‘TSN Forum enhances Dira 2050’

GEITA: THE Economic Opportunities Forum organised by Tanzania Standard (Newspapers) Limited (TSN) in Geita Region has been lauded as an important platform for connecting citizens with economic opportunities and helping translate the National Development Vision 2050 into practical action.

Speaking during the forum held yesterday as part of the ninth Mining Technology Exhibition, Geita District Commissioner, Hashimu Komba, said the initiative was important because it equipped citizens with knowledge about opportunities available in the region.

He said access to information on investment and economic opportunities could help individuals overcome financial challenges, strengthen household economies and ultimately contribute to national economic growth.

“What TSN is doing today is a big deal for Geita Region and the nation because the forum is helping Tanzanians understand the various opportunities available in our region,” said Mr who represented the Regional Commissioner, Alexander Mnyeti.

He urged participants to pay attention to presentations made by experts, saying the region had opportunities extending beyond mining to agriculture, fishing, livestock, energy and other economic activities.

Mr Komba said Geita’s location along Lake Victoria presented opportunities in fisheries, including cage fish farming, while increased access to electricity was supporting the establishment of small industries, gold-processing facilities and other businesses.

He also encouraged young people, women and other groups to make use of government empowerment funds available in agriculture, livestock and mining, saying opportunities required citizens to actively seek and utilise them.

“The responsibility we have is to seize opportunities. Opportunities will not find us while we are sitting where we are; we must rise, follow those opportunities and seek empowerment,” he said.

Acting TSN Managing Director Majaliwa Christopher said the forum was part of the company’s responsibility to interpret Vision 2050 and ensure that citizens understood their role in achieving its target of building a one-trillion-US-dollar economy by 2050.

He said Vision 2050 could only be achieved if citizens were adequately informed about the opportunities available to them and understood how they could contribute to the national development agenda.

“TSN has a responsibility to interpret Vision 2050 by encouraging every citizen to understand what they are required to do, while identifying opportunities that they can access through accurate information,” Mr Majaliwa said.

He said the forum was designed to identify, showcase and unlock business, investment and development opportunities, while also providing a platform for citizens to interact with experts, seek clarification and raise challenges requiring government attention.

Mr Majaliwa added that TSN also used the platform to highlight government achievements and strengthen communication between citizens and the government. Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) Director-General Asha Dachi said collaboration between public media institutions such as TBC and TSN was important in ensuring that information about economic opportunities reached citizens across the country.

She said Geita could become a model for implementing Vision 2050 if it effectively utilised its opportunities and strengthened collaboration between the public and private sectors.

“Geita has a big step to take by opening up all these opportunities and seeing how to collaborate with the private sector so that all areas of the economy are well utilised,” she said.

Assistant Regional Administrative Secretary in charge of Economy and Production, Mr Charles Chacha, said Geita’s Gross Regional Product (GRP) averaged 10.4tri/-, while per capita income had reached about 3m/-. He said the forum and the Mining Technology Exhibition provided an opportunity to promote investment in mining, agriculture and livestock, noting that development in one sector could stimulate growth in others.

“If we develop agriculture significantly, we will also develop industries significantly. If we develop industries significantly, we will increase domestic and international trade,” Mr Chacha said.

He added that the region was also working to promote productive livestock farming capable of generating more products from fewer animals.