Regional Commissioner for Morogoro Region, Honourable Dr. Kebwe Steven Kebwe;
Vice-Chancellor, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Prof. Raphael T. Chibunda;
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Prof. Peter R. Gillah,;
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration and Finance), Sokoine University of Agriculture, Prof. Frederick Kahimba;
Principals, Deans and Directors, Sokoine University of Agriculture;
Distinguished Stakeholders from the Agricultural Sector;
Representatives from Regional and Local Government Authorities;
Sponsors of the Conference & Exhibitions;
Representatives from Non-Governmental Organizations;
Media Partners;
Distinguished Guests;
Conference Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Management of Sokoine University of Agriculture for inviting me to be the Guest of Honour to officiate the closing ceremony of this year’s commemoration of the Late Honourable Edward Moringe Sokoine.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year’s theme for commemoration of the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine that is titled “Agricultural Productivity and Industrialisation for Tanzania’s Development: Lessons from the Late Edward Moringe Sokoine and Prospects for the Future” is timely because it is related to our current and future national plans and to some of the strategies which the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine had for our national development.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before I talk about what the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine did about industrialisation and agricultural productivity for our country’s development, let me talk briefly about the current plans of the Fifth Government that is led by His Excellence Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, particularly with respect to the three main concepts that make this year’s theme for commemoration of the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine—agricultural productivity, industrialisation and Tanzania’s development.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Agriculture—in its broad sense of crop, livestock, fishery and forestry production systems—is a back bone of our economy because it is very important as it provides employment to most people in our country; it is the source of food and raw materials for some industries; it generates foreign exchange which is necessary to import various goods; and it generates savings that can be used for capital to finance industrialisation, among other things. The agricultural sector in Tanzania provides about 66.9% of employment and accounts for about 23% of GDP, 30% of exports and 65% of inputs to the industrial sector, as documented in the National Five-Year Development Plan of 2016/17- 2020/21.
Although agriculture is so important, its productivity is low, for example our overall agricultural productivity (% growth) was still low (i.e. 3.3% in 2015 as reported in our Five-Year Development Plan document of 2016/17- 2020/21). Moreover, our overall real agricultural growth rate (%) in 2015 was still 3.4% while Africa’s agricultural growth rate improved after 2005 to about 7% (2017) per annum in 2017. That growth rate of 3.4% per annum was much lower than the growth rate of 6.0% recommended by Maputo and Malabo Declarations for effectiveness of the agricultural sector. Therefore, the Government has plans to increase the growth rate from 3.4% to 13.1% and the agricultural productivity (% growth) to 4.0% by 2025 as stipulated in the Five-Year Development Plan document. Not only that, but also the Agricultural Sector Development Programme Phase II (2016/17- 2015/26) stipulates enhanced agricultural productivity and profitability strategies, specifically vying for improved agricultural research, improved extension services, and improved access to agricultural inputs. The strategies to improve agriculture in those ways are based on Government’s understanding of the facts that agricultural productivity is enhanced by various factors, the main ones of which are agricultural mechanisation, high yielding varieties, use of fertilisers and other agro-chemicals including pesticides and herbicides, education, irrigation, genetic engineering, optimum plant density, animal feeds made more digestible by processing, and keeping animals intensively.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Coming to industrialisation, the Government is very well aware that industrialisation plays many roles in a nation’s socio-economic development process, which include increasing productivity, absorbing labour force, promoting savings, boosting the process of capital accumulation, offering higher investment opportunities, and increasing economies of scope making countries that are able to produce more varieties of goods becoming far more likely to undergo rapid economic growth.
In spite of that importance of industrialisation, our level of industrialisation is low. For example, as indicated in the National Five-Year Development Plan (2016/17-2020/21), the contribution of the manufacturing sub-sector to GDP (at current prices) was 5.2% in 2015 while the real growth rate (%) of the same sub-sector was 6.5% in the same year. The Government plans to raise them to 18.0% and 12.2% respectively by 2025 as shown in the National Five-Year Development Plan (2016/17- 2020/21).
The contribution of the mining sector to the GDP at current prices (%) was 3.4% in 2014/15, and the Government has planned to raise it to at least 4.6% by 2025/26. The contribution of the construction sub-sector to the GDP was 10.4% in 2014/15, and the Government plans to raise it to at least 11.8% by 2025/26 as shown in the National Five-Year Development Plan (2016/17-2020/21).
