Tight work permits rules bad: investors
Dar es Salaam. Chinese investors in Tanzania have raised concerns over tight work permit rules, putting blame on the difference of educational systems between the two countries.
According to one Lin Zhiying, chief economic representative in the Chinese embassy in the country, Tanzanian education system believes in academic certificates while that of Chinese believes in competence.
“We fail to utilise human resources from China, just because most of them are coming in the country without academic certificates, where the existing system denies them opportunities despite the fact that they are able,” he said.
With total investments of almost $10 billion in the country, Chinese investors need local and foreign human resources, according to him.
He said the move discourages some investors and some are even thinking of shifting their investments elsewhere outside Tanzania.
“The law directs that, 95 per cent of the workforce must constitute of locals and only five per cent of foreign experts, but although most of local Tanzanians hold certificates, they still lack experience and skills,” he noted.
Speaking at the workshop yesterday, the executive secretary of the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), Mr Aggrey Mlimuka, said that employers would love to see more relaxed labour and migration laws on foreigners working in the country.
“We have prepared this workshop so that Chinese investors can meet and share their challenges with government officials and local business community, finding long standing resolutions,” he said.
Either, the workshop aimed at preventimg some investors who were on the step to remove their investments in the country, complaining that business environment is not conducive enough.
Mr Mlimuka also told the press that, there are some Chinese investors who have already moved their capital to other countries and some were on the move to go.
For her part, the assistant commissioner for work permits in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Mercy Jilala, told the Chinese business community to report their challenges directly to responsible regulators.
“We understand there must be challenges, but most of investors rely on bush lawyers where they get wrong information,” she noted, insisting investors to visit responsible public office for any problem.
