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Population growth at 2.9 pc worrisome, says govt
2008-06-23 11:07:08
By Lusekelo Philemon, Dodoma
The government has expressed its worries over the rapid population growth, saying remedial measures are urgently needed to scale it down.
It is estimated that if the current population growth rate is left unattended, Tanzania`s population would reach 65 million people by 2020.
Current statistics show that Tanzania has approximately 40 million people, whereby Tanzania Mainland has more than 38 million people while the remaining are in the Zanzibar Isles.
However, the country population growth rate, right now stood at 2.9 per annum, the rate which appeared not to be encouraging-too high for the country whose economy was at infant stages.
Wrapping up the 2008/09 budget estimates` debate here on Friday evening, Finance and Economic Affairs deputy Minister Omar Mzee warned that if the trend would go unchecked, competition for few resources available would be high.
He said large populations played important roles to the country\'s economic growth only if they were all engaged in various and active economic activities.
``We need to put in place practical measures to normalise the current population growth rates,\" he said, without exploring those steps.
Mzee explained that, there were few people who are engaged fully in production while the majority-elderly, children, and unemployed relied solely on that small percentage.
``This is a serous challenge against economic growth. The government is trying to work on it and come up with the proper strategies to solve this problem,`` he said.
He however said: ``It is very difficult for an ordinary man to understand that the country`s economy is growing.
But if we can open our eyes on service delivery, we can be able to know the government endeavours towards economic prosperities.``
He said it takes time for the economy to directly trickle down to people at the grass-root levels.
Citing indicators of the country\'s economic development, Mzee noted that education and health sectors had improved two-times the previous three years.
Commenting on the wide-ranging MPs\' reservations and recommendations on the budget estimates, the second deputy minister Jeremiah Sumari said the government was working on a proposal to transform the Tanzania Investment Bank into an agriculture bank.
He however stressed the need for local people to seriously invest in different sectors so that the country\'s economy could be placed in the hands of the indigenous people.
``Many people fear to take risks. It is high time the local investors played their role. We as government will ensure that the conducive environment is created,`` he noted.
For his part, Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Mustafa Mkulo, said in collaboration with experts in his ministry, he would take opposition MPs` recommendations on the just-endorsed budget with a serious note.
He said the government would work on all the areas that were identified by the opposition camp and effectively utilise them to increase revenues.
Highlighting the real situation on the world oil market, Mkulo said: ```The oil price has no sign to come down in the near future.
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