President Kikwete received honourary degree and spoke about agricultural initiatives
Crowds of students, teachers and faculty gathered inside War Memorial Hall just before 4 p.m. on Friday Sept. 20 to catch a glimpse of the President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete, and his first lady Salma Kikwete. The Tanzanian President was greeted with a traditional procession on the red carpet, followed by the Tanzanian national anthem.
Kikwete, who received an honour for his work as a humanitarian and a politician, declared at the end of his speech that “if [he] could make the lives of those in Tanzania better, then [his] work had been completed.” The statement was followed by applause, upon which he addressed questions from the crowd regarding food and agricultural production.
President Kikwete devoted much time to addressing food security and agricultural issues in Tanzania. For the most part, farmers this country do not have access to high yielding seeds, of which only 25 per cent of which are produced domestically. In addition to seed usage, limited use of fertilizers affects both the viability and the affordability of agriculture. Combine this with a limited use of pesticides and not enough support resources, and the agricultural sector suddenly becomes vulnerable and in need of a rapid transformation.
“The food situation is precarious despite the potential of having a surplus,” said Kikwete after he finished addressing the need for an agricultural transformation.
While Tanzania is a country of potential, there are certain longstanding problems, such as the underutilization of the private sector, that leave the country falling short. While addressing the private sector, Kikwete informed the crowd that “there was minimal involvement of the private sector, even in instances where the private sector was better.”
While food security is an issue, Kikwete was keen to discuss solutions to these problems that his government is working on implementing. Among these are subsidy programs for small-scale farmers, an incentive for the private sector to produce seeds domestically, a project to bring electricity to rural areas, an initiative to develop infrastructure for roads, and a revitalization of agricultural research. Additionally, 300 research scientists have been trained and equipment has been purchased for their benefit.
President Kikwete, who favourably spoke of the University of Guelph as a “powerhouse,” will be connecting with the Guelph East Africa Institute, which is to be located in Tanzania. The institute, which is predicted to bring together faculty, students, NGOs, governmental organizations, and businesses alike, will be supporting research in various fields such as nutrition, food security, health, sanitation, and gender-based issues in East Africa.