Balozi wa Marekani nchini Tanzania, Michael Battle ametoa tahadhali ya ongezeko la idadi ya watu nchini akisema linaweza kuwa neema au kinyume chake, huku akisisitiza juu ya umuhimu wa teknolojia ya dijitali ili kulete manufaa zaidi.Continue Reading
Stuttgart, Germany — U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces (TPDF) hosted the Chiefs & Directors of Military Intelligence Conference (CDMIC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from April 30 to May 3.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces (TPDF) hosted the Chiefs & Directors of Military Intelligence Conference (CDMIC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from April 30 to May 3.
Keynote speakers included U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Rose Keravuori, AFRICOM director of intelligence, alongside TPDF Chief of Defence Intelligence Maj. Gen. Mbaraka Mkeremy.
The 2024 conference highlights AFRICOM’s commitment to fostering collaborative relationships with African partners, emphasizing the significance of intelligence engagement, and mutual interests. Serving as a pivotal forum, the conference facilitated the cultivation of collective strategies to address common challenges across Africa. Moreover, the conference reinforced AFRICOM’s whole-of-government approach, integrating diplomacy, development, and defense in its engagement with African counterparts.
Keravuori underscored the critical importance of timely intelligence sharing by introducing the innovative concept of intelligence diplomacy. She said this approach leverages intelligence as a key tool to inform decisions, foster alignment in strategies and perspectives, facilitate collaborative actions, and deny adversaries any undue advantages.
“Your calls will always be welcomed and your perspectives earnestly considered,” said Keravouri as she emphasized the command’s commitment to open communication.
Participants from 33 African nations converged to delve into crucial themes such as: The Challenge of Hybrid Threats in Africa; Violent Extremism & Organized Crime in Africa: Coexistence & Convergence; and Military Intelligence in the Maritime Domain: Enabling Early Warning across a Spectrum of Threats.
Gen. João Pereira Massano, head of the Angolan Military Intelligence and Security Service and co-host of the 2023 CDMIC, echoed this sentiment.
“The acquisition of information through extensive networks of relationships fosters and facilitates meaningful exchanges,” he said.
In his remarks, Mkeremy discussed the importance of partnership, characterizing it as a dual role of being both a friend and a brother at the same time.
“Our collective aim is to collaborate in crafting African-led solutions to prevailing challenges, while also striving to foster opportunities for the youth and prosperity for all,” said Mkeremy.
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, senior fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies emphasized the relevance of intelligence diplomacy in addressing an expanding spectrum of global threats, ranging from organized crime to terrorism to digital disruptions. Dizolele asserted that intelligence diplomacy as a potent tool for states to forge mutually beneficial partnerships in the face of such challenges. Engagements like CDMIC, he said, play a pivotal role in nurturing essential bonds of trust that drive effective intelligence collaboration. Ultimately, Dizolele concluded, security cooperation hinges on the foundation of trust.
U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, each with a geographic or functional mission that provides command and control of military forces in peace and war. U.S. Africa Command employs the broad-reaching diplomacy, development, and defense approach to foster interagency efforts and help negate the drivers of conflict and extremism in Africa.
For more information, visit our website (https://www.africom.mil), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AFRICOM/) and Twitter (@USAfricaCommand), or contact U.S. Africa Command Media Relations at africom-pao-media@mail.mil.
Source: allafrica.com
“Unprecedented and devastating” flooding in east Africa has triggered widespread displacement with hundreds of thousands forced from their homes in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia and Tanzania, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday.
In an alert, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that torrential rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and mudslides while also severely damaging roads, bridges and dams.
More than 637,000 people have been affected by weeks of deluges including 234,000 displaced in just the last five days. There is no official figure for the number of dead.
Never-ending emergency
“The (displacement) numbers keep rising,” the UN agency said, noting that the flooding emergency was one of the “harsh realities” of climate change, which has claimed lives and uprooted entire communities.
“As these individuals face the daunting task of rebuilding, their vulnerability only deepens,” said Rana Jaber, IOM Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa.
