Investment Areas...

Agriculture|Livestock|Transport|Health|Environmenta Conservation|Tourism
Mining|Education|Forestry|Fisheries |Beekeeping|Water Supplies|Women Development|Trade and industry

Agriculture
Investment in agriculture for Mwanza region should first be directed towards food security. The high rainfall areas of Sengerema and Geita district are areas of concentration for investment in modern agricultural inputs and extension services. These two districts can produce the food surpluses needed to make Mwanza region self-sufficient. These districts are also to a large extent free from human and livestock population pressure on the land. Coucentration in the Sukuma heart lands of Mwanza, Magu, Kwimba and Missungwi should be on the production of drought resistant grains as it was the tradition in the past. The root crops of cassava and sweet potatoes do well in all districts including Ukerewe. Hence, in essence the region cannot justify food shortages let alone famines in any year. Inspite of pressure on the land the huge majority of the residents have access to adequate land resources.

Cotton is the region’s traditional cash crop supplemented by paddy, bananas and yellow gram. The Mwanza farmer has considerable experience in the production of these crops. What he needs is access to remunerative markets which would make it worth his while to produce these crops. A conducive climate is needed to attract as many buyers as possible for these crops. Locations for concentration of productive resources are Ibondo division in Kwimba district for paddy cultivation and Mwamashimba division for yellow gram or chickpea production.

The waters resources of Lake Victoria could be harnessed for irrigation. Investment in the search for appropriate technologies to tap this potential could lead to an agricultural bonanza. The introduction of high value non traditional crops like flowers vegetables and fruit for export could make feasible the use of current irrigation technologies.

Livestock
The region is endowed with a very large livestock population which surprisingly is largely unexploited. Proximity to extensive meat markets in the Republic of Uganda and the D.R.C is an opportunity which should be taken advantage of to develop and commercialise livestock production. Given the right prices and other incentives especially in the field of animal health and transport cattle keepers can benefit more from their livestock resources. The control of tick borne diseases and Contagions Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBBP) is a major prerequisite to this development. Hence investment in dipping schemes and CBBP vaccination are important.

Transport
The establishment of the East African Community makes for special opportunities in the transport situation of Mwanza region. Firstly, the development of a ring road highway around lake Victoria with Mwanza providing the focal point from which the transport network on the Tanzania side will radiate. This will justify further the development of a highway from the lake regions to Dar es salaam via Shinyanga, Tabora and Singida. The development of the such an East African road could go hand in hand with a well-developed complementary marine transport network over Lake Victoria.

The upgrading of district and feeder roads to open up key areas with agricultural potential should be undertaken as a prerequisite to agricultural development of these areas. Areas which call for such attention are the divisions of Bugando, Busanda, Kasungamile, Nyakiro, Nyanghwale, Kahunda and the sub division of Butundwe. Grains pulses, root crops and horticultural crops thrive very well in these areas. The two areas of Ibondo and Mwamashimba mentioned earliershould be included.

Mwanza city has the potential to become a major air transport terminal as a take off point to neighbouring Uganda, Rwanda and Northern RDC. Investment in air charter and commercial air services would pay off in the development of the region. Recently the use of airfreight to export fish fillet from Mwanza, Kagera and Mara fish factories has become a reality.

Health
The government has thrown open the door for private sector investment in health services delivery. Private sector investment in health is already a reality and more involvement by the private sector is encouraged and expected. The government is creating the necessary suitable environment for such privatization of the health sector.

A part from involvement in the establishment and running of health facilities, complementary investment in medicines, vaccines, medical equipment and supplies is needed. The spread of the HIV/AIDS scourge calls for concerted efforts from the government, NGOs Bilateral and Multilateral Agencies to educate the Tanzania public on how to prevent infection and take care of those already affected and ultimately their orphans..

Investment in the training of medical personnel is a key to the proper running of health services. In urban areas control of garbage and sewage is essential to prevent the very real possibility of the outbreak of epidemics such as cholera, dysuntery and similar.

Environmental Conservation
The region with the help of friendly NGOs and other donors has done a lot in checking the spread of water hyacinth or Lake Victoria. But the battle is not over. Further investment in effort, equipment, money and other supplies is needed to eradicate this need.

Every thing should be done through patrols and vigilance to stamp out the use of dynamite in fishing. The use of indiscriminate trawlers is another anti-conservation practice, which the region should guard against. It is indiscriminate fishing which in the long run will deplete the lake.

Widespread use of fuelwood continues unchecked in the absence of alternative energy sources. Afforestation through tree planting should be invested in heavily to counter not only the damage from over collection of fuelwood but also from environmental degradation brought about by overgrazing and over cultivation.

“Rambos” is a great pollutant of the countryside. The use of this plastic as disposable shipping bags should be banned. People should go back to the use of biogradables.

Tourism
The exploitation of Lake Victoria as a tourist attraction is possible so long as the necessary tourism infrastructure is in place including a good, all weather road network of up to tarmac standard. The town of Mwanza is within driving distance of Serengeti National Park. Tourist could come to Mwanza to see the Serengeti.

Cultural Tourism has a potential given the very rich Sukuma culture. Even common individual residents could participate and benefit from such type of tourism.

Saa Nane Island could be enriched to make it aa more altractive place for visitors from overseas.

