The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Samuel Kamndaya
6 October 2008
Business leaders start meeting with top Government officials in Dar es Salaam today to discuss Tanzania's business potential.
The two-day First Business Roundtable with the Government of Tanzania at Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski will be an exclusive forum for debate between business leaders and the Government on the challenges of a fast-growing economy with ambitious aims.
President Jakaya Kikwete and senior government ministers will lead the sessions during which various key topics are to be discussed. These include whether private sector funding can help tackle Tanzania's infrastructure bottlenecks and whether the Government is doing enough to fight corruption.
Participants will also discuss how new investors from China and India see Tanzania, how tourism can be developed to realise its full potential and whether the country can diversify into new areas such as IT and telecoms.
Top Government officials and business leaders who spoke to The Citizen yesterday said the forum was both a platform for Tanzania to market itself as a preferred investment destination and an opportunity for decision-makers to hear understand and digest investors' perception of Tanzania's business climate.
Industries, Trade and Marketing minister Mary Nagu allayed fears that the forum to be chaired by President Jakaya Kikwete would end up being a mere talking shop with nothing tangible coming out of it.
"We, from the public sector, will be there to hear what the private sector has to say and work on their concerns accordingly. It is a platform where ideas can be shared," she told The Citizen in a telephone interview.
East African Business Council (EABC) executive director Charles Mbogori shared Dr Nagu's sentiments, noting that the meeting would be of great benefit to all participants.
He expressed confidence in the way East African governments were dealing with issues pertaining to the improvement of the region's business environment.
"Gone are the days when people came to roundtables to discuss things that were not implemented."
Mr Mbogori added that the presence of the President and some Cabinet ministers at the forum was clear testimony that Tanzania was serious about listening to investors' grievances - a vital step towards improving its business environment.
"It is disrespectful to gather in the presence of the President and turn such a forum into a talk show. It is my hope that both sides part will take deliberate measures to improve the business climate soon after the meeting," he said.
Dr Nagu and Mr Mbogori will be among key speakers at the forum.
Dr Nagu told The Citizen that she would present a paper on Tanzania as a trade hub. "I see no reason why we should not be the hub in this area considering our geographical location, our political stability and our natural resources. The only task ahead of us is to woo as many investors as we can," she said.
The Economist Intelligence Unit's regional Director Africa, Mr Pratibha Thaker, said in a statement that Tanzania was attracting significant investor interest.
He added, however, that companies doing business in the country still faced major challenges due to the weak infrastructure and low productivity of the workforce.
The roundtable is expected to help corporate leaders identify opportunities and overcome obstacles in the country's business environment in addition to gauging the potential impact of government policies on the economy in the coming years.
Other speakers will be Finance and Economic Affairs minister Mustafa Mkulo, Communications, Science and Technology minister Peter Msolla and Infrastructure Development minister Shukuru Kawambwa.
Others are East African Cooperation minister Diodorus Kamala, Energy and Minerals minister William Ngeleja and Natural Resources and Tourism deputy minister Ezekiel Maige.
Also on the list are Artumas Group president and CEO Steve Mason, Barrick Tanzania executive general manager Gareth Taylor, Coca-Cola East and Central Africa vice-president in charge of public affairs and government relations Nelson Githinji and Zain Tanzania managing director Khaled Muhtadi.
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