A Professor wonders why the government abandons railway transportation

A Senior University Lecturer has blamed the government for its failure of not taking appropriate and serious steps in order to revive the operations of the dwindling central railway line, which since independence had been the pillar of the national economy for transporting goods. He wonders as to why the government has turned a blind eye to such a viable economic feature, noting that embezzlement shown on such crucial matters has contributed to a high inflation rate to a certain extent. Professor Humphrey Moshi of the Economics department at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) said in last week in Dar es Salaam that, “railway transport is the most important means of economic production and if properly used, could eradicate some of the economic troubles currently facing the nation”. He has observed that, the continued lack of seriousness by government top officials including the Ministry of Transport on the basic economic matters especially on railway transport infrastructure would continue undermining the country's economy to a greater extent as most subsistence crops and those of the commercial which needs quick transport would not reach to their consumers. He targeted the central railway line and said is not only vital for the transportation of passengers, but from the economic point of view, the railway is vital for the transportation of exports and imports for the neighbouring landlocked countries such as DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Zambia through Dar es Salaam harbour. He also mentioned another railway line which has long been forgotten that serves the eastern zonal regions in the country which starts from Dar-Tanga-Moshi and Arusha terminals, this he wondered currently does not operate for unknown reasons. He asserted that, railway is an efficient means of production of the economy of any country, and its reliability has ensured a smooth transportation of goods from within and outside the country. Unlike road transport which requires intensive repair and regular maintenance an aspect that cannot quicken the pace of economic development in the country. Professor Moshi highlighted these issues immediately after he had advised the Economic Social Research Foundation (ESRF) on other basic research on economic issues during the launching of the firm's Medium term strategic plan of 2012-2015, that the ESRF would undergo for another three years. Earlier, he commended the work done by ESRF which has been in operation for the last 18 years to be good, but noted that the implementation of their plan should more concentrate on private sector as a basic role of economic matters. In his views, Professor Moshi urged the ESRF to address the major constraints of the poverty stricken situation from the grassroots levels, noting that it is very difficult to reduce the high rate of inflation in the country if there is no effective transport means to support agricultural economy. On his views, he assumes that transport is still poor in the country especially from most food crop producing regions. ESRF is embarking on the fifth phase medium term strategic plans taking into account that need to research and build capacity on priority issues highlighted during Tanzania's mid-term development plan, the current five year plan *2011/12 to 2015/16), which focuses on addressing productive capacity constraints in addition to encompassing the objectives spelt out in MKUKUTA II strategies. The ESRF's Executive Director, Dr. H. Bohela Lunogelo said during the launching ceremony that, his organization is currently looking for fund which would enable them to concentrate mainly on five different research agendas of unleashing the country's economic growth potentials. He noted that, the plan's core programs reflects the objectives of MKUKUTA II, Mini-Tiger Plan 2020, and key sector strategies in Agriculture, Livestock, Mining, Tourism and similar industries. He further noted that, the program would address challenges for a more inclusive growth necessary for the substantial reduction of poverty in Tanzania. He mentioned the broad themes as the main research areas as Inclusive growth and wealth creation, Social services, protection and quality of life, Natural resources and environmental management, Governance and accountability and Globalization and regional integration. Under each broad theme, several sub-themes have been developed reflecting outstanding issues. Sub-themes proposed are geared towards achieving specific objectives, and building on the broad ESRF objectives.