Samia scales great heights

• Investment hits 38tri/- in three years
• TZ records massive socio-economic strides
• Social services delivery enhanced
• Democracy, political space thrive

TANZANIA: It has been exactly three years since President Samia Suluhu Hassan took the oath of office for the country’s top position on March 19, 2021, following the death of the former Head of State, the late Dr John Magufuli.

Due to the death of Dr Magufuli on March 17, 2021, at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Dar es Salaam, the then Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was sworn in as the President of the country as stipulated in Article 37(5) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania of 1977.

The article states, “When the Office of the President becomes vacant due to death, resignation, loss of electoral qualifications, or inability to perform his functions due to physical infirmity or failure to discharge the duties and functions of the Office of the President, then the Vice President shall be sworn in and become the President for the unexpired period of the term of five years in accordance with the conditions set in Article 40.

” Shortly after taking the oath of office, as the country was still mourning the death of Dr Magufuli, Dr Samia offered an uplifting and healing message that restored hope in the midst of despair. “This is a time for consolation, showing love to one another, strengthening peace, unity, and brotherhood, honoring our dignity and patriotism,” President Samia urged the nation.

She then appealed to all Tanzanians to stand together as they mourn the untimely demise of Dr Magufuli, assuring that nothing would go wrong as the country was blessed with capable leaders.

“Our country is also gifted with good leaders with the solid foundations of nationalism, brotherhood, unity, tolerance, and well-disciplined defense and security organs,” she said.

In her brief inaugural speech to the nation, the Head of State vowed to continue from where her predecessor left off, especially in the completion of all strategic development projects. Indeed, she has done just that, as the country has seen a huge transformation in her three years in office.

As the nation marks three years of great success under the leadership of President Samia, who is credited with lifting the nation to greater heights, all key sectors are flourishing. Manufacturing, investments, agriculture, tourism, construction, and transport sectors have made significant leaps in growth over the past three years. When she assumed office, President Samia prioritized investment by creating a conducive environment for the sector to grow.

The Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) has registered 1,188 projects worth 15.041 million US dollars (over 38 trillion TZS) in three years.

TIC’s Executive Director, Mr Gilead Teri, revealed the notable achievements on Monday at a press conference held at headquarters in Dar es Salaam, attributing them to a smoothed investment atmosphere encompassing economic diplomacy and the New Investment Act.

He said the increase in project registration is 63 per cent, up from 728 projects worth 6.3 billion US dollars (16tri/-) recorded in the corresponding period from March 2018 to March 2021 under the fifth phase government.

Mr Teri explained that 35 per cent of the total 1,188 projects registered are owned by domestic investors, while 41 per cent are owned by foreign investors, and 21 per cent are being undertaken through joint ventures.

He noted that domestic investments stood at 30 percent in the same period during the fifth phase government.

He mentioned that when the sixth phase government came to power, they adopted the New Investment Act of 2022, which has been attracting local investors by reducing the investment capital threshold from 100,000 US dollars (about 255m/-) to 50,000 US dollars (about 127m/-).

He said the total value of capital invested increased by about 138 percent during the three years of Dr. Samia’s presidency. In another development, he stated that as of 2023, the investment sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at 6.7 per cent, up from 4.3 per cent in 2021 when Dr Samia took office.

He insisted that the target is to reach 10 per cent this year (2024). Regarding job creation, he mentioned that under the six-phase government, about 345,000 jobs were generated through the registered projects, compared to 104,000 jobs produced from March 2018 to March 2021, representing an increase of 232 per cent.

“Numerous bilateral visits by President Dr Samia in various countries have positioned Tanzania as a safe investment destination in Africa; we are attracting investors from every corner of the world,” he said.

He also noted that a large portion of the registered projects fell under the manufacturing sector, which recorded a total of 538 projects, followed by 225 projects from the transport sector, 110 from the tourism sector, while the agriculture and commercial sectors each netted 106 projects.

Regarding investment registration by sector, Mr. Teri stated that the manufacturing sector was the top sector in attracting capital from investors, recording about 4 billion US dollars (over 10tri/- ), equivalent to 49 per cent of the total value of investment attracted in three years.

Furthermore, he mentioned other sectors on the list, such as the construction sector, which recorded about 2 billion US dollars (over 5tri/- ), equivalent to 18 per cent of the value of capital attracted, while the transport sector attracted 1 billion US dollars (about 2.5tri/-), equivalent to 11 per cent of the total capital.

“The improvement in the business and investment atmosphere has spurred industrial production of different commodities; the trade volume between Tanzania and neighboring countries has increased significantly, which in return boosted the transport sector,” Mr Teri said.

Overview of key sectors growth On agriculture, the budget has been increased by fourfold to a whopping 970.8bn/- for the financial year 2023/2024, up from 294bn/- allocated in 2021/2022, with much of the amount going to finance new irrigation projects.

Quality seeds production has increased from 50,747 tonnes to 58,807, while food crop production has gone up from 18.6 million tonnes to 20.4 million tonnes due to government subsidies.

The government under Dr Samia also initiated a program called ‘Build a Better Tomorrow’ (BBT) for youths and women to develop interest in agriculture, where it gives them land to produce. Under the program, each youth is given at least 10 acres of land to practice agribusiness and foster economic growth.

About three million youths will secure direct and indirect jobs by the year 2030. So far, since the program started, 1,252 youths have been enrolled in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.

The mining sector also recorded notable achievements, with the sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reaching 10.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2023, compared to 9.5 per cent in the corresponding period of 2022.

According to the data, the mining sector has been growing year after year, with growth rates of 7.3 and 10.9 per cent from 2020 to 2022.

Reports indicate that mining is among the leading economic sectors in the country, making up about 50 percent of the country’s total exports. In the last three years, the accessibility of water in rural areas has improved from an average of 64.8 per cent in December 2019 to 79.6 percent in December 2023.

“This increase is due to the completion of 1,004 projects,” said Water Minister Jumaa Aweso. The government implemented water projects under the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA). Mr. Aweso stated that the government’s goal is to ensure that access to clean and safe water services for people living in rural areas reaches more than 85 per cent in 2025 and 100 per cent in 2030.

On the other hand, the government has continued to implement various strategies to improve the health sector, including reducing maternal deaths. During the three years of President Samia, a total of 2,548 patients from other neighboring countries came to Tanzania for treatment.

Through the Samia Health Super-specialization program, a total of 601 new health experts were sponsored for studies in universities within and outside the country, twice the number compared to before.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said that several strategies were undertaken to strengthen service delivery.

Among the priorities are ensuring that pregnant women attend clinics to receive timely and appropriate care, providing essential medicines for pregnant women, ensuring access to safe blood for mothers who need transfusions, offering on-the-job training for health workers, and collaborating with professional associations.