Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania pursues its Vision 2050 goal of building a $1 trillion economy, the country should draw lessons from Singapore by focusing on discipline, prioritisation and a stronger private sector rather than trying to develop every sector at once, former Chief Secretary and Planning Commission member Ombeni Sefue has said.
In an interview with Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), Amb Sefue reflected on a lecture delivered by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the University of Dar es Salaam, organised by the Uongozi Institute.
He recalled that President Tharman was asked how Singapore had transformed itself from a poor nation in the 1960s into one of the world's leading economies.
"Because we had nothing," was the President's response. According to Mr Sefue, the answer underscores an important lesson for Tanzania.
"Because Singapore lacked natural resources, its survival depended entirely on human capital, clear priorities and intellectual rigour," he said.
