Thread by @ephraimnjegafan

VENDOR-DRIVEN, LOOTING-FOCUSED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS CANNOT BENEFIT OUR ECONOMY

THREAD
1/10
@DavidNdii @MihrThakar @JKNjenga

When people talk of infrastructure as an economic enabler they need to understand that this can only be so if the said infrastructure is based on clear economic objectives.
2/11

It should also be built at competitive prices and should be sustainably financed.
Look at some of the projects Tanzania is doing. These projects make a lot of economic sense and have been done at very fair cost. They have also been locally funded.
3/11
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Take for example the Julius Nyerere Hydropower project. This project will produce 2,115 MW of cheap hydropower. This project is being built at a cost equivalent to KShs 310 billion. It is being financed entirely by the Government of Tanzania.
4/11

According to Energy minister Medard Kalemani, a unit of hydropower will be produced at the equivalent of KShs 1.8. How will we compete with this when we are selling a unit of power at KShs 20?
5/11

The other project is the 2,561-kilometer SGR. This is being built at the equivalent of KShs 817 billion. The electric powered line will run at speeds of upto 160 km/hr for passenger trains.
6/11

Tanzania is building its SGR in five phases which are running concurrently. This means they will connect neighbouring countries to their SGR while our SGR is still stuck at Suswa due to poor planning, obsession with looting and lack of vision.
7/11

I am highlighting these two projects because they are interconnected. Cheap cost of power will attract manufacturers. Cheap transport will enhance distribution of goods and services. It will rank Tanzania high as a regional transport hub.
8/11

High cost of power and expensive transport have killed our once vibrant pride of the region manufacturing sector.

Now let it sink in you that we claim to have done infrastructure projects worth over KShs 5 trillion in the last 8 years.
9/11

Yet with just slightly over KShs 1 trillion Tanzania is doing these high impact and transformative projects.

As we have always insisted vendor-driven, looting-focused projects cannot help our country.
10/11

They will only benefit a few blood sucking leeches and leave the rest of us paying unproductive debts.
11/11
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