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The European Union (EU) has announced a substantial financial payment of TZS 97 billion (EUR 33.12 million) as a grant to support the Government of Tanzania’s ongoing sectorial reforms.

This disbursement is aimed at fostering socio-economic development and enhancing the resilience of Tanzanian citizens.

The funding is allocated across five key sectors, each of which is crucial for the country’s growth and stability.

These are:

Blue Economy: Developing a climate-resilient blue economy along Tanzania’s coastal regions, including Zanzibar and the Indian Ocean.

The funds will support governance reforms, capacity building, and enhance inter-ministerial coordination. The Ministry of Finance and the Vice President’s Office for Environment will lead this effort.

Green and Smart Cities: Focused on promoting sustainable urban development in Mwanza, Tanga and Pemba, this support aims to improve living standards by enhancing environmental sustainability, creating economic opportunities, and improving public services, especially for women and youth.

Gender: Dedicated to advance gender equality and empowering women and girls, the funding will seek to address gender-based violence, promote economic empowerment, and support women’s participation in leadership and decision-making processes.

Digital4Tanzania: Aiming to leverage digitalisation for economic growth and improved public services, it includes expanding the Tanzania Government Communications Network and enhancing cybersecurity measures, in line with the Personal Data Protection Act.

Finance for Growth: It has a focus on improving fiscal governance and access to finance.

It will enhance domestic resource mobilisation, support financial market infrastructure, and promote public-private dialogue, particularly benefiting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, notably in favour of women and youth.

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This financial assistance, called “budget support”, is part of the EU’s ongoing partnership with Tanzania, aligning with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, which aims to bolster infrastructure and development through public and private sector investments.

“We are pleased to continue our support for Tanzania’s growth and development.

These funds are not just an investment in the present but a commitment to the country’s future,” said Christine Grau, EU Ambassador to Tanzania, adding, “By focusing on areas such as the Blue Economy, urban development, gender equality, digitalisation, and financial growth, we are helping to build a more resilient and prosperous Tanzania.”

The EU’s budget support is considered as an impactful financing tool as it allows for direct support to national policy reforms, making use of the country’s financial systems.

This approach reduces transaction costs for the government and increases mutual accountability and transparency.

The main objective is to contribute to a climate resilient Blue Economy on the Tanzanian coastal area, Zanzibar and the Indian Ocean (within Tanzania Exclusive Economic Zone).

Through budget support, the grant will contribute to transformative governance systems and policy reforms in specific public sectors, including capacity building for inter-ministerial coordination and governance.

Budget support and technical assistance will support key institutions to implement Tanzania ambitious goals in Blue Economy.

Ministry of Finance and Planning, as chair of the Blue economy Task force, Vice President’s Office for Environment, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries and Ministry for Natural Resources and Tourism will be at the forefront of the implementation.

Many other agencies or institutions such as the Zanzibar Fisheries and Marine Resources Research Institute, the National Environment Management.

Council and the National Carbon Monitoring Centre will be empowered and capacitated to deliver on the blue economy agenda.

Concerning Zanzibar a dialogue is established with the Ministry of Blue Economy and with the President Office Finance and Planning and the future cooperation will be made through technical assistance and through project activities.

The Delegation of the European Union to Tanzania and the East African Community is a key actor in the relations between the European Union and Tanzania as well as the East African Community.

The EU has set out the Global Gateway, a new European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.

Global gateway is implemented jointly under the Team Europe banner, meaning the EU institutions and EU Member States

Source: allafrica.com

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Since 2009, private businesses have been complicit in forced evictions of Maasai Indigenous communities from their ancestral lands in Loliondo by Tanzanian authorities, Amnesty International said today in a new report.

The new report, ‘Business as usual in bloodied land? The role of businesses in forced evictions in Loliondo, Tanzania’, details how Ortello Business Corporation (OBC), a trophy hunting company linked to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the UAE and a member of the ruling royal family, has participated in forcibly evicting Maasai Indigenous communities by, among other things, accompanying Tanzanian security forces and allowing the authorities to set up camps on OBC property during all forced evictions. At the very least this indicates that OBC was aware that security forces were involved in these operations. At most, it means that the company was not only aware, but also facilitated the security forces’ involvement in the forced evictions.

