Tanzania’s new scheme provides blue-print for citizen empowerment

Tanzania’s new scheme provides blue-print for citizen empowerment

Recent remarks by President Yoweri Museveni during celebrations to mark 22 years of National Resistance Movement in power, that the prosperity for all programme commonly known as bonna baggawale had met “tough challenges” once again exposed the government’s archetypal ineptness in planning for its citizens.

The bonna baaggawale programme, which was launched in July 2007 with the hope of providing peasants with the often elusive microfinance for rural enterprise development, has since stalled after it met procedural hi-cups as a result of government ill preparations.

Now that President Museveni has admitted that the government did not do enough homework and therefore time to get back to the drawing board, it is imperative that government draws lessons from Tanzania where an almost similar scheme that provides hope to budding Tanzania entrepreneurs is taking shape.

The Tanzania government recently launched a scheme that will create new enterprises, strengthen existing ones, start companies, and establish mutual funds to uplift the living standards of Tanzanians, according to the East African.

Unlike Uganda, Tanzania has instituted the necessary policy guidelines and regulations to ensure that the scheme does not suffer a still-birth.

The Tanzania scheme for instance takes a more comprehensive approach that will provide loans for would-be entrepreneurs in total contrast of the Ugandans scheme that focuses on peasants.

Besides, the fund will also act as a guarantor for entrepreneurs wishing to access financing from banks. Unlike the undefined ministry of microfinance that was hurriedly set to spearhead the Bonna baggawale programme, the National Economic Empowerment Council, which will administer the fund in Tanzania, has been operating since 2005 laying ground work for the scheme.

The council will make use of the research institutions to implement research findings for the benefit of the people. Also, the scheme takes note that would-be entrepreneurs need skills to clearly execute some of their business plans.

And as a result, this will save the fund of unnecessary money losses it would have incurred through failed businesses and equipped recipients. As the Uganda technocrats get back to the drawing board following president Museveni’s remarks, it is important to consult the Tanzanians on how go about it to avoid making more mistakes.