“In this critical moment – even as IOM responds – the call remains urgent for sustainable efforts to address human mobility spurred by a changing climate,” she continued.
Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing only about four per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions. The East and Horn of Africa has particularly been impacted by alternating cycles of drought and intense precipitation over the last decade, IOM maintained.
Amid the worst rains and flooding in decades, IOM along with governments and partners continue to provide lifesaving assistance to affected populations who have lost family members and now face a heightened risk of waterborne disease.
In Burundi, IOM has distributed emergency shelter, blankets, cooking utensils, solar lamps dignity kits and other items to more than 5,000 people. The UN agency also supports the relocation of people at risk to safe and less flood-prone areas.
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Help is also underway in neighbouring Ethiopia – to more than 70,000 flood-affected people across Somali and Oromia regions – and to 39,000 people in Kenya’s most severely flood-affected east, centre and west – and Somalia, where some 240,000 people are to receive shelter materials, hygiene kits, essential medical care and psychosocial support, among other services.
Climate talks imperative
Ahead of UN-led discussions in Germany in June to tackle climate change, IOM insisted that it was increasingly “evident” that any discussions on our warming planet and its impact on the environment should now include considerations of human mobility and displacement.
East African leaders have already signed and committed to the Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment, and Climate Change to address the “challenges and the opportunities of climate mobility”, IOM said. But greater efforts are needed to support its implementation, “including advocating for the inclusion of climate mobility at global climate discussions such as the upcoming COP29 in November 2024, taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan”.
Source: allafrica.com
Waziri wa Nchi, Ofisi ya Rais- Tawala za Mikoa na Serikali za Mitaa (Tamisemi), Mohamed Mchengerwa amesema kanuni za uchaguzi zitakuwa shirikishi na zinakwenda ka ratiba za uchaguziContinue Reading
Members seeking to exit Safaricom Investment Co-operative (SIC) are having trouble finding buyers for their shares, highlighting the difficulty of liquidating investments in saccos.
The illiquidity of SIC’s shares has been compounded by the value of the stocks remaining at Sh52.5 each since 2019, a decline from the peak of Sh525 seen in 2017 and 2018.
The fall in the share price is partly due to lower returns in recent years.
“The movement of shares in the secondary market has been slow in recent years. We note that this has caused pain and frustration to investors who have decided to sell their shares,” Rabecca Bisanju, chairperson of the supervisory committee says in SIC’s latest annual report.
“The viable option would be to improve the performance of the company to make it attractive to the general public in order to accelerate share movement in the secondary market. The implementation of the Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, in particular strategic theme pillar one (growth of the SIC investment portfolio), is expected to result in a dividend payout of at least 13 percent by 2027.”
SIC has more than 5,000 investors. The investment co-operative, which draws the bulk of its revenue from the sale of land and houses, helped its members trade 1.66 million shares in the year ended December. This was slightly down from the volume of 1.67 million shares traded in 2022.
Members of other saccos –focusing on the basic deposit and lending business— also have difficulty liquidating their share capital as they have to find another member willing to buy them out.
To leave SIC, a member must offer their shares for sale on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Alternatively, a member can sell their shares to another existing member, but this is arranged via email. If there are no buyers, the shares can’t be sold, and the member is stuck with them until there is interest from other investors.
Consequently, SIC has paid a rebate of less than 10 percent since 2019 when it made zero distributions. Last year, it paid a rebate rate of 5.75 percent amounting to Sh143.8 million, down from seven percent (Sh176.9 million) in 2022.
The company recorded a net operating surplus before rebates of Sh203.4 million last year, down from Sh268.1 million in 2022 on the back of reduced revenues in the core real estate business.
Sale of land and houses dropped to Sh1.5 billion in the review period from Sh1.8 billion a year earlier, resulting in gross surplus from this business line declining to Sh437.5 million from Sh471 million after netting off cost of acquiring the properties.
In its latest change of leadership, SIC’s board has appointed Churchill Winstone Ochieng as the new chief executive, replacing Sarah Wahogo.
Dar es Salaam, May 7 (Xinhua) — At least two people have been killed by flash floods triggered by tropical cyclone Hidaya in Kilwa district in the Lindi region in southern Tanzania, an official has said.
Kilwa district commissioner Mohamed Nyundo said on Monday that 39 people have been trapped in wetlands as district authorities were working closely with the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force to rescue them.
The flash floods that hit the Lindi region overnight on Saturday washed away four bridges along the highway between the port city of Dar es Salaam and the southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara. As a result, the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force shut down the highway on Sunday.
Minister of Works Innocent Bashungwa ordered the Tanzania National Roads Agency to renovate the damaged bridges within 72 hours beginning Sunday.
Tropical cyclone Hidaya unleashed the devastation hours before it completely lost its strength after its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday.
Source: allafrica.com
Vyanzo vya habari kutoka Wizara ya Afya vililiambia Mwananchi kuwa Dk Ndugulile, ambaye aliwahi kuwa Naibu Waziri wa Afya, ndiye atakayeshindanishwa na wagombea wengine kutoka nchi nyingine kuwania nafasi hiyo.Continue Reading
Dodoma. Kilio cha gharama za usafirishaji wa mizigo, mfumuko wa bei na uharibifu wa barabara nchini, Serikali imevipatia ufumbuzi kwa kufungamanisha reli zote tatu za MGR (ya zamani), Tazara na reli ya kisasa (SGR) kupitia Kidatu mkoani Mogororo.
Mpango huo ni moja ya kazi zitakazotekelezwa na Wizara ya Uchukuzi kwa mwaka wa fedha 2024/25.
Tangu ubinafsishaji wa Shirika la Reli Tanzania (TRC) na shughuli za uendeshaji wa huduma za usafiri wa reli kuchukuliwa na kampuni ya RITES ya India kwa kipindi cha miaka 25, kampuni hiyo haikuweza kufanya vizuri na Serikali iliamua kusitisha mkataba wa ukodishwaji mwaka 2010 na kuanzia Julai 22, 2011 kampuni ilirudi mikononi mwa Serikali kwa umiliki wa asilimia 100.
Lakini hali usafiri haikuwa nzuri na mizigo mingi ilisafiri kwa malori huku abiria wakitumia mabasi.
Wizara ya Uchukuzi leo Jumatatu, Mei 6, 2024 imeliomba Bunge kuidhinisha Sh2.7 trilioni kwa ajili ya matumizi ya kawaida na uekelezaji wa miradi ya maendeleo. Kati ya fedha hizo Sh114.7 bilioni ni kwa ajili ya matumizi ya kawaida na Sh2.6 trilioni ni kwa ajili ya utekelezaji wa miradi ya maendeleo.
Wazi wa Uchukuzi, Profesa Makame Mbarawa ameliambia Bunge katika mwaka wa fedha 2023/24, wizara hiyo ilitengewa Sh1.9 trilioni kwa ajili ya kutekeleza miradi ya maendeleo na hadi kufikia Machi, 2024 Sh1.7 trilioni sawa na asilimia 89.12 ya bajeti ya Maendeleo iliyoidhinishwa zilitolewa.
Amesema katika mwaka ujao wa fedha Serikali itaanza kutekeleza mkakati wa kuhakikisha SGR inaanza kufanya kazi na kujiendesha kibiashara.
“Lengo la Serikali ni kutoendelea kutumia ruzuku kuendesha reli ya SGR mara baada ya kukamilika,” amesema.
Profesa Mbarawa amesema ili kufikia azma hiyo, miongoni mwa hatua zitakaochukuliwa na Serikali ni kufungamanisha reli zote tatu za MGR, Tazara na SGR kupitia kituo cha usafirshaji cha Kidadu (Kidatu Transhipment).
“Reli zote hizo zitawasiliana kwa kuweka ‘Gantry Crane Storage Facilities’ pamoja na kuimarisha reli ya Morogoro, Kilosa hadi Kidatu kilometa 108. Uunganishaji huu utawezesha usafirishaji wa mizigo kutoka kusini mwa Afrika mpaka mikoa yote ya Tanzania pamoja na nchi jirani.
“Kufungamanisha Bandari Kavu za Kwala, Isaka, Bandari za Mwanza na Kigoma na hatimaye Bandari za Dar es Salaam na Tanga kwa kuunganishwa na MGR na SGR,” amesema Profesa Mbarawa.
“Njia hii pamoja na manufaa mengine itaongeza wigo wa matumizi ya reli kwa mizigo ya ndani pamoja na inayotoka na kuingia nchini,” amesema Profesa Mbarawa.
Amesema tofauti na ilivyozoeleka Tanzania imekuwa ikitegemea mizigo inayoletwa kutoka nje ya nchi, hivyo ili kuhakikisha kuwa kunakuwa na upatikanaji wa mizigo ndani ya nchi, Serikali kupitia Wizara itatekeleza mkakati wa kuchochea upatikanaji wa mizigo kwa kuhamasisha shoroba za kiuchumi.
Profesa Mbarawa amesema kwa kushirikiana na wadau mbalimbali wakiwemo Taasisi ya Ushoroba wa Kati (Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency – CCTTFA), Mfuko wa Chakula Duniani (WFP), na Watumiaji wakubwa wa Bandari za Tanzania wa ndani na nje wamebaini Shoroba kubwa tatu ambazo zitaweza kuchochea upatikanaji wa mizigo ndani ya nchi.
“Shoroba zilizobainishwa kuwezesha upatikanaji ni Ushoroba wa Baridi ambao utahamasisha mizigo ya nyama, samaki, matunda, mboga na maua; Ushoroba wa Njano kwa ajili ya mizigo ya madini; na Ushoroba wa Kichele ambao utahusisha mizigo mingine, hususan mizigo mikubwa pamoja na mizigo ya viwandani na kilimo ikiwemo pembejeo.
Amesema utekelezaji wa mkakati huu utawezesha kupatikana kwa mizigo mingi ndani ya nchi na kuwezesha TRC kuingia makubaliano na kampuni kubwa na wateja wa muda mrefu.
“Hatua hii itawezesha TRC pia kuendelea kuratibu usafirishaji kwa kutumia wabia wa sekta binafsi kupitia utaratibu wa Open Access,”alisema.
Vipaumbele vya Wizara
Profesa Mbarawa aliliambia Bunge vipaumbele vya wizara kwa mwaka wa fedha 2024/2025, vinajumuisha kuendeleza ujenzi na uendeshaji wa SGR na kuboresha miundombinu ya reli ya MGR na CGR, pamoja na ununuzi wa vifaa.
Amesema pia Wizara itaboresha uendeshaji wa ATCL, kuimairisha miundombinu ya viwanja vya ndege na kujenga viwanja vipya, kuimarisha usafiri, usalama na mawasiliano katika maziwa makuu nchini.
Kuhusu usafiri wa ardhini, alisema Serikali itaendelea kuimarisha usalama, udhibiti na utoaji wa huduma za usafiri na usafirishaji wa abiria na mizigo, kuboresha miundombinu na uendeshaji wa bandari nchini ikiwa ni pamoja na uendelezaji wa bandari kavu.
Profesa Mbarawa alizungumzia changamoto katika utekelezaji wa majukumu yao kwa mwaka 2023/24, Wizara ya Uchukuzi inakabiliwa na changamoto mbalimbali.
“Baadhi ya changamoto hizo na mikakati ya kuzitatua ni mahitaji makubwa ya fedha za utekelezaji wa miradi mingi ya uchukuzi kuhitaji fedha nyingi (capital intensive) katika utekelezaji wake.
“Mathalan, mradi wa SGR utagharimu takriban Sh23 trilioni hadi kukamilika kwake,” alisema.
Alisema mkakati wa kulitekeleza hilo ni kuendelea kuhamasisha sekta binafsi kutekeleza baadhi ya miradi inayohitaji uwekezaji mkubwa na hivyo kupunguza gharama kwa Serikali.
