President to the Institution of Engineers Tanzania (IET), Eng Dr Malima Bundara speaks duringengineers’ public meeting held at the weekend in Dar es Salaam. From his immediate right are former IET president Eng Ladislaus Salema, followed by IET Treasure Eng Rizwan Qadri and Secretary to the institute Eng Swaleh Kassera. Photo by correspondent.
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TANZANIA’S economic growth hangs in balance if Government does not take stern measures to build capacity for local engineers, the Institution of Engineers Tanzania (IET) has warned.
The warning was made by a cross-section of engineers who attended the engineers’ public meeting on re-engineering IET and role of engineers in Tanzania’s current challenges as far asemployment, education, abuse of engineering profession and natural resources are concern. Speaking during the event, the IET President Eng. Dr. Malima Bundara said the challenges facing the country’s engineering sector will only be solved with engagement of local engineers.
“The engineering sector is facing many challenges but such challenges will only be solved if local engineers are incorporated in the problem solving equation. “We should not deceive ourselves that foreign engineers will find lasting solutions to our problems. They come to make money and take it back with them. The only thing to do is build capacity of our local engineers,” he said.
Bundara cautioned the Government against neglecting local engineers in trying to look for solutions to the current and looming development setbacks facing the country. And engineers on the other hand should abstain from complaining without taking pro active direction in the improvement of the national economy.
“The backbone of every country’s economic growth is pegged on availability of a strong and well elaborate infrastructure. Infrastructural development and industrial growth lie in the hands of engineers.
If the Government and its institutions make good use of competent local engineers, a quick transformation on the country’s economic landscape will be felt,” said Eng. Bundara. He mentioned that IET is embarking on building capacity for local engineers phase 2 so as to be enable them give professional solutions to issues associated to their professional fields, which also have direct effect to the country’s economy.
Eng. Ladislaus Salema, former IET President, wondered why a country like Tanzania endowed with abundant minerals and natural resources in varying intensities, is still struggling to create jobs and is ranked among the developing countries. He wanted the Government to work closely with local engineers in unlocking unemployment challenges in the country.
Eng. Shabbir Khataw (IET member) on the other hand warned his fellow engineers against laziness, saying that some of graduated University engineers like to sit in offices instead ofpractising to gain skills, a habit that he said would not give them room to improve on their expertise. Similarly, IET has expressed concern over this year’s massive form four failures and that these results will have a direct impact on the universities output in general within a few years to come.
The engineers pointed out that the poor results will greatly affect the number of students going for higher education as the poor exams results will create a vacuum that will greatly affected growth in all sectors. It was also remarked that selfishness among Tanzanians was undermining collaborative initiatives.