Dodoma — Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Paul Makonda, has outlined key priority areas aimed at transforming the ministry and enhancing its effectiveness and improve efficiency Mr Makonda made the remarks during the official handover ceremony of the ministry from Professor Palamagamba Kabudi, who has been appointed Minister of State in the President's Office - State House (Special Duties).
He pledged to execute the ministry's mandate with speed and efficiency, urging officials to perform their duties diligently and in a timely manner.
"The difference between Prof Kabudi and me is speed. While he may take time to trace records from the 1970s, I do not have that luxury. I want everyone to sit firmly in their positions, fasten their He said the ministry plans to seek funding to provide loans that will enable young content creators to acquire modern equipment and produce high-quality content that promotes Tanzania.
"President Samia Suluhu Hassan is very supportive of youths in this sector. I will appeal to the president to approve allocation of between 1bn/- to 2bn/- so we can lend it to young people on social media, enabling them to own professional cameras, computers, and other equipment. This will allow them to produce content that showcases Tanzania to the world in its true beauty," he said.
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He further revealed plans to establish a multilingual international communications unit within the ministry to ensure Tanzanian news reaches global audiences.
"When President Samia receives high-level visitors, such as the recent visit by China's Foreign Minister, we want such news to appear on Al Jazeera, BBC, and CNN.
We will form a special team responsible for packaging and distributing national news to international media, so that Tanzania's image and visibility continue to grow worldwide," he said.
Mr Makonda further commended Prof Kabudi for his leadership and trust, pledging to continue implementing initiatives launched during his predecessor's tenure.
"You will remain the patron of this ministry. I assure you that nothing you initiated whether documented or approved in meetings will be abandoned. Everything you envisioned will be implemented," he said.
Mr Makonda also called on ministry officials to strengthen cooperation, noting that their professionalism and experience are crucial for effective service delivery.
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On his part, Prof Kabudi urged ministry directors to complete the plans and directives agreed upon during his tenure in order to further strengthen the institution.
"We held a three-day retreat in Kibaha and issued 49 directives to departments and units, which I will formally hand over to the Minister. Among of them include strengthening revenue collection systems at Tanzania Standard (Newspapers) Limited (TSN), ensuring no funds are received outside official systems, establishing a historical library at TSN within two months, and restoring shortwave and mediumwave broadcasting at TBC," he said.
