PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday tasked Dr Selemani Jafo, the new Industry and Trade minister not to stay in office but invest time in revolutionising operations at the metropolitan Kariakoo Market.

In remarks at the swearing-in of newly appointed top public officials at the Tunguu State House in Zanzibar, the president demanded that the minister make Kariakoo as his second office, spending time to address challenges facing trade in the area.

One such task is to facilitate 24 hours operations to serve local and international traders, part of customers seeking all round quality services, she said, hinting that the issue be set out with the city administration under the regional commissioner.

They should come up with a plan on how the central business district should be organised, a new era in Kariakoo market growth, its entire security and safety outlays, she stated.

“Go and make traders your friends and not enemies," she emphasised, urging that whenever the traders want to see the minister an open door situation is vital. “I want to see you working hard to make Kariakoo the safest place for international trade,” the president declared.

Most of the time challenges at Kariakoo market are driven by politics which the minister needs to address, she said, demanding that a report be submitted on a quarterly basis on the situation and progress of scheduled interventions.

She referred to remarks at the ongoing 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF-2024) on the need to listen and addressing challenges facing traders, in which case the minister needs to go and supervise this very well.

The minister needs to have close connections with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the Planning and Investment division in the President’s Office along with related ministries, “to make the country’s trade perform well,” she stated.  

The president asked regional officials to devise a usable arrangement for petty traders as their operating within the Kariakoo metropolitan market causes disorder in customers for numerous shops in the zone.

There is similarly a steady increase in unfaithful traders turning their shops into stores for small businesses, handing out the merchandise to petty traders plying the streets outside and around the city so as to evade the required taxes.

“This trend affects revenue collections and growth,” she stated, insisting that the matter needs to be addressed, pointing at the need to work with the police to see how petty traders can be organised to conduct businesses in a harmonious manner with those operating shop frames and other shopping modes.

“The petty traders should operate legally and be registered, all of them, to have proper records,” she specified.   

Dr Ashatu Kijaji, the new Union and Environment state minister in the Vice President’s Office VPO) was tasked with taking the clean cooking energy as a priority agendum.

Yahya Samamba, incoming permanent secretary for the Minerals ministry, was tasked with working closely with various agencies on the issuance of mining licences, in the wake of cancellation of those who have failed to use the licences.

She praised Alphayo Kidata, outgoing TRA commissioner general for doing a tremendous job, while there is still plenty to be addressed , urging the new appointee, Yusuph Juma Mwenda to address remaining loopholes, “to ensure that every eligible person pays tax.”

“A good number of traders all over the country do not pay tax as they evade using electronic fiscal devices (EFDs), go and make robust plans to address the challenge,” she firmly stated.

The newly appointed leaders need to go and work efficiently and in synchrony to address challenges in the various sectors, she added.