It is particularly disturbing that they have carried out these evictions under the pretext of ‘conservation’, while in reality, they have allowed Ortello Business Corporation to do improper or illegal trophy hunting activities, in clear violation of Tanzania’s Wildlife Conservation lawsTigere Chagutah, Regional Director, Amnesty International, East and Southern Africa

Other tourism companies, including the TAASA Lodge and &BEYOND, are also operating in the area where Maasai have been forcibly evicted.

“Since 2009, the Tanzanian authorities have resorted to ill-treatment, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and detentions to forcibly evict the Maasai while leasing their land to private companies. It is particularly disturbing that they have carried out these evictions under the pretext of ‘conservation’, while in reality, they have allowed OBC to do improper or illegal trophy hunting activities, in clear violation of Tanzania’s Wildlife Conservation laws,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

The Tanzanian authorities must conduct a prompt, impartial, independent, effective and transparent investigation into corporate complicity in the forced evictions of Maasai communities in Loliondo — and the suspected perpetrators of these human rights violations must be brought to justice in fair trials.Tigere Chagutah

“The Tanzanian authorities must conduct a prompt, impartial, independent, effective and transparent investigation into corporate complicity in the forced evictions of Maasai communities in Loliondo — and the suspected perpetrators of these human rights violations must be brought to justice in fair trials. The authorities should also investigate reported wildlife crimes committed by trophy hunting businesses in the region. Victims must be provided with access to justice and effective remedies.”

Amnesty International conducted research into forced evictions of the Maasai Indigenous People of Loliondo between June 2022 and May 2024, with a particular focus on the role of businesses operating in the traditional lands owned and used by the Maasai. In April 2024, the organisation visited Arusha region on a fact-finding mission and interviewed nine people, including one current employee and four former employees of the private companies in Loliondo, all residents of Loliondo, and one lawyer, who were all privy to internal operations of the companies and sometimes involved in conversations on and implementation of the companies’ plans.

The organization’s Evidence Lab examined 23 images and seven videos, conducted an open-source investigation and analysed recent changes in locations of businesses operating in Loliondo, which were visible on satellite imagery.

The organization also reviewed media reports, official documents, relevant legislation, company disclosures, and scientific studies. With the support of advocates in Tanzania, Amnesty International was also able to obtain company incorporation details for the companies under investigation.

Stifled protests and forced evictions

On 10 June 2022, Tanzanian security forces resorted to the use of excessive force, including using live ammunition and tear gas, to stifle peaceful protests by Maasai residents of Ololosokwan village in Loliondo. The demonstrators had gathered to resist a demarcation exercise by the security forces, who were trying to displace them from their ancestral lands in the name of so-called “conservation”. More than 40 people were wounded, others were left homeless, and many were forced to flee the country. Those who sought shelter in Kenya with their relatives and friends were living without means of earning a livelihood. The eviction marked the fourth time the Maasai have been forcibly expelled from their land, following previous evictions in 2009, 2013, and 2017.

Community members from villages in Loliondo that were impacted by forced evictions, as well as current and former OBC staff, said that OBC had participated in all forced evictions in Loliondo. They told Amnesty International that OBC representatives known to them and OBC branded vehicles were present during the forced evictions. They also said that, during every eviction, Tanzania’s security forces set up camp in OBC properties and were accompanied by OBC staff and vehicles as they moved into Loliondo villages.

On 12 July 2024, Amnesty International wrote to &BEYOND, OBC and TAASA Lodge to inform them of the relevant allegations and findings contained in the report and to give them the opportunity to respond. Only &BEYOND and TAASA Lodge responded.

&BEYOND responded saying, “… that the land in question, albeit in dispute, is no longer under the control of the Ololosokwan Village Council, but the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (“the Lessors”).” &BEYOND further mentioned that they “cannot disclose the terms of [their] lease agreement with the Lessors.” The company also acknowledged that there is an ongoing litigation over the land in question and claimed that as a lessee, they have no influence over the Lessors, further adding that they can only await the outcome of the court’s ruling before they determine their position in the land question. TAASA Lodge said that they “… were never consulted on any of the planned actions around the time of the evictions, and remain committed to [their] staff and communities, as [they] are to following the rule of law.”

Four former and one current OBC staff members also told Amnesty International that they were working with the company when members of the UAE royal family that are associated with the OBC ownership visited the country for hunting and other tourism activities between 1996 and 2016. In June 2024, the Arusha Regional Commissioner served as a chaperone for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the UAE, as he inspected water projects in Loliondo.

“It is deeply troubling that Ortello Business Corporation’s role in the evictions likely contributed to the harm caused by Tanzania’s security forces. This company appears to not only have been aware that state security forces were involved in the forced evictions, but to have actively facilitated the forced evictions,” said Tigere Chagutah.

“While they were not implicated in eyewitness testimonies, TAASA Lodge and &BEYOND’s Klein’s Camp should also carry out ongoing due diligence to identify whether their operations are linked to any negative human rights impacts or environmental harms. Businesses operating in Loliondo must commit to respecting in their operations the rights of the Maasai Indigenous People, and to providing appropriate remedies if they cause or contribute to acts that harm the community.

The state must reverse its land acquisition decision in Loliondo and ensure that no land acquisition or evictions proceed unless the Maasai People give their free, prior, and informed consent through a process of genuine consultations.Tigere Chagutah

“The state must reverse its land acquisition decision in Loliondo and ensure that no land acquisition or evictions proceed unless the Maasai People give their free, prior, and informed consent through a process of genuine consultations.”

Background

This research builds on Amnesty International’s previous investigations into how the Tanzanian authorities have forcibly evicted the Maasai Indigenous people of Loliondo.

Source: allafrica.com

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Maputo — Military forces from Mozambique, China and Tanzania are currently holding a joint exercise, named “Peace Unity 2024′ in Tanzania, focusing on counter-terror military operations.

This military exercise may strengthen the capacities of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FDS) in the fight against Islamist terrorists in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

According to Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence, cited by the South Africa Defense Web portal, the exercise will be carried out on land and at sea and aims to enhance the participating troops’ capabilities in joint counter-terrorism operations, and deepen military mutual trust and practical cooperation.

“Sea drills concluded on 5 August and land drills will close on the 11th’, he said.

The Chinese forces in the Peace Unity 2024 exercise consist of two groups: ground units sent by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Central Theatre Command and a naval flotilla sent by the PLA Southern Theatre Command.

Ground units consist of troops from the 82nd Group Army, information and communication regiment, and a military hospital. The troops specialize in assault, reconnaissance, intelligence, special operations, information support and logistics. They bring with them armored vehicles, self-propelled guns and other heavy equipment.

Peace Unity 2024 marks the fourth joint military exercise between Tanzania and China, after exercises in 2014, 2019/20, and September 2023.

As for Mozambique, in 2016, China and Mozambique signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Co-operation Agreement, aimed at strengthening contacts between the two countries’ army, police and intelligence services. China also agreed to strengthen Mozambique’s defence capacity.

The Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian, said, “the Peace Ark has so far visited 46 countries and regions, providing medical services to over 290 000 people, explicitly demonstrating China’s foreign policy in promoting peace and economic development.’

“We anticipate that these exercises will strengthen our military capabilities and foster closer ties with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Our cooperation has expanded from military training to equipment sharing. The three naval ship missions in Tanzania are a testament to it. We will always work together as we set out new heights’ he said.

Source: allafrica.com

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DAR ES SALAAM — MINISTER for Culture, Arts and Sports, Damas Ndumbaro commended KCB Bank Tanzania and the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) Lugalo Golf Club for successfully hosting the inaugural KCB East Africa Golf Tour.

The event, featuring an 18-hole Stableford format, concluded at the Lugalo course over the weekend.

As the chief guest at the closing ceremony, Mr Ndumbaro praised the organisers for their efforts, highlighting the event’s significance in promoting integration within the East African Community (EAC).

He urged that such events become a regular fixture.

Ndumbaro also congratulated the four overall winners who will represent Tanzania in the grand finale scheduled to take place later this year in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Lugalo golfers securing their spots in the final are Peter Mlewi, Ibrahim Muhona, Khadija Suleiman and Hawa Wanyeche.

These champions will compete against top golfers from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya for a substantial cash prize of 20 million shillings.

Mlewi led the field with 42 points, followed by Muhona with 41 points, Suleiman with 40 points and Wanyeche with 39 points in the Stableford format.

Minister Ndumbaro, who presented the national flag to Tanzania’s representatives, also lauded the TPDF and Lugalo Golf Club for their exemplary hosting of the event.

He expressed his gratitude to KCB Bank Tanzania Managing Director Cosmas Kimario for bringing such a prestigious competition to Lugalo, emphasising the value of international sports events.

“The government recognises KCB Bank’s significant contribution to sports development in the country and encourages continued support,” Ndumbaro said.

He also extended an invitation for collaboration in junior development programmes, aiming to elevate the sport further, especially with the upcoming inter-school games.

Lugalo Golf Club Chairman Michael Luwongo echoed the Minister’s thanks to Kimario and KCB Bank for hosting the tournament, as well as to the bank’s customers who participated in the prize-giving ceremony.

In his remarks, Kimario reaffirmed KCB Bank’s commitment to supporting sports and thanked Minister Ndumbaro for attending the event.

He praised Luwongo’s leadership, the bank’s customers, employees and golfers for their contributions to the event’s success and challenged the Tanzanian representatives to strive for victory.

“Sports is vital for health and our bank has been at the forefront of promoting it. While we have previously sponsored various sports disciplines, we have recently chosen to invest in golf,” Kimario stated.

Source: allafrica.com

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DAR ES SALAAM — THE number of registered local domain names in Tanzania has increased by 2.4 per cent in three months leading up to June, thanks to awareness campaign, according to the latest report from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

The total number of domain names under the country code top-level domains (ccTLD) grew to 30,698 by the end of June, up from 29,968 in March.

The rise is attributed to a successful awareness campaign, highlighting the benefits of having a local online presence.

The report indicates a growing adoption of local domain names among businesses and individuals in Tanzania, driven by the advantages of using a country-specific domain.

A key driver of this growth is the recognition of the benefits that come with a local domain.

“Businesses and organisations are realising the importance of having a .tz domain as it boosts their visibility and credibility within both local and international digital landscapes,” the report states.

The most popular domains, according to the report, are .co.tz, .or.tz and .ac.tz, mainly used by commercial entities, organisations and academic institutions, respectively.

“A local domain not only fosters trust among Tanzanian users but also aligns with the global trend of promoting national digital identities,” the report adds.

By encouraging the use of .tz domains, TCRA aims to support a stronger internet infrastructure that can meet the unique needs of Tanzanian users and businesses.

This effort is part of a broader initiative to enhance the country’s digital presence and ensure that Tanzania can compete effectively in the global digital economy.

The growth in local domain registrations also fits with Tanzania’s broader digital strategy as outlined in the National Digital Economy Strategic Framework (2024-2034).

The framework stresses “the importance of digital technologies in achieving socio-economic goals and envisions a digitally empowered economy.”

It covers a wide range of areas, including digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital literacy and innovation all of which support the increasing adoption of local domains and harnesses digital technologies to boost economic growth, create jobs and improve the livelihoods of Tanzanians.

The growing number of .tz domain registrations shows “Tanzania’s progress in its digital transformation journey.

As more entities recognise the advantages of local domains, the growth in domain registrations is expected to continue, further supporting the development of Tanzania’s national digital economy, the report concludes.

Source: allafrica.com

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Young people between the ages of 18 and 35 make up two-thirds of Africa’s population. The number is expected to reach 75% by 2030. They live in an environment of rapid urbanisation, high unemployment rates and poor state services. These are some of the factors that incline young people towards political involvement – as seen in Kenya and Uganda most recently.

As the Kenya example illustrates, youth can use protests, advocacy, or voting to express their citizenship. At its most basic, citizenship is a legal recognition by the state that gives individuals rights and obligations.

But it’s more than that. Citizenship is a multifaceted, malleable identity, one in which citizens are always transforming and becoming through actions that generate a sense of belonging.

We have a combined 90 years of research experience investigating democracy and civil society, health policy and advocacy, and religion and politics in Africa. Our recent book, Africa’s Urban Youth, uses research in Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania to answer this question: how do youth understand their citizenship amid challenges (like growing economic inequality and uneven democratic progress) and opportunities to shape the continent’s future?

Drawing from extensive fieldwork in Accra, Kampala and Dar es Salaam, this book investigates how Africa’s urban youth cultivate a sense of citizenship in this challenging environment, and what it means to them to be a “good citizen”.

In interviews and focus group discussions, African youth, activists and community leaders explained how income, religion and gender intertwined with their sense of citizenship and belonging. They crafted a citizenship identity that was rooted in their relationships and obligations to each other and the state.

