At least 30 local industries will adopt the Japanese Kaizen concept of production aimed at improving products quality and productivity.
Already the Industry and Trade ministry has signed a pact with the Japanese government aimed at strengthening the manufacturing sector in Tanzania through the concept.
Speaking during an awareness seminar held in Dar es Salaam at the weekend, project coordinator Julieth Lema, said Kaizen which means improvement in Japanese would help Tanzanian government officials and industries to improve their performance.
The one-day seminar attracted 150 participants from the ministry, College of Business Education (CBE), Tanzania Trade Development Authority (Tantrade) and Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO).
“This concept was launched to help government officials change their mindset in serving people or within their environment so that they improve efficiency,” she said. The three-year project focuses on three regions of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Morogoro.
Lema said they have been conducting similar awareness seminars to various officials and industries intended to have the concept adopted.
“There are eight industries in Dar es Salaam which have been senzitised and adopted the concept since we started in April, this year,” she said.
She mentioned them as Woisso Original Products, Ando Roofing, Tanzania Brush, Envotech, Jumbo Cashewnut, Kays Hygiene, Temso Engineering and Tan Diaries.
According to her, more sensitisation seminars would be conducted this year whereby it is expected 16 other industries would be joined in the programme.
She noted that the project would also cover eight industries in Morogoro and Dodoma regions respectively.
For his part, Takao Kukuchi, a consultant from Japan said the USD3m project also covers Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Jordan.
He said the three-year project will be a key to improvement in the countries’ manufacturing sectors given that it aims at quality control, safety in working environment and health production assurance.
“One of the feature of Kaizen is applying bottom-up approach rather top-down way and continuous utilisation of experience and ingenuity on the ground,” he said.
According to him the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already used the concept of kaizen in Tanzania technical cooperation projects such as health and power sectors and that now it will shift to employing it in manufacturing.
A Tanzanian entrepreneur identified as Rose Makoyola who has adopted the concept, said it has totally changed her life.
She said in the past she did her work in an unattractive manner and in very small premises. But after adopting the concept things have changed, she added.
“I have managed to change my work place, improve productivity and quality of my products, hence my income too,” she added.
The initiative will greatly help the country to realise the Five Year Development Plan 2011/12-2015/16 which has prioritised the institutionalisation of Kaizen management as one of the strategic intervention needed to support and promote manufacturing sector growth.
Kaizen project will in particular be promoted in the country through the Ministry of Industries and Trade, Small and Industrial Development Organization and College of Business Education and the Private Sector.
