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Tanzanian President Defends Decision to Buy Multi-million Radar System
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa has defended his government's decision to buy a multi-million U.S. dollar air traffic control system as western donors argue that the country does not need such sophisticated technology, the official Daily News reported on Tuesday.
Tanzania plans to buy from BAE Systems of Britain the 40 million dollar system , which, the president said, is desperately needed to boost safety at airports in his country.
However, the government's decision to acquire the system has recently attracted criticism from some western donors who asked the Tanzanian government to explain exactly why it needs such a sophisticated and expensive system with a military capability.
They said air traffic control is hardly a priority for a government with limited expenditure, suggesting that Tanzania should settle for a system four times cheaper than the one it intends to buy.
Mkapa was quoted as saying on Monday that the technology of the system currently being used by the country's airports is obsolete, and thus putting the lives of air travelers, including western tourists, at risk.
The Tanzanian government could not continue putting the safety of air travelers in the "hands of God," the president said, adding that his country would continue with efforts to upgrade its air traffic control systems.
He reiterated that a firm commitment has already been made by his government to buy the equipment from the British manufacturer, and backing out now would attract legal costs that the government would rather avoid.
According to Mkapa, his government is prepared to seek assistance from financial institutions to buy the technology if it could not foot the bill on its own.
Critics have been reportedly lobbying the British government to reject the deal and deny the manufacturer an export license.
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