Tanzania Foreign Investment News (Page 16)

VICE-President Dr Philip Mpango has urged Tanzanians to conserve the environment and protect the nature to ensure availability and reliable water services.

Dr Mpango made the call when he addressed residents of Bahi District after laying the foundation stone for the Ibihwa Water Project. The VP also urged the residents of Mpwapwa District to protect forests and plant trees. The VP is on a working visit in Dodoma Region.

While in Bahi District, Dr Mpango asked the Regional Commissioner and District Commissioners to work closely with people to ensure they plant water friendly trees, particularly during the coming rainy season.

The VP asked the Irrigation Commission to collaborate with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to construct water harvesting dams in the region for irrigation, livestock and human needs.

Dr Mpango directed the Ministry of Water to ensure the completion of the remaining 14 per cent of the Ibihwa Water Project by the end of September 2024.

He emphasised the importance of extending the project’s water supply to Bahi town to address the current challenge of consuming salty water.

The VP added that there must be close monitoring of payments to the contractor, saying the money must be released based on the pace of the project implementation.

He said that the Ibihwa Water Project is a realisation of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) 2020-2025 election manifesto that aims at guaranteeing availability of clean and safe water. According to the manifesto, 85 per cent of rural residents and 95 per cent of urban residents must access clean and safe water by 2025.

In another development, the Vice-President presented 20 Borani cattle to livestock farmers in Bahi District, donated by the government through the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, with the objective of improving livestock farming and the value of livestock products.

Dr Mpango commended the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries for this initiative, which is expected to increase beef production from the current 80-120 kilogrammes per farmer to 150-200 kilogrammes.

“I urge farmers to embrace modern farming practices to meet national and international market demands for their produces,” said Dr Mpango.

ALSO READ: Why Samia’s clean energy agenda is relief to women, environment

The Minister for Water, Jumaa Aweso, assured the VP that his ministry will diligently oversee the Ibihwa project to ensure its completion by September 30, 2024.

The Ibihwa Water Project worth 709m/-, is expected to address water challenges faced by over 11,000 residents in the area.

In Mpwapwa, Dr Mpango urged the residents to preserve the forest on Wotto Mountain, saying all efforts must be applied to protect the nature for the betterment of the future generation. He ordered the Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment) in collaboration with the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism to visit the area and make sure they set a strategy to stop the ongoing environmental degradation.

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Moreover, the VP ordered the Ministry for Finance to release funds for the construction of a Vocation Training College under the Vocation Education and Training Authority (VETA) in the area.

He said the ministry must give priority to the project since it is designed to benefit a number of residents, especially young people in the area. The project is set to cost 1.68bn/- upon its completion.

On infrastructure, the VP ordered the Ministry of Works through the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) to finalise procedures to sign a contract for the construction of the 46.5km Mpwapwa-Kibakwe road at a tarmac level and finalise the feasibility study for the 84km Kibakwe- Chipopolo.

Dr Mpango also ordered TANROADS to ensure the completion of 32km Kongwa-Mpwapwa road.

While in Mpwapwa District, Dr Mpango ordered the Ministry of Water to take water well drilling rig to ensure availability of water to all villages before September 15, this year.

On education, the VP urged parents and guardians to ensure they enrol their children to school, saying the government is currently offering fee free education and thus there is no reason for denying education to the young generation.

“We need educated people to develop this nation, you should therefore register your children to school,” he noted.

Furthermore, Dr Mpango asked Tanzanians to participate fully in the forthcoming local government election in November, this year.

Source: allafrica.com

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Dar es Salaam. Imeelezwa kutokana na kuanza kazi kwa Kampuni ya DP World katika Bandari ya Dar es Salaam huenda Dola za Marekani 600 milioni (Sh1.62 trilioni) zikaokolewa katika uchumi wa Tanzania, kutokana na kuondolewa kwa tozo ya uchelewaji wa meli.

