of the Union and the 60th anniversary of Zanzibar Revolution.
“These important events for our nation are the impe- tus to continue to maintain national unity and strengthen the well-being of our society” she added.
The Local Government Election is another event the country expects in 2024 on a date to be announced by the relevant Authority.
“I call upon Tanzanians to come forward to participate in election so that we can choose the leaders, who suit us,” Dr Samia said.
She also said that in 2024, the government will continue to increase productivity, reduce production costs for farmers and ensure food security adding that it will continue to implement BBT programme.
The government will also continue with reforms in various sectors, including the reform of public organisations and institutions, to increase efficiency and productivity in its operation.
“We will also strengthen the implementation of the Education Policy to ensure that we prepare our children for the current environment and also continue with the process of writing a New Development Vision,” Dr Samia noted.
Likewise, she added that according to the law, in 2024 government will improve Permanent Registration of Voters, saying: “I call upon all qualified persons to come forward when the exercise is announced by the relevant Authority.”
