Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) has teamed up with TradeMark East
Africa (TMEA) to work out on a five year Strategy/Programme for enhancing
Tanzanian private sector’s appetite, awareness and participation in the
East African Community’s integration agenda.
The overall objective of the project is to develop a mid-term strategic
plan for raising the level of awareness and building the confidence of
Tanzanians for their proactive participation in targeting the opportunities
emerging from the EAC.
The programme also targets support for private sector in institutional
capacity development, communication, networking and flow of business
information, research and planning and high level advocacy.
The inception report was submitted by a consultant Research firm,
EcomResearch Group Ltd, to TPSF today during a scoping workshop held in Dar
es Salaam.
According to the report, Tanzania faces challenges of private sector
accessing the regional markets due to a number of constraints including
lack of awareness of benefits of a wider market in the region.
Another challenge is lack of institutional capacity in the private sector
to provide advisory role to the government.
Speaking during the workshop Dr. Halima Noor-Abdi from an EcomResearch
Group Ltd urged Tanzania to use ‘benefit advantage’ instead of ‘comparative
advantage’ in taping EAC’s trade and investment opportunities.
She said Tanzania boasts itself of having comparative advantage over other
partner states due to its strategic geographical location but that would be
meaningful if the country turns it into benefits.
EAC has plentiful natural resources, a youthful demographic structure and
fast growing economies with a collective population of 150 million and a
combined gross domestic product of US$ 73 billion said the report.
As a focal body for the private sector in Tanzania, TPSF, has a critical
role to play in making EAC not only understood but appreciated by
Tanzanians.
EcomResearch Group Ltd is expected to present the report in 10 weeks time
from the date of signing the contract.