28 October 2009

The cooperation between Tanzania and Sweden is long standing. Sida SAREC have been in Tanzania since the 1970s, the Innovative clusters initiative being one of them. Sweden continues to be a committed partner and has just signed a research cooperation contract worth 229 Million aprox. 30 Mill $ over the next three years We are honoured to be part of your solution.

In turn Sweden is encouraged by the commitment the government has taken to promote Research and development by allocating 1% of GDP in its Budget to R&D. But Ahadi ni Deni:
 
Allocations have to be released
Disbursed funds have to be spent well
Well spent funds have to bear results
 
In development cooperation and the Swedish people it is important to know whether R&D and Innovation Systems are solving problems and creating wealth.
 
It is good to see that you are picking experience from the Economic Tigers who just a generation a go were in the same boat as Africa.  You will be sure to learn, as we have seen today that they nurture the tight relationship between the Education System, Research, the Private Sector and Striving to build a Knowledge Economies. Not to forget, access to reliable Energy is crucial. Sweden recognizes these sectors as its most important focus areas in development corporation with Tanzania.
 
I think you will also learn that the Tigers understand that a little patriotism and tough decision making towards Investment in Human Capital now, will go a long way to making a nation competitive only half a generation to come.  To face the future you have to shake off the way you learnt and implemented in the past, you have to TRANSFORM your Education system from producing consumers of spoon fed ideas to researchers , creators of ideas and implementers. What I have heard here is, as I said before, encouraging. But you will agree with me, there is no room for complacency. World Competition is proceeding fast. Challenging as it is you have to be in a hurry and you have to be intelligent about it.
 
Sweden is with you

Thank you for your attention