Analysts have expressed optimism following the beginning of power production at the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), arguing that the new development will facilitate economic activities and uplift people’s living conditions.
Speaking to the ‘Daily News’ in separate interviews, yesterday, they said that reliable electricity is a big stimulus for the production sector.
The Analysts’ reactions come after the government on Sunday affirmed that power shortage, which has led to current rationing, will completely end next month as JNHPP has started to inject electricity into the national grid.
The project has so far pumped 235MW into the grid from the first turbine, which, according to the schedule was supposed to start in June, this year.
In the interview, analysts said that the start of the power production will increase efficiency in the country’s economic sectors including industrial production.
A lecturer of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Prof Humphrey Moshi said that the increase in power production through JNHPP will increase the speed of production of various products in the country in small and large industries.
“Power generation at the JNHPP will speed up production activities in the country and reduce the price inflation for products, hence improving people’s welfare,” Prof Moshi said.
Prof Moshi said that through Nyerere dam, the mission of President Samia Suluhu Hassan to welcome investment in the country is now being fulfilled because investment goes together with the use of electricity in production.
He also said the new development has made the government earn the trust among the people because it had pledged that the project could start working from this year and solve the electricity challenge in the country.
However, he advised the government not to rely on one source of power, but to start investing in other sources of electricity including solar electricity, wind, gas and geothermal electricity.
Another don at the University of Dodoma, Dr Paul Loisulie viewed that the start of the operation will speed up economic activities by reducing the cost of production.
“Citizens will have reliable electricity in production activities and will also reduce production costs, now they will use electricity which is cheaper than generators,” Dr Loisulie said.
Dr Loisulie also said that the government builds trust among the citizens by implementing the promised development projects.
For his part, analyst-cum-lecturer at Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, Dr Ahmad Sovu, said that the provision of reliable electricity will stimulate production especially for entrepreneurs and farmers in the country.
Dr Sovu further argued that enough electricity will enable establishment of more small-scale industries including food processing, raw material processing, soap and cooking oil industries.
Dr Sovu said that access to electricity will improve the quality of products produced by entrepreneurs in the country, because machines would be more used.
“Farmers who were milking palm and sunflower oil locally will now use machines and get quality oil,” he said.
He said that reliable electricity is the basis of investment because there are potential areas for investment, but the challenge was power shortage, but now more investments will come.
However, the analyst said that the increase in production will reduce the price inflation for products produced in the country, including sugar.
He added that the government has made itself stable by implementing promises and proving that it cares and addresses the challenges of the people.
