As Tanzania is implementing its five-year development plan spanning 2011 to 2016, some 300 local experts will this Friday present their recommendations on how the country should implement effectively six key result areas that have been identified to fast-track growth.
President Jakaya Kikwete
The six national key result areas include boosting of domestic revenues, agriculture, energy, education and transport, particularly on improvement of the port of Dar es Salaam and central railway line. The national function will be held at National Museum in Dar es Salaam.
At a gathering that has been dubbed “Open Day”, President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to lead fellow countrymen in interacting with the experts who have spent weeks in “special labs” working on best solutions as the country gears towards becoming a middle income economy by 2025.
“The general public, academia, civil society as well as religious institutions are welcomed at this event so that they can share their ideas towards fast-tracking growth,” Acting Chief Secretary Peniel Lyimo told journalists at a news conference in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Lyimo, who is also the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, was flanked by the Executive Director of the Planning Commission, Dr Philip Mpango, and other government officials.
Copying a leaf from Malaysia, Tanzania is determined to ensure smooth progress in achieving the five-year and Vision 2015 through what will be known as Big Results Now (BRN) that will be coordinated by a new outfit in the President’s Office to be known as President’s Delivery Bureau (PDB).
The resolve to use the system was reached during a cabinet retreat held in Dodoma in October, last year. The system has been used in countries such as UK, South Africa, South Korea, Ethiopia and Kenya. Some 300 experts drawn from the central and local governments, private sector, academia, civil society and development partners spent eight weeks in “special labs burning their heads” on the best course of actions that the country could employ to achieve its goals.
“We are proud that sharp and smart minded Tanzanians were in these six different labs each working on a single key result area,” Mr Lyimo explained. Also speaking at the news conference, Dr Mpango said after the “Open Day” it will be time for real work as everyone in a position of authority would have been guided on how to go about in implementing the plan.
“There will be a timeframe and a target for implementing the respective projects. The good thing is that not all projects will require money to be injected in but rather making changes on how things should be done,” Dr Mpango said.
At different stages, national leaders including President Kikwete, Vice-President Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal and Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, also took part in the labs in which they also gave directives on how best the programme can be implemented.
It is expected through monitoring and evaluation that Tanzania will be able to achieve both the short-term five year development plan in addition to the Vision 2025 that aims at making the country a middle income economy by 2025.
By ALVAR MWAKYUSA, Tanzania Daily News
