CTI Secretariat Visits the Coast Region
• The Coast region has a big dry port at Kwala which is under construction and connected to the Standard Gauge Railway. The place will have a big marshalling yard. It is believed that it will be the second-largest industrial park in Africa after Ethiopia. It will accommodate about 350 industries. The area will be having all the necessary facilities including infrastructure such as electricity, water, SGR. It will also accommodate the regulatory agencies, banks and other important service providers. Neighboring countries such as Burundi and DRC have also indicated interest acquiring space for storage of goods. The dry port is expected to be launched by HE. President of the United Republic of Tanzania by end of September 2022.
The Regional Commissioner’s Office is planning to organize a big Exhibition and Investment Forum scheduled from 1st – 7th September 2022 that will be held in Kibaha, Coast region. CTI will be represented in the team to organize this event.
• The Government has constructed the dam at Dundani which will contribute significantly to the availability of be stable power supply in the region.
• Mafia district is also being surveyed for its potential in the blue economy and tourism investments.
• Kilwa has been identified as an investment area for large commercial agriculture in palm oil, sugar cane cultivation, and livestock keeping.
The Coast region also intends to increase investment in industries that will enhance the economy of the region and the country at large.
He further said that Coast is a strategic investment region, particularly for industries. He further said that Coast is the second region in Tanzania with a large number of industries in the country. The region has a total of 1,453 industries of which 87 are large industries. He said the region has already done the industrial mapping in collaboration with TIRDO to know the coordinates, location, production capacity, categories of established and new industries, and the suppliers of raw materials available in the region.
The region has a big area allocated for the industrial development of different kinds and CTI members are invited and encouraged to invest in the region.
The Executive Director thanked the Regional Commissioner for availing time to meet with CTI. He said that CTI would wish to work closely with RC’s office to address challenges facing industries in the region, especially those which could be solved at the regional level. He further added that most of the time the challenges facing many manufacturers include fiscal, hard infrastructure (water, electricity, roads), and soft infrastructure (legal and regulatory issues that guide business operations).
In his response, the Regional Commissioner thanked the Executive Director for visiting his office in Kibaha. He acknowledged that irregular power supply is one of the biggest challenges facing industries, however he said that through the Nyerere Hydropower project, industries will be assured of stable power supply.
He congratulated the Regional Commissioner for the initiatives taken to promote industrial development in the region. He assured the RC that CTI will work closely with the region to support the development of industries in the region.