WHEN speaking the same language it is easier to move together. Unity and collective effort produce tremendous impacts in a short period of time. For a developing country like Tanzania a quick pace of development is needed as most things need to be put into a proper manner.

Development must originate from people and it is their understanding that matters. What someone may hear depends on what they know as voices that do not convey a message to someone may mean disturbance. It is obvious that the government speaks frequently and that is its responsibility. The government gets into power through elections where there are a lot of promises made by candidates during political rallies. 

Sometimes government leaders get frustrated not because what they say is not important but because there is little response to sensitive messages. It is true that the government cannot put money into pockets of citizens but only creating good policies which can enable people to work and generate a good income for their development as well as the nation. Leaders should only consider putting into place good policies and plans and wait for the rest of the work to be done by the citizens.

For citizens to value good policies above financial resources understanding of the society is an important factor. People cannot do what they have not understood. Unnecessary resistance to policies put into place by the government may sometimes result from ignorance because in today’s world, ignorance does not only mean inability to read and write. This can be evidenced when we see what was called primary education needs to be extended to what we held as lower secondary education.

Since the government has succeeded in a number of campaigns such as those for vaccination, it can also succeed in sensitizing people on the importance of reading because books are everywhere as newspapers. 

It is agreed that knowledge is power and that power is in books. Therefore there is a need for the government to empower her people as knowledge enables individuals to be self-reliant as they can see opportunities and acquire greater control of themselves and their environment. If the government embarks on a massive countrywide reading program the following benefits will be experienced. 

One of the benefits of a reading campaign is stimulating creativity and innovation. Increased thinking capacity leads to creativity and innovation. It is reading that promotes thinking capacity. For someone to think and act in a different way they must have been exposed to different ideas which are found in books. 

The government needs to sensitize people on the importance of reading. When individuals read they become creative and innovative, thus improving their productivity. When citizens are innovative enough to come up with their ideas, the burden of the government to assist individuals is reduced as they become self-reliant. 

Another benefit of conducting a reading campaign is prevention of diseases. Among the sectors which consumes much of the national budget is the health sector. When individuals read on how to prevent some diseases it helps the government to save a substantial amount of money which would have been allocated for treatment cost. Such monies can be directed on execution of their development projects. 

Development is attained when unnecessary expenditure is avoided. For instance there are societies in Tanzania which are hit by malnutrition due to poor eating and not due to lack of food containing nutrients. Situations like these necessitate the need to educate people and this can easily be achieved through massive a reading campaign in the country.

Having a reading campaign will promote economic growth. Through reading people will be enlightened on ways of saving and investing in different economic enterprises. Economic growth results from increased production which may enable the country to achieve the favorable balance of trade and eventually favorable balance of payment. People will get knowledge on areas to invest and availability of markets and even securing of loans. All of these insights promote the productivity of individuals and economic growth.

Again reading campaign helps to eradicate unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings. There are people who get into conflicts because of poor beliefs. There are those parents who instead of taking their children to hospitals when they fall sick they take them to witch doctors. This results in deaths of innocent individuals. 

People choose witch doctors instead of expertise medical treatment mostly over lack of knowledge. Apart from deaths, relatives accuse one another of involvement in causing some individuals illness. This situation endangers peace and harmony in the society. Therefore reading campaign will help to do away with this problem.

Reading is leading. To succeed in any venture one needs to see what is coming forth before others. The visionary ability to predict what is forth-coming depends on ability and willingness of someone to read. The secret of developed countries’ advancement is hidden in knowledge which is in books. Reading is emancipation.