Twenty-seven-year-old Advester Elieza Moshi says she
doesn't have to spend sleepless nights thinking over the upbringing of her two
younger sisters who are in primary school after working at the Chinese garment
company Tooku.
"For me life is not the same again as I am also not
worried when it comes to paying house
rent and buying food for my family thanks
to the company," says Advester.
In 2013, Advester secured employment as an operator at
the company which is located in the Export Processing Zone in Tanzania's
commercial capital Dar es Salaam, and is a subsidiary of JDU Group, a Chinese
garments company integrating scientific research, production, domestic and
international trade.
Tooku is manufacturing products related to denims, mainly
jeans, for exports to the US and European markets.
Advester wears broad smiles as she boasts that after
working for four years with the Chinese firm, she has also acquired sewing
skills that she will make use of when her employment ends.
"When I was employed here I knew nothing about
sewing but four years down the road, I am an expert in sewing jeans that are
sold overseas. In fact life will never be the same again after gaining these
skills," she says in an interview with Xinhua.
Rhoda Benjamin, Advester's colleague who works as a
quality controller, says she was employed by the company in 2016, adding that
after working with the firm for hardly two years, "the future looks
bright".
"I am now thinking of making a capital that will enable
me to do my own business after having acquired skills here," says the
mother of a four-year-son.
Advester and Rhoda are among 2,700 Tanzanians employed by
the Chinese garments manufacturing firm which started operations in February
2012 by building a sewing and washing factory with sewage treatment, a
generator and other infrastructure.
"We now have advanced production equipment, advanced
technology and deep reserves of talents and we are upholding honesty,
credibility, efficiency and quality business ideas," says Raymond Liu,
managing Director of Tanzania Tooku Garments Company Limited.
Raymond also said that the company will in 2018 acquire a
state-of-the-art sewing machine with 14 lines for sewing production.
Rigobert Massawe, General Manager of the Tanzania Tooku
Garments Company Limited, says the new sewing machine will increase production
from 300,000 pieces of Levi's and Wrangler jeans per month to 500,000 pieces of
jeans a month.
"The number of local employees will also be raised
from 2,700 to about 4,000," says the general manager.
"We are exporting 90 percent of our products to the
United States and 10 percent to European markets," says Massawe, adding:
"Apart from the production of the garments we are also imparting skills to
local employees in terms of design, sewing, quality control and assurance,
laundry and dye making."
Massawe says the firm is however facing a number of
challenges, including lack of skilled labour, especially sewing supervisors.
"The output we are getting from local institutions don't have enough
capacity to fill the demand," he says.
Adelhelm Meru, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Industries, Trade and Investment, says China is among countries that have
supported Tanzania's industrialization plan through investments.
He mentions some of the sectors that Chinese investors
are expected to invest in as information, communication and technology,
education, agriculture, infrastructure development, industries and energy.
Source: China Daily