DAR ES SALAAM— The Tanzanian government is planning to spend a total of Sh9.09 trillion on debt servicing during the financial year 2022/23, it has been revealed.
The revelation was made in Parliament by the minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Mwigulu Nchemba.
The amount is part of the Sh14.94 trillion that he requested the Parliament to endorse for his ministry’s budget for the next financial year that is set to kick off on July 1.
Dr Nchemba said out of the Sh14.94 trillion, some Sh13.62 trillion are meant for recurrent expenditures, with the rest being channeled into development projects.
In another development, the minister said the Tanzania Agriculture Development Bank (TADB) is planning to disburse Sh78 billion worth of loans to the manufacturing sector during the next financial year.
The loan, he explained, will target particularly those dealing with cooking oil and sugar in Kigoma, Shinyanga and Manyara Regions.
Meanwhile, Tanzanian minister for Home Affairs, Hamad Masauni has asked Tanzanians who left the country to seek refuge due their safety to come back because the country is safe
Speaking during parliament session, he said: “The country is safe, I urge those who fled the country to return, because the country is safe and dialogue between the government and political parties is going well.”
The number of Tanzanians living in exile remains unknown but some high profile names include former Presidential candidate Tundu Lissu and legislator Godbless Lema.
After 2020 General Election, Tundu Lissu sought a temporary refuge at the residence of the German ambassador in Dar es Salaam, claiming that he had received death threats in the wake of a disputed election results.
The outspoken lawyer and his bodyguards were spotted at the departure lounge of the Julius Nyerere International Airport leaving the country.
Lissu said when fleeing the country that he was not fleeing the “fight” but rather “exploring other avenues to fight for democracy and human dignity and justice for the country”.
Prior to taking a temporary refuge, Lissu was arrested outside the diplomatic mission and questioned on suspected plot to overthrow the government. He denied the claims and was immediately released without charges.
December 2020, former Member of Parliament for Arusha Urban Godbless Lema fled to Canada with his family after he was granted political asylum in the country.
Lema and his family had crossed from Tanzania through the Namnaga Border Post, soon Amnesty International called on the Kenyan government to process Godbless Lema and his family’s quest for asylum per its obligations to the Refugee Convention, OAU Convention on Refugees and the Refugee Act 2006.
Mr Lema was among those who were arrested and later released on police bond without charge by police in Dar es Salaam in the aftermath of the October 28 general elections.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK