Mwenyekiti mpya wa Chadema, Tundu Lissu, ameanza kusuka safu za uongozi ndani ya chama hicho kwa kupendekeza majina ya Katibu Mkuu na Manaibu Katibu Wakuu wawili, Bara na Zanzibar.Continue Reading
Addis Ababa, January 20, 2025</Strong> — Tanzania has declared a Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak after confirming one case and identifying 25 suspected cases in the Kagera Region of Northwestern Tanzania. The Marburg virus, a highly infectious and often fatal disease, is similar to Ebola and is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and monkeys. This outbreak marks the nation’s second encounter with the deadly virus, following the outbreak in Bukoba District of Kagera Region in March 2023, which resulted in nine cases and six deaths.
In response to this urgent threat, the Africa CDC is mobilizing strong support to help Tanzania contain the outbreak. A team of twelve public health experts will be deployed as part of an advance mission in the next 24 hours. The multidisciplinary team includes epidemiologists, risk communication, infection prevention and control (IPC), and laboratory experts to provide on-ground support for surveillance, IPC, diagnostics, and community engagement.
The Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, has engaged with Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the Minister of Health to ensure coordinated efforts and secure political commitment for the response.
“Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. To support the government’s efforts, we are committing US$ 2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management. Building on Tanzania’s commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and those of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control,” Dr. Kaseya stated.
Africa CDC has recently supported efforts to enhance the diagnostic and sequencing capacity of public health laboratories in Tanzania. PCR Test kits and genomic sequencing reagents have been dispatched, with additional supplies in the pipeline. To ensure rapid identification and confirmation of cases, the institution will also provide technical assistance to strengthen detection and genome sequencing for better characterization of the pathogen. Additionally, support will be provided to improve case management protocols and enhance the capacity to deliver safe and effective treatment.
Africa CDC is committed to working closely with the Government of Tanzania, regional partners, international organizations, and global stakeholders, including the World Health Organization, to stop the spread of the Marburg virus.
Source: allafrica.com
Dodoma — Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.
President of the Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, made the announcement during a press briefing alongside World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.
“Laboratory tests conducted in Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”
A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo and Muleba districts in Kagera.
“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease,” said H.E President Hassan.
WHO is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.”
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
“The declaration by the president and the measures being taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,”
Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67%.
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In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
Source: allafrica.com
For female artisanal salt farmers in Pemba, salt production is both their livelihood and their struggle. In this deeply patriarchal Muslim community, the gleaming piles of white salt represent survival–a craft demanding patience, precision and grit. However, rising sea levels put their enterprise at risk.
As the cool morning breeze sweeps across the Indian Ocean beach in Tanzania’s Pemba archipelago, Salma Mahmoud Ali begins her day. With her brightly coloured Kikoi cinched tightly around her waist and a dark blue scarf framing her face, she walks barefoot toward her salt ponds. The humid air hangs, but Ali wades through ankle-deep water with courage.
Armed with a shovel, rake and pick, she methodically drags sparkling crystals under the rising sun. Each stroke pulls salt from the brine–a hard process born of necessity.
“It’s a tough job,” says Ali, a 31-year-old mother of three. “The heat is too much–no matter how much water you drink, the thirst won’t go away. But it’s how I feed my family and send my children to school.”
For Ali and dozens of female artisanal salt farmers in Pemba, salt production is both their livelihood and their struggle. In this deeply patriarchal Muslim community, the gleaming piles of white salt represent survival–a craft demanding patience, precision and grit.
On Pemba Island, where farms yield 2,000 tons of salt annually, prosperity feels like a mirage. Experts believe output could triple with better tools, but resources remain scarce. Families and cooperatives divide the land, with an average of four owners per plot, leaving wealth unevenly distributed. Farm owners collect the bulk of the earnings, while the workers–who toil under the weight of every harvest–are left to scrape by, their paychecks barely carrying them through the season.
Most families rely on coarse, untreated salt, with only one in four affording iodized varieties. “It’s our life,” said Halima Hamoud Heri, a laborer, kneeling under the blazing sun. “Hard, but it keeps us going.”
Gruelling Craft
Salt farming has always tested endurance, but climate change conspires against the women who depend on it. Rising temperatures accelerate evaporation, often causing salt to crumble before it can be harvested. Unpredictable rainfall–once a seasonal certainty–now arrives without warning, flooding the ponds and washing away weeks of labor back into the sea.
“We used to know when the dry season would start and end,” says Khadija Rashid, who has worked the ponds for 10 years. “Now the rain surprises us. Sometimes it’s too hot, and the salt dries too fast. Other times, the rain ruins everything before we can collect it.”
For families like Ali’s, whose alternative livelihoods like fishing and farming have also been battered by erratic weather, salt production is a lifeline. It is work that demands accuracy and perseverance, and it leaves its mark on those who perform it. The sun cracks skin and the salt cuts into hands.
“By the time you carry the seawater, clear the mud, and harvest the salt, you’re so tired you can barely stand,” says Ali. “But you still have to do it again tomorrow.”
A Fragile Ecosystem
Standing at the edge of a salt farm in Pemba, Batuli Yahya, a field marine scientist from the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Dar es Salaam, gestured toward the silvery expanse.
“Salt production depends on delicate environmental conditions,” she says. “But those conditions are changing faster than ever due to climate pressures.”
The salt ponds, once reliable sources of livelihood for coastal communities, are increasingly at risk as rising sea levels, erratic rainfall, and intensifying heat disrupt their fragile balance.
“Sea level rise causes seawater to spill over into areas where salinity levels are meticulously controlled,” Yahya explains. “It’s a growing threat that turns productive farms into unusable pools.”
The challenges don’t end there. Rainfall patterns have become more unpredictable, she said, with sudden downpours diluting the brine or destroying salt pans altogether.
“Too much rain at the wrong time can ruin months of preparation,” Yahya notes. “And when it’s coupled with longer dry spells, it creates a cycle that’s hard to manage.”
Higher temperatures are also exacerbating the situation.
“Evaporation is critical to the salt production process, but extreme heat pushes salinity levels beyond what the ecosystem can handle,” Yahya says. “The microorganisms that play a key role in salt crystallization struggle to survive in such conditions.”
For many coastal communities, the implications are severe. “This is not just an environmental issue,” says Ali.
The challenges extend beyond weather. The reliance on manual labor to carry seawater to the ponds, clear mud, and harvest salt leaves many women exhausted and prone to injuries. The physical toll is compounded by the economic pressure to produce enough salt to sustain their families.
Finding Solutions
Amid challenges, Pemba’s salt farmers find strength in unity. Through local women’s associations, they adopt innovations to protect their work and improve production. One such breakthrough has been the introduction of solar drying covers–transparent sheets that shield ponds from sudden downpours while concentrating heat to speed up evaporation. “Before, if the rain came, we lost everything,” says Heri, demonstrating how she spreads the covers over her pond. “Now, we can save our salt, even during the wet season.”
The association also promotes knowledge-sharing among the women. Techniques to harden soil, efficiently distribute seawater, and package salt for market are taught collectively.
“Working alone, I would have given up,” says Ali. “But together, we find solutions. If one of us learns something new, she teaches the rest of us.”
Empowerment Through Enterprise
The women’s collective efforts improve livelihoods. Salt once sold in unmarked bags at local markets now reaches buyers in shops across Tanzania.
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“I used to sell just enough to buy rice for the day,” says Ali. “Now I sell in bulk, and I’ve now saved Tanzanian shillings 455,000 (USD 187.)”
With the additional income, Ali has been able to feed her family and send children to school. “My daughter tells me she wants to be like me,” she says. “But maybe with a little less sunburn.”
The success has begun shifting perceptions in their community. Men who once dismissed salt farming as “boring work” now recognize its value, and some even assist with heavier tasks.
“We’re not just salt farmers anymore,” says Rashid. “We’re businesswomen.”
Hope Amid Challenges
Despite their progress, barriers remain. Access to financing is limited, and tools like solar covers and pumps are still too expensive for many women. Climate change continues to push them to innovate faster.
“We need more support,” says Ali. “Better tools, more training, and access to loans,”
Still, the women soldier on. Ali drags the day’s harvest into piles while pausing to wipe her brow.
“I hope the situation will improve and we will succeed even more,” she says.
Note: This feature is published with the support of Open Society Foundations.
Source: allafrica.com
Mabadiliko hayo yamekuja ikiwa ni miaka tisa tangu yafanyike mabadiliko ya mwisho mwaka 2016 na bei hizi mpya zitaanza kutumika Januari 20, 2025 kwa makundi yote manne ya utumiaji nishati hiyo.Continue Reading
Mwenyekiti wa CCM Mkoa wa Dodoma, Adam Kimbisa amewasilisha hoja kwa mkutano mkuu wa Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) kuwa Mwenyeiti wa chama hicho, Rais Samia Suluhu Hassan awe mgombea urais wa Tanzania katika Uchaguzi Mkuu wa Oktoba 2025.Continue Reading
Makamu wa Pili wa Rais wa Zanzibar, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla amesema Uchumi wa Zanzibar umekua kutoka asilimia 5.1 kutoka mwaka 2021 hadi asilimia 7.5 mwaka 2024.Continue Reading
Timu hiyo yenye wajumbe 15, inaongozwa na mwenyekiti Ismail Jussa ambaye pia ni Makamu Mwenyekiti wa chama hicho upande wa Zanzibar.Continue Reading
Monrovia — The Director General of the African Centers for Disease Control, Jean Kaseya, has said the center stands ready to support Tanzania and other countries in the region where suspected cases of the infectious Marburg Virus Disease have been identified. The World Health Organization earlier this week issued an alert warning of a possible outbreak in the country, although the Tanzanian Health Ministry has said tests conducted on available samples did not show the existence of Marburg in the East African nation.
“As of the 15 of January 2025, laboratory results from all suspected individuals were negative for Marburg Virus,” Tanzanian Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said in a statement. This would have marked the country’s second experience with the highly infectious disease that recently killed over a dozen people in neighboring Rwanda. Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in 2023 in the Kegara region, said to have been the epicenter of the new suspected cases.
At the Africa CDC online briefing on Thursday, Kaseya also said another infectious disease, Mpox, “remains a public health concern”. He said that while in December 2024, the disease had afflicted 20 countries, a new country – Sierra Leone – has been added to the number after recent outbreak there. Sierra Leonean health authorities said on January 10 that two cases of Mpox had been confirmed in the country and dozens of contacts are being traced.
With thousands of confirmed cases of Mpox across Africa and more than 1000 people having died of the disease – mainly in Central Africa – Kaseya emphasized the need to increase testing, a theme he’s heralded before. The Africa CDC boss said over the next few months the continental health watchdog will deploy additional epidemiologists and community health workers to areas considered hot spots of infectious diseases in the region.
Source: allafrica.com
Unguja. Tume ya Uchaguzi Zanzibar (ZEC), inatarajia kuandikisha wapigakura wapya 78,922 waliotimiza umri wa miaka 18 kwa mujibu wa takwimu ya Sensa ya Watu na Makazi ya mwaka 2022 katika uandikishaji wapigakura awamu ya pili kwa mwaka huu wa 2025.
Mwenyekiti wa tume hiyo, Jaji George Kazi ametoa kauli hiyo leo Januari 17, 2025 alipofungua mkutano wa wadau wa uandikishaji wapigakura wapya awamu ya pili kwa mwaka 2025 katika ukumbi wa Baraza la Wawakilishi Wete, Pemba.
Shughuli hiyo inatarajiwa kuanza Februari Mosi katika Wilaya ya Micheweni, Mkoa wa Kaskazini Pemba na kumalizikia Wilaya ya Mjini, Mkoa wa Mjini na Magharibi Machi, 2025.
“Uandikishaji huo ni matayarisho ya uchaguzi mkuu wa mwaka 2025 pia ni wa mwisho kuelekea uchaguzi huo,” amesema.
Akizungumzia lengo la mkutano huo amesema ZEC ina utaratibu wa kukutana na wadau kila linapotokea jambo muhimu ambalo linahitaji kuwashirikisha.
Amesema tume kupitia mikutano hiyo pia inasikiliza maoni, hoja na mapendekezo yatakoyosaidia kuendesha shughuli hiyo kwa ufanisi.
Amesisitiza kwamba, uandikishaji utawahusu wapigakura wapya ambao hawajaandikishwa kwenye daftari la kudumu la wapigakura.
Kazi hiyo amesema itafanyika kwa muda wa siku tatu kwa kila wilaya na kwa mujibu wa ratiba iliyotangazwa na Tume.
Amewataka wananchi waliotimiza sifa kujitokeza kutumia haki yao waweze kushiriki uchaguzi mkuu na kuwakumbusha huduma za uendelezaji wa daftari zinaendelea katika ofisi za Tume ya Uchaguzi za wilaya muda na saa zote za kazi.
Hata hivyo, amewataka wananchi na wadau wa uchaguzi Zanzibar kudumisha amani katika kipindi chote cha uandikishaji kama walivyofanikisha katika Kisiwa cha Pemba.
Amesema matumaini yake ni kwamba, wataendelea kushirikiana.
Awali, akiwasilisha taarifa na utaratibu wa uandikishaji wapigakura wapya na uendelezaji wa Daftari la Kudumu la Wapigakura, Mkurugenzi wa Uchaguzi, Thabit Idarous Faina, amesema wanatarajia kuweka wazi orodha ya wapigakura waliopoteza sifa na wanaohamisha taarifa zao kama inavyoelekezwa katika kifungu cha 19 na 31 cha Sheria ya uchaguzi na 4 ya mwaka 2018.
Hatua hiyo amesema itaenda sambamba na uwekaji wazi orodha ya wapigakura walioandikishwa katika uandikishaji wa awamu ya pili.
Amesema ZEC inaendelea kutoa huduma ya ujumbe mfupi wa maneno (sms) ambao wapigakura wanaweza kujua taarifa zao kwa kutumia simu ya mkononi kwa mitandao yote iliyosajiliwa Tanzania na huduma hiyo ni bure haina makato.
Amewaomba wananchi na wadau wa uchaguzi kwa ngazi tofauti kushirikiana na Tume kufikisha ujumbe huo ili kuwahamasisha wenye sifa za kujiandikisha kufika vituoni wakiwa na kitambulisho cha Mzanzibari mkazi.
“Kila mwananchi ana wajibu wa kwenda kituoni kuangalia jina lake, kuona jina la mtu ambaye hahusiki kuwemo kwenye daftari hilo, ama kwa kufariki dunia au kwa namna nyingine yoyote,” amesema.
Maulid Ame Mohammed, Mkuu wa Kurugenzi ya Huduma za Sheria akiwasilisha mada ya nafasi ya sheria katika uandikishwaji na uendelezaji wa daftari la wapigakura amesema kwa mujibu wa Katiba ya Zanzibar ya mwaka 1984 kila Mzanzibari aliyetimiza miaka 18 ana haki ya kujiandikisha na kupiga kura katika uchaguzi unaofanyika Zanzibar.
Akifunga mkutano huo wa wadau, Kamishna wa Tume hiyo, Awadh Ali Said amewataka wadau kutambua majukumu yao na kuwa wa kweli katika changamoto zinazojitokeza wakati wa uandikishaji ili kazi hiyo ifanyike kwa ufanisi bila ya uvunjifu wa amani.
Mratibu kutoka Umoja wa Watu wenye Ulemavu Zanzibar (UWZ), Juma Kombo Hijja amevishauri vyama vya siasa kuwahamasisha wapigakura kwa kauli za kistaarabu na siyo kutoa kauli ambazo zinaviashiria vya uvunjifu wa amani kwani viashiria hivyo vitasababisha kundi la watu wenye ulemavu kutojitokeza na kushiriki kikamilifu.
Mkutano huo wa siku moja, umeshirikisha wadau wa uchaguzi, zikiwemo taasisi za Serikali na binafsi, vyama vya siasa, makundi maalumu, vyombo vya ulinzi na usalama na vya habari.Continue Reading