Fedha hizo zitakazookolewa ni zile Dola za Marekani 1,000 zilizokuwa zikitozwa kwa kila kontena lililokuwa likishushwa katika bandari ya Dar es salaam.

Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Mamlaka ya Usimamizi wa Bandari Tanzania (TPA), Plasduce Mbossa akizungumza leo Jumanne, Agosti 20, 2024 na Mwananchi amesema kwa kawaida meli zilizokuwa zinakuja Dar es Salaam zilikuwa zikitozwa gharama ya msongamano (Peak season) ambayo ilikuwa Dola 1,000 (Sh2.7 milioni) katika kila kontena kwa sababu ya kusubiri kwa muda mrefu mzigo kupakuliwa, lakini sasa imeondolewa.

“Sasa hivi muda wa meli kukaa umepungua sasa kutokana na hilo, wameondoa hiyo tozo mfano wakati unaagiza kontena badala ya kulipa Dola 4,500 sasa hivi utalipa Dola 3,500,” amesema Mbossa.

Mbossa amesema kampuni ya meli ya MSC ndiyo ya kwanza kuondoa tozo hizo na kufanya gharama za meli kwa bandari za Mombasa na Dar es Salaam kuwa sawa: “Hatua hiyo imesababisha kampuni nyingine za meli kuwa katika presha ya kuondoa hiyo Dola 1,000 kama ilivyofanywa na MSC.”

“Ukiangalia kwa mwaka tunahudumia kontena milioni 1.2, sasa ukichukua nusu ya mwaka uliobakia na kuondoa Dola 1,000. Tumeokoa kama nchi kwa sababu leo ukitaka kuagiza mzigo, ili kupata dola lazima ukanunue kwenye maduka ya kubadilisha fedha za kigeni ambao wanazinunua Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (BoT).”

“Kwa hiyo tunachukua akiba yetu ya dola tunakwenda kulipa kampuni za meli, ndiyo maana tunasema fedha iliyookolewa itakuwa Dola milioni 600, lakini pia meli ilikuwa ikisubiria kwa siku 28 sasa imeshuka hadi siku 10,” amesema.

Mbossa amesema hivi sasa meli ya makasha inaaka katika gati siku moja hadi tatu kulingana na mzigo, kisha kuondoka, akisema hatua hiyo imeleta maendeleo makubwa katika utoaji huduma katika bandari ya Dar es Salaam.

Aidha kupungua kwa gharama hizo ni kicheko kwa wafanyabiashara, walaji na Taifa kwa ujumla kwani kupungua kwa gharama za usafirishaji wa mizigo kunachochea ukuaji wa uchumi na kuongeza ajira kwa wananchi, ikiiweka Tanzania katika nafasi ya kuwa lango kuu la kiuchumi Afrika Mashariki.

Mbossa amesema mafanikio hayo yanaimarisha nafasi ya Tanzania kama kitovu cha biashara Afrika Mashariki na Kati, na yanaonyesha uthabiti wa Rais Samia Suluhu Hassan katika kusimamia rasilimali za Taifa kwa manufaa ya Watanzania.

Miongoni mwa masuala ambayo TPA imeyataja kuwa ni mafanikio ya uwepo wa DPW tangu kuanza kazi Mei mwaka huu ni kupungua kwa muda wa kusubiri kwa meli, meli za mizigo ya Kontena na RORO sasa zinaweza kutia nanga mara tu zinapowasili, kuboresha muda wa mzunguko na kupunguza gharama kwa kiasi kikubwa.

Mbossa amesema uendeshaji wa kreni umeboreshwa, na uzalishaji umekuwa ukiongezeka kwa kasi kutoka Mei hadi Julai 2024, na bandari hiyo kufanikiwa kushughulikia meli yake kubwa zaidi.

Vilevile amesema ufanisi huo unaimarisha ushindani wa kianda kwani bandari ya Dar es Salaam sasa inalingana na Mombasa katika ushughulikiaji wa mizigo.

