Bashiru: How Samia saved the economy from Covid-19 ravages

Singida. Former CCM Secretary General Bashiru Ally set a resounding tone of endorsement, lauding President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership in salvaging Tanzania’s economy from the brink of disaster following the Covid-19 pandemic and the untimely death of her predecessor.

Reflecting on the nation’s resilient journey, Dr Ally highlighted how, upon assuming power in March 2021 amid the double crisis, President Hassan inherited a precarious economic situation but navigated it with remarkable poise.

 “When President Magufuli took office, the economy was on a path of steady growth, and we crossed the initial challenges of COVID without the severe impacts seen in other countries,” Dr Ally stated yesterday during a campaign rally in the region.

Tanzanians, he added, are living witnesses to how the country endured the “difficult period of losing our beloved leader, John Pombe Magufuli,” whose strategic plans had begun positioning the nation against the pandemic.

Yet, the situation grew dire with the virus’s unchecked spread under denialist policies and Magufuli’s passing, which could have triggered widespread economic collapse in a developing nation like ours.

“We lost a leader with a clear plan to guide us out of the Covid disaster, but it was President Hassan who grasped the baton in that moment of uncertainty and led us to safety,” Dr Ally elaborated, crediting her unflappable composure, bold courage, and sharp focus—qualities that proved indispensable

CCM presidential candidate and incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan unveiled a transformative vision for the region’s agriculture and livestock sectors, positioning them as engines of economic empowerment amid Tanzania’s push toward middle-income status.

Speaking to thousands of farmers, herders, and youth at a bustling rally in the regional capital, Ms Hassan emphasized eliminating exploitative middlemen, enhancing market access, and modernizing herding practices to boost incomes and create jobs.

She said: “In my next term, we’ll ensure every farmer and herder reaps fair rewards, turning subsistence into commercial success.”

Singida, where agriculture dominates the economy with 95percent of the population engaged in farming, livestock, and related activities, faces persistent challenges like post-harvest losses, climate variability, and limited access to finance.

Central to her agricultural agenda is the establishment of affordable rental stations for farming equipment, including tractors and harvesters, at subsidized rates to slash costs by up to 50 percent.

This initiative will enable smallholders in Singida’s semi-arid zones to mechanize production of key crops like sunflower, sorghum, and maize, which already form the backbone of the local economy.

According to President Hassan game-changer is the expansion of direct purchase centres and the Warehouse Receipt System. “We had ensured that farmers secure up to 70 percent of the global market prices and i would like to guarantee that farmers will secure at least 60 percent of global market prices average,” she said.

She added: “We’ve cracked down on fraudsters contaminating sacks or adulterating crops; they’re banned for life,” she affirmed, citing government actions that have protected participants. According to data by the Bank of Tanzania by the end of 2024 over 2.4 million far have benefited from the warehouse receipt system.

Turning to livestock, which accounts for a significant share of Singida’s rural livelihoods with over 70 percent of Tanzania’s cattle herd concentrated in regions like Singida.

 Hassan committed to close collaboration with herders.

“We’ll build expertise in commercial breeding, veterinary care, and market linkages to make herding profitable,” she promised.

This includes training programs for fodder production and conflict resolution in mixed crop-livestock systems, where livestock enhances crop commercialization and poverty reduction, as studies in Singida show.

By promoting modern ranches and dairy cooperatives, the initiative aims to tap into Tanzania’s 1.4 percent global cattle share, generating revenue through meat and milk exports.

“From subsistence to business – that’s the transformation for our pastoralists,” Hassan urged.

Other pledges included constructing a modern market for “wamachinga” (hawkers) to formalize street trade, and advancing the Singida Airport’s upgrade to handle larger aircraft, enhancing connectivity alongside regional road expansions.

She also emphasized green energy, where Hassan committed to partnering with the private sector for wind power projects, leveraging Singida’s windy plains for utility-scale farms

In her closing remarks, Hassan urged Singidans: “Use these economic opportunities wisely. The government will deliver in the next five years, but you must also harness these plans to lift yourselves up.”