Private-public partnership has not been realized as envisioned by Mkapa, says Samia

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday expressed concern that there were people in government who did not believe in the importance of the public-private partnership arrangement.

This, she said, was contrary to visions and beliefs of former President Benjamin Mkapa that in the modern world, under the market economy, public-private partnership was inevitable.

Mr Mkapa--whose tenure lasted for ten years from 1995 to 2005--is credited for making important decisions that laid down the foundation for Tanzania’s economic prosperity and modern government running.

This had a massive contribution to the country leading to its graduating to the Lower-Middle-Income status 15 years after he had left office.

Apart from allowing the institutionalisation of dialogue between the public and private sectors through such platforms as Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC), it was also during Mkapa’s era that Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) was established.

Mr Mkapa wrote in his autobiography titled My Life, My Purpose: A Tanzanian President Remembers that he inherited dry state coffers, with revenues of only Sh331 billion for the entire financial year 1994/95 and an inflation of 27.4 percent.

But while at State House, Mr Mkapa and his team had to employ various strategies to get things going, which saw the economy growing at an average of 4.28 percent during his first five years in office.

With investors’ growing interest and confidence in Tanzania, President Mkapa’s second five-year term registered an average growth rate of 6.6 percent.

That tempo was maintained throughout the past 15 years of President Mkapa’s successors (Jakaya Kikwete and John Magufuli), partly explaining why the World Bank (WB) found it fit to elevate Tanzania to a LMIC in 2020.

Closing a two-day symposium to commemorate the second anniversary of Mkapa’s death in Zanzibar, President Hassan said, despite adopting the public-private policy, the deeds of people in the government were far from what they preached.

She said members of the private sector approaching government officials for investment purposes were subjected to unnecessary bureaucracy and harrassment that ended up frustrating them causing htem to move elsewhere to invest.

“I have received applications, the private sector wants to install health equipment in some parts of the country. But, nobody has listened, welcomed or given them details of the strategy,” she said during the live broadcast event.

The Head of State said that wasn’t the only case, rather the situation was the same in many other areas, causing her to wonder as to when preached collaborative measures would be translated into real actions.

She said public-private partnership has been clearly explained in the country’s development strategies including the fifth edition of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSPV), where the government has outlined its commitment to work with the private sector and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in realising development plans.

“We are marking a year since the strategy was launched on June 17, 2021. We are supposed to ask ourselves, how far we have gone in participating and creating a conducive environment for the private sector to participate in the joint venture with the government in improving the provision of health service,” she said.

She added: “What steps have we made so far? Are we cooperating with the private sector in the strategic efficiency of economic development led by evidence instead of argumentations?”

During the event, the Head of State commended the Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation for its role in developing the health sector infrastructure and recruitment of healthcare workers in the institution’s efforts to complement what the government was doing.

Former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, described President Mkapa as a skilful diplomat and a peace mediator who did much to restore peace in various African countries.

He said Mkapa had visions beyond his country, therefore he had commitments to Africans regardless of their countries.

“Under Mkapa’s watch, Tanzania played a key role in the liberation of countries South of Sahara. It was difficult to unite the various self-rule movements from different countries, but he worked tirelessly and religiously to help his neighbours,” he recalled.

Mr Mbeki recalled how Mr Mkapa worked to restore peace during a civil war in the DR Congo in 1997, South Sudan and Kenya that suffered post-election conflicts.

Speaking during the event, former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano was efficient especially in changing the mentality of his people. “I understand that he didn’t meet all his dreams, but he left behind solid foundations that are now used by his successors,” he said.

He credited Mr Mkapa for his role in intensifying war against HIV/Aids both domestically and internationally.

US Ambassador to Tanzania Donald Wright commended the Tanzania government for ensuring visions of President Mkapa were realised through the Mkapa Foundation.

“Honourable Mkapa once said that, if you want to walk fast, walk alone, but if you want to walk a long distance, walk with others. We have chosen to go a long distance,” he said.

Foundation’s chief executive officer Ellen Senkoro said the entity’s founder introduced and pioneered the twin bold and disruptive public service and economic reforms that transformed Tanzania to an open economy.

“As a result, we witnessed the growth of the private sector, which slowly, but surely changed the way our government relates with the private sector until today,” she said.