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Mkapa: Mkataba wa EPA ni bomu lenye sumu‏

01 Aug

Dar es Salaam

RAIS mstaafu Benjamin Mkapa ameuponda Mkataba wa Pamoja wa Kiuchumi kati ya nchi za Ulaya na Afrika (EPA) kuwa ni bomu lenye sumu na ni mkakati wa mwingine wa nchi tajiri kutaka kupora mali za Bara la Afrika, ikiwamo Tanzania.

Mkapa ameyasema hayo leo wakati anatoa mada kuhusu EPA na athari zake kwa Tanzania katika mkutano ulioandaliwa na Taasisi ya Sekta Binafsi (TPSF) jijini Dar es Salaam, Mkapa aliyeufananisha mkataba huo na kikombe chenye sumu, alisema Tanzania iukatae mkataba huo kwani haina cha kupoteza hata kama itakataa kusaini mkataba huo.

Katika mada yake, Mkapa alisema EPA ni mpango wa pili wa kuipora Afrika na akasema mpango huo ni kama ule wa mwaka 1884 na 1885 uliofanyika huko mjini Berlin nchin Ujerumani ambako mataifa 13 yenye nguvu Ulaya yalijadiliana namna ya kugawana na kupora mali za Bara la Afrika.

“Safari hii wamekuja na mfumo huo kupitia EPA iliyozaliwa huko Brussels. Malengo ya Berlin na yale ya Brussels yanafanana kwani yote ni kwa ajili ya kuendeleza biashara na viwanda vya Ulaya,”alisema Mkapa. Brussels ambao ni mji mkuu wa Ubelgiji, ndio makao makuu ya Umoja wa Ulaya (EU).

Mkapa alisema tofauti iliyopo ni kwamba kwa sasa watu ambao wako huru ndio wanatakiwa kusaini makubaliano hayo ya EPA chini ya kivuli cha demokrasia. “Epa ni kikombe chenye sumu ni lazima tuikatae, Waafrika na rafiki wa Afrika lazima waseme sasa,” alisema.

Alisema baada ya mkataba huo wa Cotonou kumalizika muda wake, EU iliingia EPA nyingine na Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki mwaka 2007 na tangu wakati huo hadi sasa, majadiliano ya kuingia kwenye EPA mpya yamekuwa yanaendelea na yameshindwa kupata muafaka kutokana na kuwapo kwa mambo ambayo pande mbili hizo hazikubaliani.

Alisema EU inataka chini ya EPA mpya, nchi za EAC ziingize bidhaa zake barani Ulaya bila kutozwa ushuru na vivyo hivyo nchi za Ulaya zinataka kuingiza bidhaa zake Afrika Mashariki bila kutozwa ushuru. Alisema Umoja wa Ulaya unashikiza mkataba huo mpya utiwe saini haraka kabla ya Januari 2014.

Alisema Tanzania inakabiliwa na uchaguzi wa kusaini au kutosaini mkataba huo mpya ambao kwa sasa unashinikizwa na nchi za Ulaya. Alisema iwapo nchi za Afrika Mashariki zitasaini mkataba huo ni wazi kuwa zitakuwa zimeruhusu asilimia 82.6 ya bidhaa zinazotoka Ulaya ziingie kwao bila kutozwa ushuru.

Alisema kwa Tanzania peke yake takwimu zitaongezeka na kufikia asilimia 90 ya bidhaa kutoka Ulaya zitaingia nchini bila kutozwa ushuru.

“Ni asilimia 10 tu ya bidhaa kutoka Ulaya ambazo zitaingizwa nchini ndizo zitakazotozwa ushuru,” alisema Mkapa na kuongeza kuwa kati ya asilimia hiyo 90, kwa sasa tayari asilimia 23 ya bidhaa zinazotoka Ulaya hazitozwi ushuru na iwapo Tanzania itasaini EPA mpya, itakuwa inaruhusu asilimia nyingine 67 ya bidhaa kutoka barani humo iondolewe ushuru.

Pamoja na ukweli ulio wazi kutokana na maelezo ya raisi Mkapa, Nchi za kiafrika zimekuwa tegemezi kwa nchi zilizoendelea. Je zitaweza kufanya maamuzi yaliyo huru katika mkataba huo? au sababu ya kutegemea misaada kutoka jumuiya ya nchi za ulaya tutalazimika kuingia katika mikataba hiyo mibovu kama wa EPA.

Changia  mawazo yako kwa kutoa  Comment hapo chini. Unadhani Tutaweza kuepukana na hayo?

