DailyNewsOnline, United Republic of Tanzania
MASEMBE TAMBWE
Daily News; Thursday,July 03, 2014 @00:03
The Tanzania Cotton Board and the Tanzania Investment Centre have started looking for investors who would revive and promote the garment and textile industry in the country. This was said yesterday by the Advisor to the Cotton and Textile
Development Programme (CTDP), Mr Ibrahim Seushi, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) and Tanzania Gatsby Trust (TGT) in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
“We are in the process of developing and promoting the textile industry by inviting investors to venture into this sector so that more garments are produced and the fashion industry that is almost non-existent develops,†he said.
The CTDP Project Coordinator, Mr Donald Sayi, explained that the MOU that was signed is aimed at offering courses for 20 design and textile manufacturing technicians at the University of Mauritius.
Mr Sayi said that the programme also had an understanding with the University of Dar es Salaam wherein the university would build the capacity of teachers and take some of them to the University of Manchester in the UK for foundation courses of fashion and textile design.
The Director General of VETA, Mr Zebadiah Moshi, said he was excited about the agreement as experts in the fashion and textile design industry were few and that apart from building capacity, they would bring entrepreneurship skills that would be beneficial to the country.
“We are excited about the pilot project because apart from the expertise that we will be getting, we will be acquiring teaching manuals as well as equipment that are essential in boosting the underdeveloped fashion industry,†he said.
Mr Moshi said that he was hopeful that the initiative would help the industry flourish, starting in Dar es Salaam region, because it would be easier to catch on to other regions. CTDP was formulated in 2014 following discussions with Lord David Sainsbury of Gatsby Charitable Foundation and the then Minister for Planning, Economy and Empowerment, Mr Juma Ngasongwa and then Minister for Trade and Industries, Mr Basil Mramba.
The programme aims at raising productivity of seed cotton from 750 kg per hectare to 1,500 kg per hectare by 2014 and later to 2,500kg by 2015 as compared to 300 kg at present. It also seeks to increase cotton lint production from 700,000 bales to 1,500,000 by 2015.
The Chief Executive Officer of TGT, Mrs Olive Luena, said that the trust was happy with the progress made so far and that demonstration plots had been set up in seven districts. The dissemination programme had commenced in Kishapu District in Shinyanga.