Mining
Mwanza is a gold mining region. The Geita belt has the potential for more mining by both small scale and large scale miners. Mining settlements are centres of development in that they provide services and markets to the surrounding countryside to the improvement of living standards of residents. Investment in establishing mines where deposits have been proven and investment into further exploration and prospecting for gold is worthwhile.

Education
Each and every one, individually or as a group; each and every organization whether private, Non Governmental, Voluntary or national can invest in primary, secondary, vocational and post secondary education.

An educated labour force is a required for the development of Tanzania including Mwanza region. To date private sector participation has been poor where pre-school and primary education is concerned. It is because of this paucity that prompted the government to launch PEDP. Primary education enrolments and the quality of primary education were on the decline. Therefore, friendly individual, NGO’s bilateral and multilateral agencies are invited to work with the people of Tanzania and Mwanza in particular to make a success of PEDP (Primary Education Development Programme).

Secondary and post secondary education need teaching aids, learning materials and improved infrastructure to improve both the quality of this education and the numbers of students covered.

Vocational education is best supported by providing graduands with starter kits to launch them on the road to self employment.
The inadequacy of reading materials in rural areas is making it difficult for adult literates to remain literate.

Forestry
Deforestation is very serious particularly in the “Sukuma Heartland” districts of Kwimba, Misungwi and Magu. Here, only partial solutions can be applied to try and redress the depleted forest cover. Afforestation in all its manifestations of establishing community woodlots, controlled harvesting of reserved forest land by enforcing patrols, enrichment of such reserves and the setting aside of new areas for the regeneration of indigenous tree species, establishment of individual plantations or trees on household compounds and field boundaries is required.

The adoption of traditional techniques for the propagation of indigeneous species will speed up the period for trees to reach maturity and ensure greater survival of materials propagated for the purpose of afforestation.

The time has come to encourage commercial tree planting as an alternative cash crop.

Fisheries
An annual fish harvest of 200,000 tons could be realized without endangering the fish biomass. There is still some way to go before this limit is reached, provided, that fishing is discrimate. Dynamite fishing and “catch all” fishing is detrimental to sustainable fish catches. There is still room for more fish factories for the export of Lake Victoria Nile perch fillet.

Investment in fishing vessels and gear, investment in the training of artisan fishermen are necessary to control illegal fishing methods and so protect bio diversity and sustainable fishing.

Beekeeping
The districts of Kwimba, Geita and Sengerema have the best potential for beekeeping investment. Medium scale and small operators are those likely to benefit most because of the individual care required to service each beehive. Beekeeping it is an intensifve production process. Productivity is therefore very important. The introduction and universal use of modern beehives and modern honey harvesting and processing methods could make honey and beeswax a significant earner of income for many residents in the region.

Beekeeping, especially harvesting, could be made environmentally friendly provided beekeeping education and material support are forthcoming.

Water Supplies
Coverage of the region’s population with clean and safe water is still unsatisfactory. In urban areas sewage disposal is a problem. In rural areas sanitation is also inadequate.

The supply of clean and safe water in adequate quantity is essential to every human being. The region should be assisted by all and sundry in this noble task.

Emphasis shoud be made on water schemes which can be easily maintained by the users themselves. Gravity and shallow well schemes are some of the best candidates in this regard. Where deep wells are necessary than renewable power should be harassed to do the pumping. Wind mills and solar panels are best choices. The use of diesel and electricity should be restricted to instutional use and for urban water supplies, run by either the central or the local government of the area concerned.

The renovation of existing water schemes of appropriate technology should take precedence over new schemes. Similarly, traditional wells lend themselves well for improvement through the protection of the water sources.

Women protection and development
Laws have been passed to protect women from harassment and give them equality with men. But educating the society especially in rural areas is a task that need undertaking.

In order to give women confidence in their new found liberation, women fora such as provided by income generation groups should be encouraged and funded to sustain women development

Trade and industry
The region has 16 large-scale industries manufacturing different products like textiles, fish processing industries, beer, and soft drinks. Others are cooking oils, soap, fishnets, mattresses, polythene bags and printing & packaging.

There are 27 medium industries manufacturing food and body perfumes. Others are ginning cotton, iron and steel forging, leather products, wires and animal feeds.

The region has 374 small-scale industries dealing with foundry, carpentry, food processing, metal works and tailoring.

In order for the region to market all the above mentioned products it has two main types of trade:-

(i) Wholesale trade 242 mainly dealing with clothing, all types of foods, construction materials, and assorted goods.

(ii) Retail trade 5330 dealing with all types of assorted goods mainly for final consumption.

(iii) There are other businesses providing economic and social services like hotels and guesthouses.

(iv) The region has 15 exporters of different goods and 12 importers of merchandize products.

It is through Trade and Industrial Development in the region that the ever-increasing number of unemployed youths in Tanzania could gain employment opportunities in the future. The existing trade and industrial development so far have not significantly solved the problem.

There is wide scope for potential investment opportunities to invest in agro–industries for the processing of agricultural and livestock products.

Medium sized industries can be established in Mwanza such as canning of fruits, dairy processing plants, farm tools and meat processing and packaging industries. All these industries can perform well if there are supporting infrastructures and services, which could act as a catalyst to speed up trade and industrial development in the region.

Hence we invite interested investors in these sectors in order to boost and open up a truly and sustainable trade and industrial development for the future of Mwanza people and other stakeholders at large.

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