MJ

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Posted by on August 1, 2012 in Tanzania News

 

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Kutoka Bungeni: Serikali Kulinda Viwanda Vya Ndani

24 Jun

Serikali imekubali mapendekezo ya wabunge ya kuongeza kima cha chini cha mapato ya wafanyabiashara yanayotozwa kodi kutoka shilingi milioni tatu hadi milioni nne.
 
 Waziri wa Fedha, Dk. William Mgimwa amesema, uamuzi huo wa Serikali utawawezesha wafanyabiasha wadogo wakiwemo waendesha ‘bodaboda’ kujiendeleza kibiashara.
 
Amewaeleza wabunge mjini Dodoma kuwa, Serikali pia imekubali ushauri wao wa kuongeza kodi ya mafuta ya kula kwa mafuta yanayoagizwa kutoka nje ili kulinda viwanda vya ndani.
 
Kwa mujibu wa Waziri Mgimwa, uamuzi huo wa Serikali sasa utawasilishwa kwenye Baraza la Mawaziri na nchi wanachama wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki (EAC).
 
“Lakini Serikali imekubali mapendekezo ya waheshimiwa wabunge” amesema. Kwa mujibu wa Waziri Mgimwa, Serikali kuondoa Kodi ya Ongezeko la Thamani (VAT) kwa viwanda vinavyozalisha nguo kwa kutumia pamba inayolimwa nchini.
 
“Tumeikubali hiyo hoja, tunaifanyia kazi” amelieleza Bunge na kubainisha kwamba, uamuzi huo utasaidia kuongeza ajira nchini na mapato ya wananchi.
 
Amesema, Serikali inafanya uchambuzi wa suala hilo ili kuona ni wapi itafidia , na kwamba, itatoa ufafanuzi wa jambo hilo katika Muswada wa Fedha wakati wa Mkutano unaoendelea wa Bunge mjini Dodoma.
 
Wakati huo huo, Waziri wa Nchi, Ofisi ya Rais (Mahusiano na Uratibu), Stephen Wasira amewataka wanunuzi wa pamba kutowatwisha mzigo wa kila kitu wakulima wa pamba wakati bei inaposhuka katika soko.
Amesisitiza kwamba, suala la kufufua viwanda ni la msingi na Serikali itahakikisha viwanda vya nguo vinapewa kipaumbele na kuhakikisha malighafi zinazopatikana, zinatumika hapa nchini.

Wasira ameyasema hayo wakati akifanya majumuisho ya hotuba yake ya Hali ya Uchumi wa Taifa kwa mwaka 2011/12 pamoja na Mpango wa Maendeleo ya Taifa kwa mwaka wa fedha 2012/2013.

“Nisingeweza kumaliza hotuba yake bila kuzungumzia pamba, wakulima wa pamba wasingenielewa, wao ndio wanaoniweka mjini,” alisema. “Wanunuzi wa pamba wasiwatwishe wakulima mzigo wa kila kitu wakati bei inaposhuka.

Ingekuwa busara kama wanapata faida ya asilimia kumi, basi wachukue asilimia 9 au 8 na inayobaki iende kwa mkulima.

Katika michango yao, wabunge waliitaka Serikali kuhakikisha bei ya pamba inaongezeka kutoka ya sasa ya kilo kwa Sh 520 kufikia Sh 1,000.

Akizungumzia hoja za wabunge kuhusu kufufua viwanda na kuviendeleza vilivyopo, Wasira alisema hicho ni moja ya kipaumbele cha Bajeti ya 2012/13, hivyo Serikali itahakikisha inavilinda viwanda vya nchini.

“Msimamo wa Serikali uko wazi, viwanda ni mojawapo ya vipaumbele vilivyoainishwa katika bajeti hii. Kwa hiyo, tutahakikisha viwanda vyetu vinafufuliwa na vinavyofanya kazi vinaendelezwa,” alisema Wasira.

Posted by MJ

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

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Richer East African Community with poor people‏

10 Apr

The EAC charter puts people at the centre of integration efforts, but the welfare of East Africans themselves has not improved dramatically
By Christine Mungai  (published in the East African)
Posted  Saturday, April 7  2012 at  12:09

Richer East Africa

Richer East Africa

The East African Community is experiencing steady growth in trade volumes among member countries in a context of deepening integration and increased international investor interest, but this is not necessarily translating into a better standard of living of the people of East Africa. This is the fundamental message of the State of East Africa 2012 report, a comprehensive new survey by global think-tank Society for International Development (SID) that examines key trends in the region’s economy, demographics, infrastructure, human development and governance.
The report highlights the fact that, in the past decade, every economy in the EAC grew at a faster pace than its population, implying a collective rise in per capita income. But in truth, the number of East Africans living below the poverty line actually increased from 44 million to 53 million.