We found that citizenship is a fluid identity that stretches beyond disappointment, protest, or voting. Despite being portrayed as either disillusioned, manipulated trouble-makers or idealistic agents, youth citizens exhibit a rich identity rooted in social practices. They are not waiting on elders to solve their problems. They look towards the future, while acting on obligations to improve the here and now.

What we found

We conducted 39 focus groups with people aged 18 to 35 in higher- and lower-income neighbourhoods in Accra, Dar es Salaam and Kampala. We also carried out 33 interviews with youth activists, 28 interviews with pastors who work with youth, and five case studies of youth organisations. We wondered: from the vantage point of African youth, what does it mean to be a good citizen? And, how does being a good citizen affect their actions in the local community and country? Do they view good citizenship to be different for men and women?

We paired this qualitative data with Afrobarometer results on youth community involvement and political participation. Our objective was to use the stories, impressions and experiences shared by young people to uncover the nuance and complexity of the patterns found in countrywide survey data.

We found overarching trends when we probed views of “good citizenship”. Although many began with legalistic replies — “a good citizen has an identification card” — most quickly moved to describing citizenship as daily actions within their own spheres of influence.

This citizenship crosses public-private boundaries, revealing itself in the household, market, workplace, classroom, worship space, street and voting booth.

The good citizen: Our respondents repeatedly described citizenship as active. The good citizen cares for a sick co-parishioner, lends a friend money, picks up trash in the community, patrols the neighbourhood at night to thwart thieves (for men) and raises children (for women). The good citizen also shares ideas at community meetings, prays for the nation (for churchgoers), gets an education, starts a business, and/or employs others.

For respondents, these actions helped to “build the nation”, an expression used predominantly by Tanzanian and Ghanaian respondents. This is perhaps due to its use by those countries’ independence leaders, Julius Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah.

Our youth respondents imbued citizenship with a moral tenor. Many asserted that good citizens not only follow the law, but they also greet their neighbours, maintain peace in the community, and, for women, do not drink or stay out late. Tanzanians in particular emphasised these moral themes, as did mainline Christians (even more than Pentecostals). Youth were acutely aware that some elders urged this “future generation” to act appropriately and contribute to communal projects such as work days, while also denying youth status in public spaces.

Voting: Youth in our study spent little time describing good citizenship as voting, advocating or protesting. Ghanaians were slightly more talkative about these activities. Youth across the three countries viewed voting to be an expected, moral action with a social component. This echoed Afrobarometer findings that about 80% of youth do vote (a rate 5-8 percentage points below that of older adults).

They linked advocacy and protesting to their daily struggles and obligations. Protesting unfair economic practices reflected the need for money to help family or neighbours in need, an act of good citizenship. Advocating about domestic violence laws or mental health funding was rooted in personal experiences that pushed some youth to claim rights from the state.

Income: Income matters for how youth define their citizenship. Lower-income youth were more likely to stress community actions and obligations, while higher-income youth emphasised that others, particularly lower-income people, must obey the law.

Perhaps due to Ghana’s higher average income, its youth mentioned specific communal activities less than the broad notion that citizens build the nation. Regardless of income, youth – particularly men – asserted that entrepreneurship and hard work indicated good citizenship.

Coming of age with few state services and free market policies, they had absorbed neoliberal themes espoused by religious and political leaders. Neoliberalism, though, meant that good citizenship seemed unattainable to the unemployed youth who faced significant economic obstacles.

The bottom line

Three years of fieldwork in the three countries revealed that youth citizenship is distinct. Young people speak of specific challenges such as employment, obstacles to political leadership, and marriage expectations. But they are not despondent.

They also stress age-related contributions to building the nation, such as caring for children or doing physical work to improve their neighbourhood.

As youth continue to engage ever more boldly in politics, they will bring their citizenship understandings with them. Their productive and often visionary citizenship efforts reflect the value they place on both public and private actions, as well as their desire to see themselves represented as full citizens of their countries.

Amy S. Patterson, Professor, Department of Politics, Sewanee: The University of the South

Megan Hershey, Professor, Department of Political Science, Whitworth University

Tracy Kuperus, Professor, Department of Politics and Economics, Calvin University

Source: allafrica.com

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