Tanzania: Focus On Agriculture, Tanzania Urged

Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s economy has been growing at a satisfactory rate but the country must promote several areas for the growth to have an impact on poverty reduction endeavours amid global uncertainties, the United Nations has said.

In its Development Assistance Plan 2016 -2021 Report – which was launched in Dar es Salaam recently – the United Nations calls upon Tanzania to ensure that it puts emphasis on growth of areas that will have a a quick impact on the population.

The areas include tourism, agriculture and in building productivity of the micro, small and medium enterprises.

“The country must provide openings for upgrading the tourist sector and branding the country as destination of choice with focus on promoting natural beauty, historical and cultural heritage of Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar,” reads a statement in the report.

Tanzania, the UN says, must take advantage of the high rates of return on investment in social sectors by addressing challenges of equity, quality and scale. That can be done by investing in building productivity of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The MSMEs must be helped through increased access to finance, business development services and training.

“Similarly, the country must invest in productivity to provide measures for agriculture and development of agro-industries which have enormous potential given that 80 per cent of agricultural exports were currently not being processed in the country,” the report reads.