Dr Mengi wants Tanzania-Malawi private sector links strengthened.

 The Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) and its Malawian counterpart have been challenged to explore new areas of cooperation.

 

TPSF Chairman Dr Reginald Mengi threw the challenge during talks with the Malawi High Commissioner to Tanzania, Hawa Ndilowe, in his office in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

 

 “Cooperation between the two private sector foundations will have mutual benefit for the two countries,” the Chairman urged noting that there are businesses that Tanzanians can do in Malawi and Malawians can do in Tanzania.

 

“In most cases, when we talk of joint ventures people think of partnering with Western countries alone but it is very possible for our neighbouring countries to form joint ventures,” Dr Mengi explained.

 

“Malawi and Tanzanians can form joint ventures which are sustainable and if this happens, it will be the beginning of a new era for the region,” he said.

 

To start with, Dr Mengi advocated for individual business entities to pursue the proposed joint ventures noting that there are available commodities to be found in either of the two countries yet many businesses rush to import the same products from Western and Asian countries.

 

Summing up, the TPSF Chairman reassured the Malawi High Commissioner that TPSF is ready to work with its Malawi counterpart to develop strong business cooperation.

 

Seconding the call, the High Commissioner said it is imperative for developing countries like Malawi and Tanzania to cooperate if they are to enjoy meaningful and sustainable economic growth.

 

“I welcome the call to look at how the private sectors of the two countries can cooperate and form joint ventures,” she said.

“I have taken the advice and will work to facilitate our cooperation,” pledged High Commissioner Ndilowe.

 

At their meeting, Dr Mengi also called on the two governments to augment their efforts to stop the killing of People with Albinism (PwA).

 

He said the fight against PWA killings should also be taken to the buyers and not only the perpetrators.

 

 “I applaud the government of Malawi for the bold measures it has taken to protect the country’s PwA community,” he said.

“However, both Malawi and Tanzania should ensure that they deal with both the killers and the buyers,” Dr Mengi urged citing that if the market is not cut by punishing the buyers, then the killings will continue.

 

In her comments, the High Commissioner asserted that Malawi will tolerate killing of PwA “…these killings have no space in Malawi,” she firmly declared.

 

In another development, Dr Mengi called upon the government to assert what policy Tanzania subscribes to, socialism, capitalism or another.

 

“The government should announce the country’s policy because there are officials who still have some traits of socialism,’ he urged.

 

“We should know the policy that we are pursuing…we say the private sector is the engine for economic growth but without a clear policy, the engine does not have the fuel it needs,” he said and explained that there are public officials who habour sentiments of socialism and are not willing to support private sector initiatives.