The government of Tanzania wants a piece of the $30 billion pie that Japan has promised to distribute to Africa over the next three years.
The government’s presentation to the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad8) of eight projects worth $1.3 billion (about Sh2.99 trillion) that Tanzania was implementing attested to this.
According to TanzanianPrime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, the projects presented last week included tarmac road renovation between Morogoro and Dodoma, an irrigation project in the Lake Victoria basin, a water supply project in Lugoda (Mufindi), and capacity building for the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute.
Other projects include the construction of a modern fish port, the National Fish Quality Control Laboratory, the renovation of Wete Fish Port, and the Mkuranga-Somanga-Fungu Power Line.
“I had the opportunity to share with the participants of the meeting a number of projects that we are implementing in the country,” the Prime minister said in a statement released to the media yesterday.
He also revealed that the government had requested financial assistance for Tanzania to complete its Arusha-Holili road project, Kigoma Port, and water infrastructure improvement project in Zanzibar at the meeting.
“The three projects require $343.8 million,” the Prime minister stated.
The sum is divided as follows: $221 million for the Arusha-Holili road project, $98.7 million for the Zanzibar Water Project, and $24.1 million for Kigoma Port.
He also stated that during the meeting, the government requested that it be given priority in the agriculture sector in order to broaden the market scope of the country’s produce.
“We must ensure food security and surplus to sell outside the country,”
Mr. Majaliwa also met with the presidents of the Japan Tobacco International Board (JTI), Mitsubishi, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
He urged JTI board chairman Mutsuo Iwai to maintain the momentum in purchasing tobacco from farmers.
“We have requested that they purchase more tobacco so that farmers can have more confidence,” the Prime Minister said.
“They have a manufacturing industry.” As a result, we believe they can purchase more.”
Mr Majaliwa also persuaded Mitsubishi vice president Yasuteru Hirai to build the vehicles rather than import them from Japan.
He also encouraged the company to consider investing in agriculture, specifically fertilizer production.