“We should all be getting richer, but the reality is, we aren’t,”

“We should all be getting richer, but the reality is, we aren’t,” says Aidan Eyakuze, SID programme director. “The reason for this is that inequality is both deepening and widening. Fewer people are enjoying the benefits of economic growth.”
EAC Secretary-General Dr Richard Sezibera, speaking at the report’s launch in Nairobi, said that equity and inclusion are critical. “The question we need to ask as a region is how can we benefit from the demographic dividend that an increased population bring us. We have to increase the skills base and entrepreneurial capacity. We can look to Asia for lessons, which did reap the benefits of the demographic dividend, or to Latin America, which failed to do so,” he added. “But we’ve made headway in these conversations. Now we are discussing how we should share the wealth. Ten years ago, we were discussing how to get out of poverty,” said Dr Sezibera.
Trade between the EAC countries almost doubled from $2.2 billion in 2005 to $4.1 billion in 2010, although regional trade with the rest of the world expanded faster, meaning that the relative share of intra-EAC trade has stayed around 21 per cent since 2005. “Europe enjoys 64 per cent internal trade; our 21 per cent is better than we thought, but we have to make efforts to do better,” said Betty Maina, chairperson of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers.
The region’s oil consumption rose from 96,000 barrels per day in 2003 to 144,000 barrels per day in 2010, with Kenya consuming more than all the other EAC countries put together. East Africa now accounts for 10 per cent of all mobile subscribers in Africa, with the number of mobile subscribers surging from just three million in 2002 to a staggering 64 million in 2010.
There has also been implicit integration of policy across the member states, such as drive for universal primary education, increase in healthcare spending, and an urgent new focus on infrastructure projects both within countries and across borders.
The EAC’s international profile has also been growing — the discovery of oil and gas in recent years, along with piracy off the Somali coast and the Al Qaeda terror link, make it an important geostrategic location. In recent months, at least three other countries in the wider East African region have expressed interest in joining the EAC — Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.
“More countries have been knocking on the EAC’s door, because they see value in being part of the community,” said Mr Eyakuze.
But SID warns that despite deepening integration, the challenges facing the East African people have been intensifying. “The EAC charter puts people at the centre of integration efforts,” said Mr Eyakuze. “But the welfare of East Africans themselves has not improved dramatically.”
This is not to say that there have not been marked improvements in some areas. The region’s healthcare expenditure, for example, has risen dramatically in the past decade — Rwanda increased its spending fivefold from the year 2000 to $48 per capita in 2010. Uganda tripled its expenditure to $43 per capita; Kenya and Tanzania both doubled their healthcare spending to $33 and $25 per capita respectively. The statistics show that all the EAC countries record a significant improvement in the number of deliveries by a skilled birth attendant, from an average of 40 per cent in 2005 to 53 per cent in 2010. Maternal mortality too, has fallen in the region since 2000, from a high of 1,188 deaths per 100,000 births to 577 deaths.
“The health statistics show a better access to healthcare. But there is a very serious problem of chronic malnutrition in the EAC,” said Mr Eyakuze. “A quarter to a third of East African children are underweight or stunted, and this will affect them intellectually for life. So we are keeping them alive, but what kind of life are we condemning them to? What kind of future will the EAC have if a third of its citizens are intellectual underperformers?”
According to the Global Hunger Index published by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Burundi’s hunger situation has been classified as “extremely alarming” since 1990. Tanzania’s situation is “alarming,” while Uganda and Kenya are just marginally better at “serious.”
“High food prices are linked to a 62 per cent increase in cases of acute malnutrition in health centres and hospitals in Nairobi among young children between January and May 2011,” states the report. Education, too, apparently suffers from this lack of long-term strategic planning. “Universal primary education has been the focus, and countries have made great efforts. But it seems everyone is caught flat-footed after primary. There is a dramatic drop in enrolment at secondary level — Kenya is the highest at just 45 per cent,” said Ahmed Salim, principal author of the report. The researchers say that there needs to be deeper reflection on the real reason for integration, in order to put the welfare of East Africans at the heart of integration. “What these two examples suggest is that the focus has been on the immediate without investing in the less slightly dramatic but crucial long-term changes needed for East Africans to have a better life,” says Mr Salim.

 
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Posted by on April 10, 2012 in Business News, Finance,Taxation and Investment, International News, Tanzania News, Uncategorized

 

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