The Bagamoyo Special Economic Zone, once completed, is expected to become a centre of business and industries for value addition of Tanzanian products, thus facilitating the country’s economic growth and sustainable development.
Director General of the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), Dr Adelhelm Meru
The Director General of the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), Dr. Adelhelm Meru, told journalists in Dar es Salaam that the ongoing development of the Bagamoyo Special Economic Zone was progressing on well.
“Bagamoyo will be an industrialized modern town providing employment and business opportunities, thus speeding up the country’s development,” he said.
Dr. Meru said that industries were fundamental for development of any country because they created employment opportunities which help to boost economic sector. He said land compensation for people living in the 9000 hectares and demarcation of the area for the earmarked projects had started and that the process was going on smoothly as planned.
“We have succeeded in compensating people owning 1500 out of the 9000 hectares and we will continue compensating others as the government’s budgets allows,” he said.
He said implementation of the development of the Bagamoyo zone would be in two phases, adding that the first phase, with a total of 2500 hectares, will be handled by the government of China through China Merchants Holdings International Limited.
“The company will construct a modern port in the 800 hectares and the remaining 1700 hectares will be reserved for other development projects in the same area,” he said.
He said the second phase that involves the remaining area will be under EPZA and called upon people wishing to invest in industries to contact his authority.
He further said that EPZA had identified special economic areas for investment in twenty regions of Tanzania Mainland.
“I call upon anyone interested in investing in industries in those areas not to hesitate to come to our authority,” he said.
He mentioned other regions where they had already created special economic areas for investment as Bunda in Mara, with 1500 hectares and Kigoma, with 350 hectares.
Industries specializing in value-addition of agricultural products have been a leading area of investment under the EPZA in the country for the past six years.
Specifically, agriculture value addition was one of the areas that had hugely attracted investors to EPZA areas. On average, about 55 per cent of industries established under the EPZA deal in agricultural value-addition and textile processing.
