Arusha: The orientation seminar for ministers and senior state executives ended here yesterday, with the government saying donor dependence would be reduced from the current 25 per cent to 10 per cent by 2015. Reading resolutions of the seven-day orientation seminar yesterday, Chief Secretary, Philemon Luhanjo said: "We are determined to cut down donor dependency this time and this is one of the key resolutions we have made during this seminar."

He said the government would embark on strategic interventions aimed at reducing donor dependency from 25 per cent, according to latest government records, to not more than 10 per cent by the year 2015. In order to realise the anticipated target, he said, the government would take affirmative actions aimed at boosting domestic revenue, tighten public expenditure controls and plug corruption loopholes.

"Donor dependency is a critical problem. We have resolved to reduce it, in a quest to make our nation self-reliant in accelerating economic and social development of its people," the Chief Secretary said as he read the 14 resolutions drawn by the seminar participants.

Reading resolution number five, Luhanjo said reports of Controller and Auditor General (CAG) exposed serious weaknesses in the management of human, financial and government resources. This time, he said, the government was determined to improve management of public resources, enhance adherence to ethics among leaders, accountability and control corruption acts at all government levels.

According to Luhanjo, the government had committed itself to fast-track implementation of programmes geared at driving millions of Tanzanians out of social and economic problems, noting that this could be achieved if leaders were accountable and ethical.

In attaining the country's development vision-2025, he said, the government would set conducive environment to attract investments in the agro-processing industry and extractive industries in order to create more jobs for Tanzanians, thus helping them get out of extreme poverty.

The government also pledged its commitment to empower and improve the performance of local government authorities, currently seen as strategic instruments for accelerating developments at the grassroots levels.

Recognizing the importance of land in improvement of the living conditions of the people, Luhanjo said the government would speed up implementation of a comprehensive land-use Master Plan so that ordinary people benefited from the resource and set aside land for public and investment uses.

In his official closing remarks, President Jakaya Kikwete told cabinet ministers, their deputies, permanent secretaries and other senior government officials to translate the knowledge gained from the seminar into actions. "We have to shun corruption, unnecessary bureaucracies, avoid misuse of public resources, respect leadership code of ethics, laws and regulations, and deliver to the expectations of wananchi. Tanzanians have expectations on us, leaders," he said, adding:

"Go out to solve people's problems, don't lock yourselves in offices. Once again, I want all of you to implement what you have learnt, otherwise the importance attached to this seminar, would be useless."

Chief Secretary Office has been tasked to draw up a work plan to facilitate implementation of the 14 resolutions.