Tanzanian ETP Blueprint ready with Malaysia’s help

BIG CREDITS: Najib (right) and Tanzania president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (fourth right) during a dialogue. Najib said it was a big credit to Malaysia as Tanzania has chosen the Malaysian model and not the Western model for uplifting its socio-economic development. — Bernama photo

DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania): The blueprint for the Tanzanian economic transformation programme (ETP) is ready with the help of Malaysia.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the plan was drawn by the Tanzanians with the help of Malaysians and tailored to their needs although they emulated the Malaysian Economic Transformation Programmes aimed at transforming Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020.

“The Tanzanian government invited Datuk Seri Idris Jala (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department) four times to brief their cabinet members,” Najib told Malaysian media on the sidelines of the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue here.

Najib said it was a big credit to Malaysia as Tanzania has chosen the Malaysian model and not the Western model for uplifting its socio-economic development.

He said Tanzania had shown interest in the ETP at the Langkawi International Dialogue held in Putrajaya in 2011.

Najib said some other African nations are also interested in emulating the ETP, which is aimed at doubling Malaysian per capita income from US$7,000 in 2010 to US$15,000 by 2010.

However, he cautioned that Malaysia would help Tanzania first before extending help to other countries as “we do not want to chew more than we can bite.” Idris, who was present at the press conference, said Malaysia is assisting Tanzania in providing technology for managing a government.

“We ran cabinet workshops and labs for agriculture, water, port, resources mobilisation and education in helping them to draw up the programme,” said Idris, who oversees the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) main role is to oversee the implementation of the ETP and Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

He said they were impressed with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as even ministers have their own KPIs.

Tanzania has vast economic potential as it has a gas reserve of 35 trillion cu ft, said Idris, who was with an international oil company before joining the Malaysian cabinet. — Bernama

 (Source: The Borneo Post)