According to health minister Ummy Mwalimu, such a move could prove essential in protecting the original identities of future generations of Tanzanians in the face of the world’s increasing expansion into a global village.
“This will be very important in allowing Tanzanians to be properly identified in case of any disaster.
It will also be helpful in easily identifying people who might get involved in criminal acts,” Ms Mwalimu said.
She was speaking at a function where she received an ambulance donation from the Japanese Fire Fighters Association on behalf of the National Poison Control Centre in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.
The function also coincided with the launch of the CGCA’s international accreditation.
Ms Mwalimu also told CGCA boss Prof. Samwel Manyele that the agency should set up a program to screen schoolchildren and identify those who might be using illicit drugs.
The minister said regions such as Tanga, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam had large numbers of students with nasty drug-related habits that caused them to perform poorly in school.
Prof. Manyele assured Ms Mwalimu that the agency would start working on her recommendations immediately. The CGCA chief also said although at least 88 per cent of DNA reports produced by the agency were accurate, their aim was to reach a 100 per cent accuracy level.
He attributed the agency’s main drawback to meeting this target to insufficient equipment available to collect samples. “Sometimes we need repeat testing samples in order to get more accurate results,” he said.
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