Mwatex, fish factories for revival

PRESIDENT John Magufuli has said the government eyes revamping fish processing factories and Mwanza Textile Mill to create employment for the skilled but idle workforce and boost socio-economic development.

Dr Magufuli, who ended his two-day tour of Mwanza Region yesterday, addressed thousands of residents here saying deliberate strategies are in place for Mwanza to be a true business hub as envisaged.

He said for the government to work on envisaged development, “ambitious discipline was crucial’’, calling on all the leaders to be accountable to public properties.

He ordered the “immediate arrest of all thieves who swindled properties of the Nyanza Cooperative Union (NCU)’’ and tasked security organs and other responsible units to make sure NCU assets were returned back.

On industrialisation, Dr Magufuli said Mwanza was poised to realise the agenda, citing the potential in textile and fish industries. "We have to make sure that we regain our lost glory in industrialisation and revamp our Mwatex and 11 fish factories that were almost dead.

We can surely do it," he stressed. He declared war on illegal fishing and ordered the confiscation of the trucks transporting them since entertaining the practice was “poisonous to massive fish production and fish processing factories’’.

If the malpractice is properly contained, fish production was likely to triple in just three months and create employment, he noted.

Dr Magufuli also ordered the shelving of plans to move petty traders out of the city centre, pointing out that they also deserved equal chances to make money and challenged the local authorities to chart best ways of distributing them to potential business areas.

However, he warned against the tendency of petty traders selling items from businessmen who are not paying statutory revenues, saying such kind of trading should stop immediately. He said while he will be advocating for the fair deal in their activities, petty traders should be loyal and demand receipts once they buy items from the wholesellers.

Dr Magufuli suggested the establishment of a one-stop day centre for public shopping in the city centre or allocation of a special street for petty traders.

He issued three months to the City Fathers to work out on the sugges- tions and act accordingly. On Mwanza Airport, the president or- dered the contractor to resume work anytime this week while the government was processing his payments.

The completion of the airport was crucial to the economy of the region and the entire Lake Zone since it will attract many businesses through tourism and other economic avenues. A n o t h e r tough action was announced against suppliers of fake cotton seeds who used to cheat at the expense of poor farmers asking for the organs to deal with them as well.

He expressed his appreciation over “the impressive implementation of the construction of a pedestrian flyover at Furahisha area as well as construction of 2.8km road from Furahisha to the Airport’’. "This project is proceeding very well and I would like to see this road heading straight to the airport instead of ending at Pasiansi as earlier planned.

I will make sure funds are available for the additional work," he pledged. The president also pleaded for the maintenance of peace in the country, asking political parties to put cheap politics aside and join him to build the nation.

He said it was sinful to disrupt peace on the pretext of democracy, insisting that true democracy must be exercised only when people have something to eat.