4 Regions Declare Anti-Poverty War

from All Africa

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

By Samuel Kamndaya

Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga regional commissioners are planning to fight poverty and ignorance in their regions.

They will also improve key sector to increase incomes of people.

They said in a statement obtained in Dar es Salaam that entrepreneurial and business education would be spread to householders to enable them to exploit their resources fully.

They made the remarks in Arusha at a weekend empowerment workshop.

The Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) organised the event. The regions will also formulate strategies that will allow people to get bank loans easily.

"We are required to go to the households. Let's talk to them and understand their needs and consider how to help them,"

Arusha regional commissioner Isidore Shirima said.

His Manyara counterpart Henry Shekifu said acquiring entrepreneurial and business skills would enable people to exploit their resources.

Kilimanjaro regional commissioner, Mohammed Babu said farmers had problems accessing bank loans to invest in inputs.

Information on markets is also poor.

"If farmers get farm inputs and loans and have ample information on markets of their products, then they will be able to increase their incomes," he said.

Tanga acting regional commissioner Ibrahim Msengi said the country's greatest challenge to development was how to modernise agriculture.

"We have abundant fruits that end up rotting in farms simply because farmers are not empowered."