The government has been called upon to ban the importation of products which can be produced by small scale entrepreneurs in the country.

Stakeholders say, markets in the country are dominated by cheap foreign produced products waging an unbalanced competition against locally produced versions.

Speaking during the opening of the Inter-religious Village Community Banks (IR -VICOBA) business exhibition yesterday in Dar es Salaam, Anglican Church of Tanzania Bishop Valentino Mokiwa said the ban will significantly boost local producers.

“The ban will help create market for local products and that way increase local entrepreneurship and create jobs…it will help end poverty,” he said

Commenting on the launched Inter-religious Village Community Banks, Bishop Mokiwa said many Tanzanians find it difficult to start their own business due to lack of initial capital, capacity limit of banks to offer loans and complicated loan procedures.

“The introduction of VICOBA will be a solution to many but the problem remaining is the matter of reliable market,” he said.

“We must support local efforts and the ban on imports of products that can be produced locally will help,” he suggested.

Mokiwa said globalisation of markets and production has produced many opportunities but also caused threats for businesses with locally manufactured goods forced to compete with products that are cheaper and of better quality from emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil. 

“These inexpensive imports are rapidly replacing locally made goods and impede small-scale manufacturers from dominating their domestic market, the government has to take action,” he said.

In his comments, Country Representative of Norwegian Church Aid Gwen Berge who supported formation of the IR-VICOBA the groups are built on strong religious values.

“In future, our emphasis will be on mobilising these groups and providing viable mechanism enterprises,” she said.

“We want to work with the private sector in a symbiotic manner leveraging all our competencies for job creation,” she said. 

She said NCA will continue to practice their collective mission to see communities mobilised and empowered to address economic vulnerability and to articulate their theory for change from community mobilisation, training and knowledge formation to action, job creation and social change.

The Inter Religious Village Community Banks (IR -VICOBA) symposium and Business Exhibition commenced earlier this week in Dar es Salaam and ends today.

The, main theme for the exhibition was “Inter Religious Relations, Peace and Development: IR VICOBA as Vehicle for Development” and it attracted numerous exhibitors showcased their products and had the opportunity to network.