The Deputy Minister in the ministry, Mr Mahadhi Juma Maalimu, told the Parliament that the project is part of government's strategic plan to involve the country's pension funds in implementing development projects in the nation's foreign embassies.

 

Mr Maalimu said that his ministry is in final stages of dialogue with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to enable the fund to implement the project at the country's embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

The Deputy Minister was responding to a basic question from Special Seats (CCM) MP, Ms Kidawa Saleh, who wanted to know government's strategy in renovating and constructing new buildings at the country's embassies in foreign countries.

 

Ms Saleh said the buildings of the country's embassies in foreign countries are in poor state and need massive renovation or construction of new buildings altogether.

 

Deputy Minister Maalimu said that it is true that some of the buildings are in poor state and need massive renovations, noting that for a long time, the government did not have funds to buy, construct or renovate any of the buildings at the country"s embassies in foreign countries.

 

He said that starting from 1961 to 1987 buying, construction and renovation of the buildings in embassies in foreign countries, was executed through.

 

Other Charges budget (OC), which could not meet all the needs. "Recognising the importance and the need to buy, construct and renovate the buildings, in 2007/08, the government started providing my ministry with development funds," he explained.

 

He added that using the development funds, the Ministry was able to construct an office building in New Delhi, India and purchased office buildings in Washington DC, New York and Paris and renovations of offices and the Ambassador's residential houses in Maputo, Brussels, Ottawa, Nairobi and Tokyo.

 

Mr Maalimu said that in the financial year 2014/15, his Ministry completed the purchase of two buildings, one for office and the other a residential place for the country's ambassadors in Paris, France, and they are planning to renovate other buildings in Khartoum, Sudan.

 

"We are also completing the construction of a two storey building (Time Keepers) which was being used as Ambassador's residence but now will be used as an office of the Ambassador (Chancery) in New York, will embark on renovation of our Ambassador's residence in Geneva and we construction of ambassador's residence in Mount Vernon, New York," he explained.

 

He said that his ministry will continue to spend development budget to buy, construct and renovate ambassadors' office buildings in foreign countries, as well as involving pension funds in the country to participate in implementing the projects.

 

In responding to a supplementary question from Ms Saleh, who wanted to know why the government will use the pension funds, when it had not paid the outstanding debt, the Minister for Finance, Ms Saada Mkuya Salum, said the government has submitted to Cabinet a plan on how to offset the debt it owes to pension funds in the country.

 

"Next year, we will bring it to Parliament, but we will offset the debt that the government owes pension funds," Mr Salum noted.

Source : allafrica.com