THE Tanga City Council has announced a special media campaign to promote its investment opportunities and pull more investors to take advantage of them.
The campaign’s goal, according to Tanga City Director Dr Sipora Liana, who spoke at a special press conference held by the council, is to make Tanga back into the industrial powerhouse it once was during the early years of independence.
“Tanga was the second industrial city in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam, but almost all industries have vanished, leaving those buildings desolate. We are determined to restore that industrial profile,” she said.
The council has allotted 5,635 hectares for industrial development, according to Dr Sipora, and investors have begun flocking to Tanga to purchase the plots on which to establish businesses.
With a 241-kilometre coastline, a port that is currently being upgraded to accommodate larger ships and eliminate double handling, dependable water and power supplies, and access roads to all regions of Tanzania and beyond, she claimed that the City is well-positioned to regain its status as an appropriate location for industrial investment.
Dr Sipora mentioned some of the most eye-catching investment opportunities as being in the mining sector, where current output levels do not match potential. The current output for the limestone and cement industries is 6,000 tonnes.
She stated that the city, for example, has over 200 hectares of land suitable for the development of cement and limestone industries.
She went on to say that the Blue Economy’s potential has not been fully realised. “This sector can support fishing and fish processing ventures beginning with the establishment of hotels to take advantage of the beautiful beaches available along the 241 km sea coast line.”
In terms of preparations for receiving those investors, Dr Sipora stated that the council was well prepared because the government had done its homework. It had already established a one-stop centre through the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC).
In response to a question about whether the council has taken precautions against investors who hold land without making any development for an extended period of time, she confirmed that action will be taken against those who refuse to make any kind of development for an extended period of time.
