The Tanzanian government has pledged to grab a bigger pie of the US$532 billion cosmetics industry globally. Addressing the launch function of the Tanzania Cosmetology Association (TCA) in Dar es Salaam recently, the minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said Tanzania currently enjoys a paltry three per cent of the multibillion dollar cosmetics industry, though it has a huge potential to generate money from the sector. She pledged the government support for making it happen particularly by empowering small and medium size industries. Also, it was assured that she would liaise with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to include cosmetics among sectors that will contribute massively to the GDP (gross domestic product).
Production of major oils from locally-grown raw materials – such as avocados and coconuts – as well as products like soap, gives the government hope that the sector’s potential is huge. Cosmetics made from plants have a huge demand across the world since chemically made aromatic products can cause many diseases including cancer. In 2005 there were 2,416 new cancer patients in Tanzania, taking the total number to 7,649, most of them being victims of cosmetics made from harmful chemicals.
