Tanzania: No Plan to Open New Embassies - Premier

The Government has no plans to open more embassies in the near future, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has said.

He made the remarks when addressing Tanzanians in Vienna, Austria, on Monday evening.

Mr Pinda was responding to appeals to the Government to open more embassies abroad and allow Tanzanians to hold dual citizenship.

Tanzanian nationals living in Austria told Mr Pinda that having more embassies and removing restrictions on dual citizenship would make life easier for Tanzanians in the Diaspora.

But Mr Pinda said the Government was currently concentrating on improving services offered by its embassies, adding that the opening of more missions was not a priority.

Mr Bunduki Chihungi, who teaches Kiswahili at Vienna University, said Tanzanians in the Dispora had for years been complaining about the absence of Tanzanian embassies in many countries.

He said Tanzanians living in Austria had to travel to Germany to because Tanzania had no consulate, let alone an embassy, in Austria.

But Mr Pinda said lack of resources made it impossible for Tanzania to open new embassies abroad in the foreseeable future.

"Our embassies abroad are operating on a shoestring budget. That's why we have to be realistic when thinking about opening new embassies."

Mr Pinda said the Government's priority was to enable existing embassies to offer quality services to Tanzanians and foreigners alike.

He said, however, that the Government would look into the possibility of establishing a consulate in Austria.

"I will get in touch with the Foreign Affairs ministry and discuss the possibility of setting up a consulate here. That is the most we can do at the moment I hope you will bear with us," the Prime Minister said.

However, Mr Pinda said Tanzania would in the long run need to open more embassies to strengthen relations with other countries.

"This will be done after we satisfy ourselves that our existing embassies offer quality services to all those who need them."

The Tanzanians, who have lived in Austria for between two and 25 years, also wanted to know whether there were plans to introduce a law allowing dual citizenship.

They argued that such a law would enable them to earn more and invest at home. They said they could not benefit more now as they were only allowed to possess the Tanzanian passport.

Father Castor Goliama, who is studying in Vienna, said the Government should put in place comprehensive plans that would ensure the availability of reliable power in rural areas to boost the manufacturing sector.

He said reliable power in rural areas would enable local residents to establish and improve small industries and boost their incomes.

Mr Humphrey Mwakyoma said there was a need to revisit the use of Kiswahili and make it the medium of teaching at all levels of education.

He said using Kiswahili would enable Tanzanians to master the professions they were studying.

The current system where the teaching language abruptly changed from Kiswahili to English after primary school education was an impediment to learning, he said.

"Many people fail to excel in their studies because they encounter a huge language barrier... in other countries, like Austria, they use their national language in the entire education system," said Mr Mwakyoma, an electrical engineer.

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Prof Francis Malyambata said there was a need to add value to Tanzania products before they were exported.

He said value addition was the best way to compete effectively and protect jobs, and added that export processing zones (EPZs) should be centres of value addition.

Mr Pinda assured them that the Government was addressing most of the issues they had raised during the meeting.

Many of Tanzania's embassies have been unable to operate efficiently in recent years due to financial constraints.

Several MPs voiced their concern about the meagre funds allocated to embassies when debating the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ministry's 2009/10 budget estimates in Parliament in Dodoma earlier this year.

Source:allafrica.com/