Jakaya Kikwete Quotations

We design our own programmes; we take leadership. Of course the donors come in to support us, to complement our efforts. Our responsibility to the donors is about accountability: about how we use that money. If somebody gives you his money, definitely he will be interested in knowing how you spend the money.

If we did that we'll go a long way towards poverty alleviation, promoting development and allowing a better life for all, for the people of both countries.

If we invest in logistic centers, improve on infrastructure and create a facilitative environment, we can easily turn Dar es Salaam into another Dubai of its kind.

I am fine Tomorrow I'll vote as planned.

I am fine à Tomorrow I'll vote as planned.

I will make sure research and development is a top priority in agricultural development.

Land ownership has never been a problem. People have access to land. The peasants cannot complain about land ownership.

Our government is focused on creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity and on creating the right conditions for Canadian businesses.

People who sow seeds of discord by preaching tribalism, racism and religious misunderstanding should find another place to go.

The presidency is not an office job. If I only sit in the office in Dar es Salaam, I'm not running the country. I visit the country to inspect development programmes, to inspect activities, to see how things are going, how the government agenda is being implemented, what are the teething issues.

We promise to respect people of all creeds: those who are Christians, Muslims as well as those who have decided not to follow any religion.

To me, the most critical thing in agriculture is investing in the peasant agriculture, transforming peasant agriculture.

We need to conduct a public debate on this issue.

The opposition should look seriously into reasons that led them to be rejected by the people. To show our good faith in promoting the culture of opposition (politics) in this country, I am going to set up a ministry to look into government and opposition relations.

At independence, Tanzania had 350,000 elephants... in 1987, there were only 55,000 elephants left.

If people want to get into leadership through corrupt practices, through corrupt means, I think that's detestable; we have to take action.

The presidency is not an office job.

There were times when there were riots in Africa, demonstrations against the IMF because of the policy advice they were giving, the conditionalities they were imposing, and the difficulties that arose out of the implementation of those conditionalities.

Tanzania is standing by the people of Zimbabwe including President Mugabe... Mugabe is there, he is president, he has been elected. If Tanzania had simply said, stupid, you're hopeless, a murderer, a violator of basic human rights; does that remove Mugabe from office? It doesn't.

My government is going to deal with all forms of corruption. White-collar corruption will be high on the list and we are going to plug all gaps that are being used by corrupt leaders (and) business people.

Justice has to be done, justice must be seen to be done, what the AU is simply saying is that what is critical, what is the priority, is peace. That is priority number one now.

Roads are the blood vessels of the economy.

There are no demands - undue demands... There are many questions we get? why China? why now and the answer is why not?... There is no any hidden agenda in our cooperation with China, it is a relationship based on mutual understanding and equality; they understand our situation.

Africa needs access to markets.

It's very sad that Tanzania is a poor football country. If elected, I promise to put this country on the world football map. I will make sure we produce our own Okochas, El Hadji Dioufs and Zinedine Zidanes here.

We cannot continue to mourn about our country being poor while our minerals are lying untapped and with harvesting at Lake Natron, we will not be the first to do so, because our neighbours, Kenya, are doing the same on the other side of the lake.

Those who expect radical changes in policy and direction are mistaken and lost. The government of the fourth republic will build on what was undertaken by previous governments and will continue with all good things.

I don't think they (the Chinese) have better friends in Africa than us. But when we compare to how much money we get, if we succeed, if the MCA is funded by the US Congress for Tanzania, it's going to be $700 Million. It's going to be huge, it may be a total of all the Chinese have been giving us all these years.

If somebody gives you his money, definitely he will be interested in knowing how you spend the money.