Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday received the Controller and Auditor General’s 2021/22 report, which, not surprisingly, exposed the loss of hundreds of billions of shillings in public funds.
Factors included bureaucracy, incompetence, failure to follow the right public finance management procedures and bad contracts.
This time, however, the situation was such that in a moment of frustration, President Hassan made it clear that she was fed up with the misappropriation of huge amounts of public funds that could have been spent to improve social services and stated in no uncertain terms that she wants action to be taken.
President Hassan’s annoyance is understandable given the dire situation. It is unclear if the Head of State’s sentiments reflect similar concern at all levels of the government, but the fact that so much money is being mismanaged at a time when the national debt is soaring is regrettable.
If action is not taken sooner rather than later, Tanzania could find itself in a debt crisis and a vicious cycle in the form of an insatiable appetite for borrowing and chronic mismanagement of public funds. We do not think that President Hassan alone can stop the haemorrhaging of public funds.
It is not a matter of how much power the President has. It is not the question of how powerful or powerless the President is. It has to do with governance systems, checks and balances, as well as individual and collective accountability.
This is why we heard the President on Wednesday repeating the same directives she gave last year when she received the CAG’s 2020/21 report—directives that were not implemented, only for the same problems to reappear in the new report.
An example of these directives is the review and possible shutting down of loss-making public firms.
“Killing our own country”
In such a situation, her ominous warning that, “We are killing our own country with our bare hands” makes sense.
Suffice it to say that it is time to put to an end – once and for all – the willful theft of public funds. Everyone must carry out their responsibilities dutifully and patriotically.
So much has been said for so long about the rot in public finance management in CAG reports and the need to take action that it now sounds like an overplayed musical hit of yesteryears.
The time for action is now. It is time to bridge the talk-action gap. We should obviously start with reforms. There are things that could be dealt with quickly such as amendment of the laws that provide loopholes for mismanagement and there are those that require comprehensive constitutional reforms.
Allowing Parliament to carry out its oversight responsibilities ought to be done right away.
CAG reports are tabled in Parliament. MPs have always debated these reports exhaustively and sometimes emotionally, advising the government on the way forward, but in most cases, it has ended there.
Little or no action has been taken afterwards. In the past, it was claimed that no action was taken because the CAG reports were tabled in Parliament too late when some of the culprits were either retired or dead, but during President Jakaya Kikwete’s administration, efforts were made to ensure that the reports were current, but still no meaningful action has been taken against the culprits.
That has to change if we want our children to have a prosperous future.
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Air Tanzania Banned From EU Airspace Due to Safety Concerns
Several airports have since locked Air Tanzania, dealing a severe blow to the Tanzanian national carrier that must now work overtime to regain its certification or go the wet lease way
The European Commission has announced the inclusion of Air Tanzania on the EU Air Safety List, effectively banning the airline from operating in European airspace.
The decision, made public on December 16, 2024, is based on safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which also led to the denial of Air Tanzania’s application for a Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation.
The Commission did not go into the specifics of the safety infringement but industry experts suggest it is possible that the airline could have flown its Airbus A220 well past its scheduled major checks, thus violating the airworthiness directives.
“The decision to include Air Tanzania in the EU Air Safety List underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards for passengers in Europe and worldwide,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“We strongly urge Air Tanzania to take swift and decisive action to address these safety issues. I have offered the Commission’s assistance to the Tanzanian authorities in enhancing Air Tanzania’s safety performance and achieving full compliance with international aviation standards.”
Air Tanzania has a mixed fleet of modern aircraft types including Boeing 787s, 737 Max jets, and Airbus A220s.
It has been flying the B787 Dreamliner to European destinations like Frankfurt in Germany and Athens in Greece and was looking to add London to its growing list with the A220.
But the ban not only scuppers the London dream but also has seen immediate ripple effect, with several airports – including regional like Kigali and continental – locking out Air Tanzania.
Tanzania operates KLM alongside the national carrier.
The European Commission said Air Tanzania may be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with.
A wet lease is where an airline pays to use an aircraft with a crew, fuel, and insurance all provided by the leasing company at a fee.
Two more to the list
The EU Air Safety List, maintained to ensure passenger safety, is updated periodically based on recommendations from the EU Air Safety Committee.
The latest revision, which followed a meeting of aviation safety experts in Brussels from November 19 to 21, 2024, now includes 129 airlines.
Of these, 100 are certified in 15 states where aviation oversight is deemed insufficient, and 29 are individual airlines with significant safety deficiencies.
Alongside Air Tanzania, other banned carriers include Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), and Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran).
Commenting on the broader implications of the list, Tzitzikostas stated, “Our priority remains the safety of every traveler who relies on air transport. We urge all affected airlines to take these bans seriously and work collaboratively with international bodies to resolve the identified issues.”
In a positive development, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been cleared to resume operations in the EU following a four-year suspension. The ban, which began in 2020, was lifted after substantial improvements in safety performance and oversight by PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).
“Since the TCO Authorisation was suspended, PIA and PCAA have made remarkable progress in enhancing safety standards,” noted Tzitzikostas. “This demonstrates that safety issues can be resolved through determination and cooperation.”
Another Pakistani airline, Airblue Limited, has also received EASA’s TCO authorisation.
Decisions to include or exclude airlines from the EU Air Safety List are based on rigorous evaluations of international safety standards, particularly those established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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The process involves thorough review and consultation among EU Member State aviation safety experts, with oversight from the European Commission and support from EASA.
“Where an airline currently on the list believes it complies with the required safety standards, it can request a reassessment,” explained Tzitzikostas. “Our goal is not to penalize but to ensure safety compliance globally.”
Airlines listed on the EU Air Safety List face significant challenges to their international operations, as the bans highlight shortcomings in safety oversight by their home regulatory authorities.
For Air Tanzania, this inclusion signals an urgent need for reform within Tanzania’s aviation sector to address these deficiencies and align with global standards.
The path forward will require immediate and sustained efforts to rectify safety concerns and regain access to one of the world’s most critical aviation markets.
Source: allafrica.com
