TANZANIA Charting the way forward INTERVIEW WITH HE AMANI ABEID KARUME PRESIDENT OF ZANZIBAR What are your expectations for the Seventh extending the provision of drinking water to the International Investors’ Round Table? population. I think we have managed to reach 65 per My expectations are very high on the outcome, even cent in villages and 75 per cent in the towns. We at a time when the current global economic crisis has have also built health centres and schools throughout taken its toll on our part of the world. This meeting the islands. will give investors the opportunity to sit down and analyse the global investment climate, and to look at A lot of companies see bureaucracy as one of the our investment policy. I believe the forum will create biggest problems to doing business in Zanzibar. an opportunity for us to chart the way forward, given We are streamlining bureaucracy. We are much more the global economic downturn that has taken place. efficient than we used to be. In Zanzibar we have the AMANI ABEID KARUME Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority, which has been president of What do you think will be the main impact of is a one-stop shop. It should not take more than a Zanzibar since 2000, the global economic downturn on Zanzibar? month to set up a company. winning what is his The downturn has impacted on tourism. Tourism final term in office in is one of our key foreign exchange earners. If the At last year’s conference, one of the focuses was 2005. He is the son of economies where our visitors come from are not on the diaspora. What do Zanzibarians who come Zanzibar’s first president, doing well, this will result in a shortfall of tourists. back bring? Sheikh Abeid Amani So I believe that we will suffer. We haven’t calculated It’s true that many Tanzanians who have lived Karume and a member this yet, but we may see a fall of up to 20 per cent. abroad have developed a much stricter mindset of the Chama Cha about doing business and dispensing with the Mapinduzi (CCM) party. What areas would you propose as investment old ways. People returning have a very reliable Mr Karume held various opportunities in Zanzibar? partner in the government, and locals are changing positions in the Zanzibari After tourism and agriculture, I would say fisheries, fast. The media is changing people, so is integration government during the and then industry. Small and medium scale industries with foreigners. 1970s. In the 1980s would be best. Industries related to food processing. he worked as a private These are very important for the local market and There will be elections in Zanzibar next year and consultant. Mr Karume the tourism market. You can’t go wrong with high you will stand down as President. What qualities returned to government quality processed food. will the next president need? and politics in 1990 I believe that Zanzibar and Tanzania’s relationship when he was elected to Could you comment on your successes in will continue. We’ll get a president who will be ready the Zanzibar House of combating malaria? to carry forward the programs already in place. Our Representatives from the We have been very successful. Malaria used to be expectation is that by 2020 if all goes well then we Rahaleo constituency. rampant in Zanzibar, as it is in many countries. We will be in a position to eradicate poverty. We have looked at how to fight it, and asked for international seen GDP rise, and I think it will continue to rise. help. Through the President’s Malaria Initiative The next president’s challenge will be to continue [A US government-interagency initiative led by with our policies of the last decade. USAID], the United States came to our rescue. For the last four or five years we have worked hard You have been at the top for a long time. What together and reduced malaria to a minimum level. will you do after you leave office? But our aim is to eradicate it. I have spent thirty years of my life serving Zanzibar. I have a lot of experience. Of course it is good to And your other success stories? leave the responsibility to someone else. It is a tiring We have done much to improve infrastructure. We job, especially at my age. I’ll be ready to offer my have built roads and bridges. We have finished the services: if people want my advice I’ll be happy to port of Zanzibar. Our attention is now on the airport. give it. I’ll be there for my country. Finally, I am also The World Bank is supporting us in this. planning to start a small charity in education. I’d like In addition we have also done extremely well in to continue supporting students and children. F 87 FIRST.