DAR ES SALAAM, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said Wednesday that work permits for foreign investors seeking to set up businesses in the East African country will now be processed within two weeks.
"This follows the amendment of some labor regulations to reduce bureaucracy in issuing the permits," said Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled, Anthony Mavunde.
"If an applicant has all the necessary documents, the permit will be ready within 14 days," Mavunde told tourism stakeholders in Tanzania's northern tourist city of Arusha.
The official said previously there was no specific time within which work permits were supposed to be processed.
The government is currently working to implement the recently approved blueprint for the improvement of Tanzania's business climate.
The blueprint will see the government initiate amendment of various laws, including those governing immigration and labor with a view to simplify the process of issuing the necessary permits to foreign investors and workers.
"Under the new arrangement, the process of issuing work permits and temporary residence permits to non-citizens will be simplified," he said.
Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Willy Chambulo, said TATO members and other investors in the tourism sector were finding it difficult to renew work permits for their employees, thus affecting service delivery.
He added that tour operators were still concerned over numerous checkpoints mounted by traffic police along routes leading to national parks.
Chambulo said unnecessary road checks inconvenienced tourists and adversely affected the flow of traffic. Enditem
