Why embassies are in no hurry to go to Dodoma

Dar es Salaam. It may take between 10 to 20 years for some diplomatic missions in Tanzania to move their operations to Dodoma, the country’s designated political capital, it has emerged.

Most of the missions currently based in Dar es Salaam may not move as fast as the government envisaged, The Citizen can report. Western diplomats interviewed for this story but who were unwilling to go on record estimated that it will take over a decade for any meaningful shift to a new capital city.

“And that will depend on whether the government will be willing to offer attractive incentives and tax waivers on goods and services to facilitate the shifting of our operations,” said one of the envoys from the European Union.

The envoy said his experience serving in different countries showed that governments planning a shift of their respective capital cities were made to bear the huge most of the movement.

According to him, Brazil which relocated from overcrowded Rio de Janeiro to the planned, built city of Brasilia is a model example.

Asked about their experience, the Brazilian Ambassador Carlos Alfonso Iglesias Puente told The Citizen that their shift in 1961 was widely hailed as a success because the people shouldered most of the cost to build the new city.

“I would say that the relocation took almost 10 years and Brazil built the new government city entirely on its own and by offering attractive incentives for those moving there,” said Mr Alfonso.

Two weeks ago foreign affairs minister Dr Augustine Mahiga held talks with the envoys to engage them on the new policy shift and said the government expected them to start preparations to move to Dodoma too.

Dr Mahiga asked envoys who have built in Dar to start thinking of how to mitigate the resultant cost of shifting to Dodoma. He proposed, for example, that they could trade of their plots and buildings with companies ready to put up for them similar structures in Dodoma.

But the speed to relocate has seemingly caught most of the envoys flatfooted, with The Citizen learning that they have apparently been unable to commit on when they will exactly move.

The foreign missions are largely in limbo over investments running into billions of shillings in infrastructure established in Dar es Salaam as successive regimes showed no interest of ever leaving Dar es Salaam.

Missions such as India, Turkey, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya have recently put up own offices and residences for their envoys at staggering costs for which they are now at loss. For now they are left to ponder how to cover the extra costs to shift to Dodoma.

The South African High Commissioner, Mr Thami Mseleku, said there must be a proper mechanism that would attract settlement of members of the diplomatic community.

Security, proper education facilities for their families, health care and availability of social services, including housing, water and electricity were some of the things to think about.

“Of course we can go and there is no doubt on that, but for diplomatic community there are certain things that we expect to be ready first.

“So we are still waiting briefing from the government and once we know what facilities have been prepared for us we will be ready to move as well,” the SA envoy said in an interview. South Africa is only two months into its swanky new office block in Dar.

Mr Mseleku said his country invested heavily on the facility and would have to weigh in on cost of moving immediately or at a later date.

According to him, in case of the failure to recoup the cost of construction immediately, then the mission would look for other options, including the establishment of the consulate office.

“Also, we will have to look at the economic opportunities available as Dar es Salaam is still the economic hub of Tanzania. As South Africa when all these issues will be considered we will be able to move to Dodoma,” he said.

The India High Commoner to Tanzania Mr Sandeep Arya said the decision to shift to Dodoma will depend on advice they will receive from New Delhi. He said they have notified them on the new directive.

Like South Africa, the high commission of India is only three months since shifting to its new building at the City center from the former offices in Kinondoni. Their new building is located opposite to the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Convention Center (JNICC).

Two officials from two different western countries who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of their relations with government categorically told The Citizen that moving their embassies to Dodoma is not in the list of their short term projects.

“Forget about the question whether Dodoma as of now has the capacity of accommodating the international community or not. Getting clearance to build a new embassy or relocate the existing offices to another place is not a one or two year matter, it can take up to 20 years. So I say, we’re not moving any time soon,” said one of the officials.

Earlier in his discussion, Dr Mahiga told the diplomats that once the government is done with the exercise of reviewing the Master Plan for the city of Dodoma, it will ask them to submit an application for land they needed.

Dr Mahiga also asked them to convince their home companies to make better use of investment opportunities emerging as the result of the shift of government’s administrative capital.

“The decision to transfer the country’s headquarters has brought a lot of investment opportunities such as manufacturing, construction, information and Communication Technology (ICT) and commercial services,” he said.

The decision to transfer the seat of government from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma was made in 1973 but has remained in books until early this year when President John Magufuli declared that the entire establishment would have moved to Dodoma by 2019.