President John Magufuli is expected to relocate to Dodoma, the capital city, any time next month, it has been stated.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa confirmed the President’s relocation to Dodoma yesterday when he inspected several ongoing infrastructural projects, aimed at face-lifting Dodoma City.
“The President will relocate here (Dodoma) anytime in January 2019. This means all ongoing infrastructural projects that seek to modernise the City must be speedily implemented,” PM Majaliwa insisted.
He added, “We want Dodoma to be a unique city with modern infrastructures and services so that we can attract a good number of investors and create employment opportunities to Tanzanians by 2020.”
When President Magufuli assumed the highest leadership office in the country in 2015, he made it very clear that he would ensure his government relocates to Dodoma to realise Mwalimu Nyerere’s dream that remained shelved for years.
It was in 2016 when some government institutions, departments and ministries began relocating to Dodoma from Dar es Salaam - the commercial city.
Until December 8 this year, statistics showed that 6,531 civil servants from all ministries had relocated to Dodoma, which is equivalent to 87.5 per cent of all public servants who are required to relocate to the government Capital City.servants, consisting of 1,789 relocated to Dodoma in 2016, including Prime Minister Majaliwa who moved his office to the Capital City in September.
PM Majaliwa was then followed by Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who moved her office to Dodoma in November, last year, during which 2,130 civil servants also shifted to the Capital City.
In the third phase, 2,612 public servants moved to Dodoma. According to the relocation timetable, it is expected that all civil servants would have moved to Dodoma before the end of 2018.
In implementing its resolve, the government has dished out funds for the construction of offices for the 24 ministries at Ihumwa area on the outskirts of Dodoma City.
The construction of the offices is at different stages. The President also handed over 62 title deeds for plots to diplomatic missions for the construction of their offices and five others for UN missions serving in the country.
Germany has been the first country to open its office in Dodoma and the United Nations (UN) has also followed suit after opening its communication office.