Ms Jenista Mhagama
Minister
of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Labour,
Employment, Youth and Disabled), Ms Jenista Mhagama and Capital
Development Authority (CDA) Director General, Mr Paskasi Muragili, said
the government has laid down grounds for investments that must be taken
up by the private sector.
They
were speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday when they met leaders and
members of the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) to outline key
opportunities up for grabs as the government prepares to relocate from
Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.
In
that meeting, the business persons were told that they would face no
hurdles in the access to water and electricity as the water body in
Dodoma was able to produce 65 million cubic metres on daily basis while
only 40 million cubic metres were needed per day, meaning there was an
excess of 20 million cubic metres.
On
electricity, Mr Muragili said the Zuzu Station (near Dodoma) of the
Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) was producing 48 megawatts of
electricity daily whereas only 25 megawatts were used - with an excess
of another 23 megawatts.
“Therefore,
you should turn up in bigger numbers to invest in the designated
capital as we do not expect water or electricity woes,’’ he insisted. At
the meeting, TPSF resolved to support the president’s decision to
relocate the government business from Dar es Salaam and pledged to
explore business opportunities found in the region.
TPSF
members were, however, quick to remind the government to put measures
in place that would attract the business community to invest in Dodoma.
Ms
Mhagama said the government was at final touches in preparing a
legislation to legalise Dodoma as the country’s new capital and have a
specific law that will oversee all the state operations in the
designated capital. She elaborated that the law would categorically
state all the investment opportunities as well as explaining how the
private sector would collaborate with the public sector to boost the
economy in Dodoma.
“I
urge you to reap the benefits from this ambitious decision in widening
your business base. I am ready to accord you any necessary collaboration
at any time. She urged Tanzanians to support the president, adding that
various ministries were working round the clock to shift to Dodoma.
She
asked the business community to start relocating so that they can put
up proper infrastructure that will facilitate business. “I have directed
CDA that any businessperson who would wish to put up a hotel in Dodoma
should be given a plot within one week but those who will manage to
acquire plots should develop them immediately instead of dumping them
for 20 years unused,’’ the minister cautioned.
THE
government has called on the private sector to take advantage of the
renewed capital transfer programme to invest in Dodoma and boost the
country’s economy.
Earlier,
Mr Muragili outlined various business opportunities up Bfor grabs in
Dodoma, including construction of lodges and hotels, hinting that there
would be an influx of people immediately after the government relocates
from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma.
According
to him, Dodoma had only four three-star hotels, urging business people
to put up five-star hotels as there was none. “The construction of
buildings for office space to hire is also needed because there are
currently few buildings in the Central Business District (CBD).
Therefore,
as the private sector, you have a role to play,’’ Mr Muragili appealed.
TPSF Chairman, Mr Reginald Mengi, welcomed the move to relocate the
country’s capital, asking Tanzanians to support Dr Magufuli’s
initiative, which came 40 years after the plan was initiated.
“He
is the head of state who is living in what he believes in. He is
walking his talk. It is not a simple task to make tough decisions like
this, which failed to materialise for the past 40 years,’’ he added.
He
urged Tanzanians to invest heavily in Dodoma – for the country’s
development and for the sake of establishing new business opportunities.
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