New NEMC board wins VP’s confidence
Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan has said the newly appointed National Environment Management Council (NEMC) board and the NEMC Management constitute a beautiful solid team that will effect changes and tackle environmental challenges and tests to the highest expectations of stakeholders.
She told mining stakeholders recently in Dar es Salaam that she believes the board and the NEMC management it oversees will perform to the highest expectations of Tanzanians, more so of stakeholders in the mining sector.
“I have faith the new board is able to supervise the NEMC management and effect desirable changes. The new director general is a person who is competent enough to effect changes in that institution,” she told the meeting, as she introduced the new NEMC Director General, Dr Samuel Gwamaka.
Ms Hassan said she is confident many changes will be made by the two teams that are directly under her office. Asked to comment on the Vice-President’s public remarks on the board and management in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Dr Gwamaka said the VP’s observations were an incentive to the board and the NEMC management.
“That was a rare motivation to us. The Vice-President’s Office is our parent ministry. We, in the management, are answerable to the board. “The Vice-President has given us the green light to double our efforts in discharging our duties professionally as we implement the Environmental Management Act and its regulations. We shall do exactly that,” he said.
Dr Gwamaka said there was no alternative to hard work to reciprocate the VPs expectations because, he said, the government’s vision on how to achieve the middle-income status by 2025 is clear and the role of NEMC is equally clear.
“My colleagues and I owe to the government exemplary service. I was personally humbled by the words of the Vice-President before that multitude. We shall not let down the government and the people of Tanzania. We shall carry out all the instructions of the board without fail,” he pledged.
The new NEMC board was inaugurated in Dar es Salaam recently by the Minister of State in the Vice- President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mr January Makamba who wanted the board to end corruption and issuance of fake certificates.
The board is headed by Prof Esnati Osinde Chaggu, while members include Dr Flora Tibarazwa, Prof Husseain Sosovele, Dr Catherine Masao, Mr Damas Masologo, Dr Neduvoto Mollel, Prof Dos Santos Silayo, Dr Ezekiel Mwakalukwa and Prof William Mwegoha.