The two-day workshop, to be held between on Wednesday and Thursday with the theme “Making industrialisation work for socio-economic transformation”, will mainly seek to look into critical factors that influence socio-economic transformation.
According to REPOA Executive Director, Dr Donald Mmari, the forum will aim at enhancing understanding of the strategic role of industrialisation in economic growth and structural change and how the two relates to socio-economic transformation both in theory and in the practical context of Tanzania.
He pointed out that the main objectives of the workshop is to address issues concerning economic development in Tanzania at present, the nature of structure change and progress on industrialisation in relations to aspirations of the National Development Vision 2025.
He said that the forum comes in the wake of wide-spreading public concerns that economic growth has not been sufficient inclusive as million of Tanzanians are still in abject poverty, coupled with massive unemployment and underdevelopment in socio and economic infrastructures.
“One hypothesis motivating work is that industrialisation is indispensable for transforming the socio-economic landscape in the country, but what type of industrialisation strategy is feasible in the context of Tanzania and its internal and global environment,” Dr Mmari said.
He explained that the 21st Annual Research Workshop will bring together local and foreign delegates representing a number of stakeholders including researchers, academicians, private sectors, policy makers, governments’ leaders and civil society and development partners to digest research results and policy alternatives that could lift Tanzania to the next stage of development.
“All these people will have one common agenda to find out practices alternative and best practices that would accelerate industrialisation led to socio-economic transformation and living standards of Tanzanians,” he explained.