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Those are not the only plans for improving industrialisation in our country; we also have Tanzania’s Industrialisation Journey 2016-2056 for which our President, His Excellence Dr. John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, in the Foreword of the document, states the following: “Industrialisation is … an essential and central component of a wider nation-building project of the modern Tanzanian state to which I have dedicated my presidency. My Government’s objective is to propel the country and its people to higher standards of living (High Middle Income Status by 2036 and to catch up with the developed world by 2066”.
During the first 20 years (2016-2036) of Tanzania’s Industrialisation Journey 2016-2056, the main focus of industrialisation is planned to be on the following industries:
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
About Tanzania’s development, we have clearly defined our indicators of development in our national Development Vision. These are high quality livelihood, peace, stability and unity, good governance, a well-educated and learned society, and a competitive economy capable of producing sustainable growth and shared benefits, as outlined in the TDV 2025 document. Besides those indicators, to realise Tanzania’s development, gross national income (GNI) has to be consistent with that of a middle income country, which is US $1,045 to 4,124 for low middle income countries and US $ 4,125 to 12,734 for high middle income countries, unlike high income countries whose GNI is US $12,735 and higher, all in 2016 prices, as specified in the World Bank’s Policy Research Working Paper Number 7528 of January 2016.
We are not dreaming by saying that we are going to be a middle income country by 2025; in 2014 we were almost there. While to become a middle income country one needs a gross national income (GNI) of at least US $ 1,045 per capita per year, we attained a GNI of USD 1,043 in 2014, but the GNI declined in subsequent years.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
After talking about the plans that the Fifth Government has in order to bring about Tanzania’s socio-economic development through improvement in agricultural productivity and industrialisation, now I am going to talk briefly about what the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine did about them.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Perhaps, I should remind you that among other things, the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine, addressed himself as a strong advocate of agricultural development in Tanzania. Accordingly, there were four major elements which he thought would help our country develop. These are: (1) National Independence, (2) Food Self-sufficiency, (3) National Market, and (4) Investment in agriculture and pastoralism.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Three of the four above elements that the Late Edward Moringe Sokoine emphasised on for national development are consistent with the theme of this year’s commemoration of the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine, and these are food self-sufficiency, national market and investment in agriculture and pastoralism.
About food self-sufficiency, the Late Sokoine was a great advocate of producing sufficient food for the country; hence he constantly emphasised on modernisation and development of agriculture and pastoralism. His vision of food self-sufficiency was national. Increasing food self-sufficiency in terms would definitely come from increased agricultural and livestock productivity, which would be enhanced by agro-industrialisation. Moreover, national market for our products would be better if we processed our products, a thing which would need industrialisation to produce highly and add value to the products.
Regarding investment in agriculture and pastoralism, the Late Hon. Sokoine emphasised on modernising agriculture and pastoralism by getting rid of rudimentary farming tools and practices; creating markets for crop and pastoral products; sending technology and experts to villages and even encouraging people with money to invest in agriculture.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thinking carefully of the aforesaid topical agenda that the Late Hon. Sokoine strove to advance for our national development, one finds that in various ways our current efforts to develop our country reflect what our great patriotic leader, the Late Hon. Edward Moringe Sokoine, desired to achieve. That is why we are honouring him by remembering his initiatives, and I believe it is for that reason that I have been asked to speak about “Agricultural Productivity and Industrialisation for Tanzania’s Development: Lessons from the Late Edward Moringe Sokoine and Prospects for the Future”. Increasing agricultural productivity and industrialisation rationally has high potential to enable us develop and attain our national development vision to become a middle income country by 2025.
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. Chancellor,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before I finish my speech, may I kindly take this opportunity to remind you and all Tanzanians in general that my office—the Vice President’s Office—is the one that is in charge of environmental issues nationally. Therefore, I urge all of you to pay high attention to environmental issues in all your activities to increase agricultural productivity and industrial development. This will enable us to avoid compromising our current development endeavours with future generations’ ability to obtain their needs.
Having said that, let me once again thank you all for your attention, and it is now my pleasure and humble duty to declare this year’s four-day commemoration of Edward Moringe Sokoine closed.