Maoni ya wabunge
Wakichangia mjadala wa bajeti hiyo, Mbunge wa Segerea (CCM) jijini Dar es Salaam, Bonnah Kamoli alisema mradi wa SGR umefunga barabara kwa zaidi ya miaka miwili na nusu na kusababisha shida kwa wananchi, wakiwamo wafanyabishara.
Pia, amesema mradi huo umesababisha maji kujaa kwenye makazi ya watu na amemuomba Waziri Mbarawa kulishughulikia tatizo hilo.
Kamoli pia amesema malipo ya fidia kwa wakazi wa Kipunguni waliopisha ujenzi wa uwanja wa ndege hayajalipwa na Serikali kwa takriban miaka 27 sasa huku, wakazi wake wakiishi kama wakimbizi ndani ya nchi yao.
Mbunge wa Nkasi (Chadema), Aidan Kenan amelalamikia kukosekana usafiri kwenye Ziwa Tanganyika akisema ni miaka minane sasa Wizara hiyo imekuwa ikiwataja kwenye vitabu lakini hakuna utekelezaji.
Kenan amesema kukosekana kwa meli ya mizigo kunaikosesha Serikali mapato kwa kuwa asilimia 60 ya mizigo kutoka Tanzania inakwenda Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasi ya Cong (DRC).
Naye mbunge wa Kilombero (CCM), Abubakar Asenga aliomba Wizara hiyo kulipa madeni ya wakandarasi kwa kuwa miradi mingi imekwama.
Amesema wameshuhudia kuwepo madeni ya wakandarasi maeneo mengi ya nchi na wanalalamika hawajalipwa na ameiomba Serikali ipunguze madeni yao ili sekta iweze kwenda vizuri.
Maoni ya Kamati
Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Kudumu ya Bunge Miundombinu, Moshi Kakoso akisoma maoni ya kamati alibainisha uchache wa fedha katika baadhi ya miradi ulivoyosababisha kusuasua kwa miradi hiyo.
Ameutaja mradi wa ujenzi wa Kituo cha Kikanda cha Kuratibu Utafutaji na Uokoaji Majini (MRCC) kwamba unatakiwa kukamilika ifikapo Novemba, 2024, lakini hadi kufikia Machi, 2024 fedha iliyolipwa kutekeleza mradi ilikuwa Sh953.9 bilioni sawa na asilimia 20 tu.
“Mapokezi yasiyoridhisha ya fedha za mradi, kwa sehemu kubwa yameathiri utekelezaji wa mradi ambapo hadi Kamati inafika uwandani kwa ajili ya ukaguzi, ujenzi wa mradi ulikuwa ni asilimia 10.
Kakoso aliutaja ujenzi wa mradi wa SGR kipande cha tano (Isaka- Mwanza) kwamba hadi kamati inatembelea Machi, 2024, Serikali ilikuwa imeshafanya malipo kwa Mkandarasi ya Sh1.3 trilioni sawa na asilimia 40.53 ya gharama za mradi huku maendeleo ya mradi yakiwa yamefikia asilimia 54.01.Continue Reading
The death toll from weeks of devastating rains and floods had risen to 228 in Kenya, as authorities in the country and in neighbouring Tanzania warned that there was no sign of a let-up in the crisis.
Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania escaped major damage from a tropical cyclone that weakened after making landfall on Saturday, but the rains continue to pour.
The country continued to endure torrential downpours and the risk of further floods and landslides, the government in Nairobi said.
In western Kenya, the River Nyando burst its banks in the early hours of Sunday, engulfing a police station, school, hospital and market in the town of Ahero in Kisumu County, police said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but local police said water levels were still rising and that the main bridge outside Kisumu on the highway to Nairobi was submerged.
Weeks of heavier than usual seasonal rains, compounded by the El Nino weather pattern, have wreaked chaos in many parts of East Africa, a region highly vulnerable to climate change.
