Tanzania’s next government will continue to support the private sector’s role as the engine of growth in the country’s economy, outgoing President Benjamin Mkapa said.
Mkapa made the pledge during a meeting with international investors, apparently seeking to reassure them as he prepares to retire.
Last week, the ruling party nominated its candidate to replace Mkapa. The election is scheduled for October.
”And since our party will win the next election — this is not just my opinion, it is the opinion of everyone I know who knows Tanzanian politics — I see no reason to think there will be a change of basic policy,” Mkapa said.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakaya Kikwete, who was nominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, or Revolutionary Party, to succeed Mkapa. The outgoing president is retiring after completing a second five-year term in office. The Constitution bars him from running for another term.
Tanzania, which has an estimated 36-million people, is one of the world’s poorest countries, but Mkapa has wooed donors and lending institutions with a series of economic reforms.
Since he was elected in 1995, Tanzania has emerged from a sluggish, state-run economy and slashed inflation from more than 30% to less than 6%. Domestic and foreign investment has increased and reduced the national debt.
The next government must spur exports in order to address Tanzania’s trade deficit, promote agriculture to encourage exports, and guarantee food security and encourage the growth of industries in order to add value to agricultural exports, Mkapa said.
The government must also improve infrastructure and promote the mining, tourism, fisheries and other natural-resources industries to create jobs, Mkapa said.
”I am sure the next … government will need your continued engagement in an advisory capacity, and, for those who can, in investing to your profitable return and our country’s visible social development benefit,” Mkapa told investors. — Sapa-AP