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Our goal is a stronger economy - JK
2007-06-02 10:22:15
By Special Correspondent, Sumbawanga
President Jakaya Kikwete said yesterday that improving the welfare of wananchi did not mean filling their pockets with money but rather creating better conditions for the economy to grow and enable the citizenry to invest.
He explained that the growth of the national economy would enhance employment and improve people`s incomes.
The President made the remarks in Sumbawanga while opening a new meat factory known as SAAFI. The factory has put up a modern abattoir owned by long-serving politician Chrisant Mzindakaya.
President Kikwete, who is on an official tour of Rukwa Region, urged Sumbawanga residents to be daring and desist from accepting defeat in endeavours to bring themselves development.
``The factory has created demand for many services, including power, water and a market for over 30,000 cattle annually,`` he said, adding that the facility provided an impetus for stimulating social and economic development in Sumbawanga.
Meanwhile, Mzindakaya said the completion of the project was proof that it was possible to invest in regions regarded as peripheral in the country’s geographical and economical set-up.
He explained that he had built the factory thanks to a loan from the World Bank, adding: ``I have decided to invest this way because I am aware that the government cannot do everything. The government`s role is to provide better conditions for people to own and run the national economy.``
The veteran legislator said products from the factory would be sold within and outside the country, the foreign markets including Comoro, DR Congo and Zambia.
The factory has 180 permanent and 2,300 casual workers and plans to provide Sumbawanga livestock keepers with a more reliable market for dairy products.
President Kikwete later laid a foundation stone for the construction of a new cereals processing mill, set to cost 730m/-. When completed, the mill is expected to employ 60 permanent and 40 casual workers.
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