More than 400 people have been killed and several hundred thousand uprooted from their homes in several countries as floods and mudslides swamp houses, roads and bridges.
Schools closed
Schools remain closed, one of RFI’s correspondent reported. Children will be able to catch up on classes, the Education minister told her.
“It’s a serious situation and we should not take it lightly,” Kenyan government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said at a briefing on the crisis on Sunday.
In a statement, Kenya’s interior ministry said further flooding was “expected in low lying areas, riparian areas and urban areas while landslides/mudslides may occur in areas with steep slopes, escarpments and ravines.”
President William Ruto went to the area of Mathare in the capital to reassure the population.
Mathare, Nairobi County. https://t.co/hSVgAb6tj1— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) May 6, 2024
Concerns of ‘wider humanitarian crisis’
Across the border, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority declared that Tropical Cyclone Hidaya, which had threatened to pile on more misery, had “completely lost its strength” after making landfall on Mafia Island on Saturday.
“Therefore, there is no further threat of Tropical Cyclone ‘Hidaya’ in our country,” it said.
Tanzania remains one of the countries worst hit by the floods, with 155 people dead since early April.
In Kenya, while the cyclone had weakened, it had caused strong winds and waves on the coast and heavy rains were likely to intensify from later Sunday, Mwaura added.
One fisherman had perished and another was missing.
Across the nation, the disaster has claimed the lives of 228 people since March with 72 still missing, according to government figures.
More than 212,000 people have been displaced, with Mwuara saying many were “forcibly or voluntarily” evacuated.
The government has ordered anyone living near major rivers or dams to leave the area or face “mandatory evacuation for their safety”, with many dams or reservoirs threatening to overflow.
Mwaura also warned of the risk of waterborne diseases, with one case of cholera reported as well as incidents of diarrhoea.
Forecasts of more rains raised “serious concerns” about a “wider humanitarian crisis”, Jagan Chapagain, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), wrote on social media.
The current devastating floods in Kenya exacerbate the existing humanitarian challenges in the country where millions are already grappling with acute food insecurity due to prolonged drought. Over two-thirds of the counties affected by the floods are already experiencing… pic.twitter.com/xAhKtYD92F— Jagan Chapagain (@jagan_chapagain) May 5, 2024
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Kenyan government has been accused of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings, with the main opposition Azimio party calling for it to be declared a national disaster.
The weather picture remained “dire”, President Ruto said in an address to the nation on Friday, blaming the calamitous cycle of drought and floods on a failure to protect the environment.
In the deadliest single incident in Kenya, 58 people perished when a dam burst on Monday near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley north of Nairobi, the interior ministry said.
Several dozen remain missing.
Rescuers are also hunting for 13 people still missing after a boat capsized in Tana River County, killing seven, the ministry said.
(with newswires)
Source: allafrica.com
Tanzania’s 396-kilometre highway connecting the port city of Dar es Salaam and southern regions of Lindi and Mtwara was shut down on Sunday after flash floods washed away at least four main bridges.
“The highway has been closed until further notice,” Joseph Mwasabeja, the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force commander for Lindi region, told Xinhua when reached on phone.
Mr Mwasabeja said the flash floods were triggered by an overnight heavy downpour caused by the tropical cyclone Hidaya before it completely lost its strength after its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday.
He said the floods washed away bridges over Mbwemkuru, Somanga, Mikereng’ende and Matandu rivers in Kilwa district in Lindi region.
Mohamed Nyundo, Kilwa district commissioner, said the floods also submerged several houses in seven villages, displacing scores of villagers and damaging hundreds of hectares of farm crops.
Read: East Africa braces for hunger, diseases as floods destroy farmland, livelihoods
On Saturday night, the Tanzania Meteorological Authority declared that tropical cyclone Hidaya had completely lost its strength following its landfall on Mafia Island earlier on Saturday.
The tropical cyclone was forecast to hit the country’s Indian Ocean coast regions of Mtwara, Lindi, Coast, Tanga and Dar es Salaam.
At least 155 people have lost their lives in flood and landslides-related incidents in the country.
