Tanzania has called on member states of Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discard barriers to smooth business.
President John Magufuli gave the task in Dar es Salam at the inauguration of the fourth SADC industrialisation week and exhibition under the theme: “A conducive environment for inclusive and sustainable industrial development, increased intra-trade and job creation.”
He said there were several regulatory authorities in SADC member countries that affect the flow of business and delay investment processes.
Magufuli noted that many traders were facing challenges at borders when they try to export or import products from one country to another within the region.
“We need to remove all these barriers for our region to move forward, let’s reduce the number of regulatory authorities so that traders and investors could operate their businesses without problems,” he noted further.
Moreover, President Magufuli called on the SADC member states to prioritise on intra-regional and intra-Africa technology transfer to promote industrial growth.
He said that SADC countries should do business among themselves to increase capital and promote industrial development within their regional bloc and the continent at large.
Dr Magufuli said that industrial sector was crucial for development of any nation and in promoting economic growth, eradicating poverty and reducing unemployment.
He said industrialisation was the catalyst for economic growth and increased wealth for developed nations like the US, Japan, Germany, UK and France.
“We have witnessed in the recent years, Asian nations which in 1960s and 1970s were almost on similar levels of development with African countries they have today attained high level of industrial growth,” he noted.
He added: “Based on the history of developed nations, there is no short cut to economic revolution, we must first attain industrial revolution.”
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