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Govt Printer to buy 700m/- digital printing press
2006-03-16 09:19:52
By Joyce Mkinga
The Government Printer will install a digital printing press that will ensure security of all its documents.
The web-fed colour printing press will cost 700m/- and will be installed before the end of the year.
Government Printer boss Cassian Chibogoyo told the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Constitution and Administration that visited his office yesterday that the main objective was to modernise it for efficiency.
Chibogoyo said the department gets a lot of instant short-term contracts that require modern equipment to cope with.
’We have ordered one and we expect the printing press to be here soon. It will enable us to work efficiently,’’ he said.
He said the plant would ensure highest level of security of documents brought in for publication by the government and other clients.
However, he said his office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs had invested a lot in digital technology and it is connected online with the two offices to ease of communication.
He said his office had created a special system to ensure that government legal documents, including Bills, reach the parliament on time.
’With the new system, once a Bill is passed by parliament it can be directly read by the government printer and worked on immediately,’’ he said.
He said the typesetters could improve it and send it back to the Attorney General for proofreading before final publication.
’’We have been relieved of walking up and down the office of the Attorney General. Now all communication will be online,’’ he said.
Chibogoyo said his office uses Exchange Management Information System (EMIS) for efficiency and proper organisation.
The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Constitution and Administration said the digital printing press would ensure MPs get Bills on time before they discuss them.
’’This will also improve our performance because when an MP gets the Bill late it becomes difficult for him/her to make contribution when it comes up for discussion.
Other members of the committee called for further improvement of the government printer’s office, including the rehabilitation of buildings.
However, the government Printers boss said the biggest problem his office faces is lack of funding to improve the services and the infrastructure.
Chibogoyo said that government institutions owe his office a total of 1.2bn/- for printing services.
He said, if the institutions paid the money, his office would be able to buy a modern printing press that would improve services tremendously.
’’We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that these institutions will pay to enable us buy better equipment,’’ he said.
The German colonial administrator of Tanga region established the Government Printer in 1886.
It was transferred to Dar es Salaam in 1905 after the country became a British protectorate.
The department provides printing services to both the government and private institutions and individuals.
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