LINDI: President Samia Suluhu Hassan laid a foundation stone for the construction of the 280bn/- Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port project on Tuesday saying her government’s goal is to restore the lost glory of the historic Kilwa town.
Speaking shortly after launching the project, the Head of State said the region is rich with a number of opportunities that can be exploited to boost income of the locals.
“Apart from the opportunities available in the blue economy in Kilwa, there are many other opportunities, including tourism…Kilwa has a long history in which Kilwa Island and Songo Tower were very famous commercial cities with Arab countries, India and even China. This Kilwa did business during the 13th and 16th centuries but we are told that in the 11th century this Kilwa had its own currency,” she said.
During the event, President Samia handed over a total of 34 modern boats to farmers and fishermen. The government plans to distribute 160 boats to the mentioned groups.
According to the President, of those boats, 129 will benefit fishermen and 21 seaweed farmers.
The initiative is expected to generate 3,295 direct jobs and increase the income of the community as a whole.
On his part, Minister for Fisheries, Abdallah Ulega said the facility will be able to accommodate big ships.
“Once the construction is complete, TPA will have full operation on the port…what we want is for this port to be operated with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) systems in order to allow investors to come,” Mr Ulega said.
