Masoud Kipanya’s car: For the love of ‘Made in Tanzania’

Every patriotic Tanzanian would want goods and services made in Tanzania to be economically viable and even cross the borders. That is one of the best ways to grow our country and make our economy sustainable.

It is an open secret that the manufacturing in dear motherland has been chiefly agro-processing. Even in that sector, we have not been doing well, as most of our agricultural exports are raw and not finished goods. Take the example of maize. We export more raw maize than its finished products like flour, animal feed and starch.

As a nation, we must deeply respect and appreciate everyone doing legitimate manufacturing of made in Tanzania goods. Be it candy, small machines, food products, building materials etc. That is why I would like to appreciate cartoonist Ali Masoud a.k.a Kipanya for laying his first stone into the world of ‘made in Tanzania’, which we need to nurture. He recently unveiled the first locally-made electric car in the country. Just thinking out loudly, what if our business environment allowed him to make such cars in thousands and sell them in Tanzania and across the vast East African region? It’s high time we get to manufacture something for sale to the rest of the world. Kudos Masoud!

Surprisingly some people on social media trolled him claiming it was similar to those made in China. There are a lot of toxic people online with negative comments who are not able to appreciate and celebrate others’ achievements.

I wonder if it was an indicator of our failure to appreciate ‘Made in Tanzania’ brands as a nation. Why discouraging our locally made goods while celebrating the imports? I pray and wish Kipanya’s model would turn a commercial success for him and for the good of our nation.

Masoud Kipanya has shown us the way that if it is hoes, iron sheets or computers, we can make them at home. Tanzania should not continue being a huge market for goods from foreign nations, while we have very little to sell to them. We must become the most powerful manufacturing nation in East and Central Africa. It’s the best way for us to achieve mass development.

We must work hard as a nation such that we never go to the days when even in the village shop 95 percent of the goods were imported. We must power our way to the world economy as producers and manufacturers.

Innovative manufacturing is the way to go. Masoud’s car uses normal electricity to charge.

It’s possible in future instead of power from the national grid it can use renewable energy for charging. In a way it’s for making our environment better.

The Tanzania 2025 Vision aimed to have dear motherland be a semi-industrialized country come 2025. Manufacturing is supposed to contribute about 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Both the public and the private sectors must do their part. The government has been working to make the environment for manufacturing be conducive. The public must embrace innovation and goods made in Tanzania.

Let’s change the spirit of loving imported goods, even when there is a similar locally made, cheaper and quality one.

When you go to a pharmacy, people specify for instance painkillers made out of Tanzania. We are in 2022, let’s not be importing goods that even the cottage industry can take care of -- toothpicks, spoons, knives, and you name it.

Just imagine if all the cars, motorbikes and bicycles on our roads were made in Tanzania? How many jobs would have been created and an export market! What if all the clothes for our 60 million people made in Tanzania? I wish for Tanzania being a market leader in all kinds of manufacturing that powers the world.