Ngoma looks to private sector to spur development

Ngoma district is wooing people who originate from the district but are working in other areas countrywideparts of the country to return and utilise the new investment opportunities that have been created.Aphrodise Nambaje, the district mayor, said the initiative was aimed at stimulating development in the district. The people targeted are mostly businesses and NGOs. Nambaje said district authorities had so far held several meetings to brief them about the various opportunities they could invest in.“Currently, we have four institutions of higher learning, including universities in the district among other investment opportunities. These institutions do not have enough accommodation for students and lecturers,” Nambaje said. Some of the institutions in the district include Kibungo School of Nursing and Midwifery, Open University of Tanzania, IPRC East, and Kibungo Institute of Agriculture and Technology.Nambaje was speaking at one of the meetings with potential local investors, who are currently working in Kigali and neighbouring areas.He pointed out that a survey conducted by the district on the causes of slow development, in the areas, indicated that many private sector operators had left the district.“The private sector has a big role to play in the development of the district as well as the country. We decided to woo back our people to come and invest in the new sectors we identified,” he said.Some of the other investment opportunities include construction of parking lots, markets and hotels. According to the annual district performance contracts, the district has been progressing well, but the mayor said it can do better.In the 2010/11 fiscal year, it was ranked 27th out of the 30 districts countrywide, but moved up 16 positions a year later to clinch the 11th position. Last year, it was ranked 7th nationalwide, and second in the Eastern Province, after Bugesera district.Jules Gahamanyi, one of the participants from Kigali, urged people from the district to use the opportunities in the city to transform their places of origin. Gahamanyi represented ARAMA, an NGO that supports vulnerable people.

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Ngoma looks to private sector to spur development