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JK: We’re closing in on criminal gangs
2006-05-11 09:57:28
By Gerald Kitabu
President Jakaya Kikwete has assured the businesspeople that robbery networks will soon be smashed. ’’It appears that some criminal networks are regional.
We are working in collaboration with our neighbours to smash them,’’ he said.
President Kikwete was speaking at the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) annual dinner and the President’s Manufacturer of the Year Awards ceremony in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night.
He said his government would spare nobody in the crackdown on crime.
’’We’ve committed ourselves to fight the social vice with whatever resources at our disposal. We are confident that we shall eventually prevail,’’ he said.
Kikwete, said the government continues to build legal and institutional frameworks to root out corruption.
’’Corruption is not only bad for business, but also bad for moral fibre of our society and the unity of our country. We can only win if you and the government co-operate. If you know those who give and receive bribes, expose them so we can deal with them,’’ the President said.
He said it was everybody’s obligation to expose individuals perpetrating crimes in society.
Kikwete said the government was committed to building a strong economy.
He said that, in June this year, he will devote his time to reviewing policies governing the manufacturing sector, particularly the textile industry.
’I see the potential for instant success in this sector. This success, I hope, will provide the necessary drive for other sectors. I invite your members (CTI members) interested in investing in this sector to come forward with proposals and ideas on how to make it vibrant,’’ he said.
He urged CTI members to invest in the manufacturing sector, especially the agro-processing sub-sector, saying a decision had already been made to bring about agricultural revolution.
’’We want to see agriculture boom and our farmers gainfully employed,’’ he said.
’’My vision is for the green revolution to go hand in hand with development in the agro-processing industry,’’ he added.
The President, promised to work with the private sector to attain faster economic growth. He also offered prime land to CTI to build 20-storey offices in the city centre to facilitate its operations.
CTI Chairman, Reginald Mengi, said insecurity and armed robbery in cities such as Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Arusha would eventually impact negatively on the manufacturing sector if not controlled.
He said that the problems the manufacturing sector faces include transport, power supply, corruption and the EAC Customs Union.
He said the Customs Union protocol that came into force in January last year had been deliberately abrogated by partner states at the behest of some influential individual firms.
During the ceremony that was attended by ministers, permanent secretaries, high-profile business-people and ambassadors, 10 small, medium and large scale companies won top prizes in various categories.
Tanzania Breweries Limited was the overall winner.
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