DAR ES SALAAM - Tanzania's President
John Magufuli called on international creditors on Wednesday to
cancel debts owed by African nations to enable them to use the
savings to battle the coronavirus.
Tanzania has so far reported 284 confirmed cases of
Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Authorities
have been urging people to observe personal hygiene to slow its
spread, but Magufuli has so far rejected calls to lock down the
main city, Dar es Salaam.
"African countries' economic capacity is not the same as
that of developed countries," Magufuli told a televised meeting
of top security organs. He singled out the World Bank, which has
been offering new lending to nations on the continent to help
them tackle the health crisis.
"Instead of offering more loans to fight corona, they should
forgive debts," the president said.
Tanzania spends $303.03 million every month to service its debts, with close to 200 billion
shillings going to the World Bank, Magufuli said.
Magufuli said locking down Dar es Salaam would cause too
much damage to Tanzania's economy.
"Dar es Salaam is a port city. Therefore, let us continue to
take serious preventive measures and not lock down," Magufuli
said, citing the large portion of government revenue derived
from the city.