Kuhusu ufanisi wa bandari kwa sasa Wakala wa Usafirishaji wa Mizigo ya Kimataifa wa Ushoroba wa Kati (CCTTFA) ulisema ndani ya muda mfupi DPW imefanya mabadiliko makubwa na kuongeza ufanisi wa bandari ikiwa ni pamoja na kudhibiti eneo la bandari.

“Udhibiti wa eneo la bandari unawafanya wafanyakazi kujikita katika kazi yao hivyo kuokoa muda. Tumeshuhudia. Kuongezeka kwa mashine za kushusha na kupakia mizigo kila mtu sasa amejikita na kazi kongole nyingi sana kwa DP, punde bandari ya Dar es Salaam itakuwa miongoni mwa bandari bora duniani,” ilieleza taarifa yao ya mrejesho.Continue Reading

By LUKE ANAMI

By ANTHONY KITIMO

Lack of funds for construction, delays in land acquisition and compensation are among factors cited for expected delays in the completion of a major East African Community Road project, which was billed to boost logistics on the bloc, linking its two main transport corridors.

The $751 million Coastline Transnational Highway project, conceived over a decade ago, covers Bagamoyo-Tanga-Horo Horo on the Tanzania side and Lunga Lunga-Mombasa-Mtwapa-Malindi on the Kenyan side.

Read more  here

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By XINHUA

Some 20.1 million people were internally displaced in July in the Horn of Africa region, the United Nations migration agency said on Thursday.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a report released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the number is an increase from 19.2 million people in June.

The IOM attributed the total surge to a rise in internally displaced persons from Burundi, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Most of the displaced people were in Sudan (10.2 million), Somalia (3.5 million), Ethiopia (3.3 million) and South Sudan (2 million).

“There are 10.2 million newly forcibly displaced people in Sudan, including 7.9 million internally and 2.1 million in neighbouring countries since the beginning of the conflict in April 2023,” the IOM said.

Other causes of displacements, according to the UN agency, are floods caused by heavy rains and food insecurity, especially in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

Read: Africa home to nearly half of global displaced population, report says

IOM also noted that the Greater Horn of Africa region had some 5.4 million refugees and asylum seekers. Uganda hosts the greatest number of refugees at 1.7 million, followed by Ethiopia at 1 million, and Kenya at 906,000.

About 67 million people were food insecure in the region in July, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a regional bloc in Africa. Of the number, 39 million are in IGAD member states, including Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Sudan, and Uganda.

On August 2, international agencies issued an alert that the Horn of Africa would experience below-average rainfall during the October-December season that would transition to drought. This would mean a rise in the number of displaced persons due to food insecurity. 

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The ongoing East African Community (EAC) conference on education, held in light of the African Union’s designation of 2024 as the Year of Education, has spotlighted the persistent challenges in the region’s education sector.

The conference, themed “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Collective Action for Quality, Inclusive, and Life-long Learning in East Africa,” aims to assess the progress and difficulties facing member states in aligning with the continent’s educational agenda.

The gathering follows the Africa Human Capital Heads of State Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where regional leaders, including Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, endorsed the Dar es Salaam Human Capital Declaration.

This declaration emphasizes the need for significant investments in health, education, and employment to harness Africa’s youthful population and achieve a demographic dividend.

Despite notable efforts, including the harmonization of education systems and the development of frameworks to facilitate student and staff mobility, the EAC region continues to face several challenges.

These challenges include limited access to education, varying education quality, insufficient teacher capacity, inadequate financing, and the integration of technology in education.

With Sub-Saharan Africa scoring the lowest globally on the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, the urgency for increased investment in education is clear.

Under President Samia’s leadership, Tanzania has initiated significant reforms aimed at improving education access, quality, and relevance.

These reforms include extending compulsory schooling from seven to ten years by 2027/28, a major curriculum review, and investments in educational infrastructure and teacher quality.

The government’s focus on vocational training alongside traditional education paths underscores its commitment to equipping youth with practical skills for the job market.

Education experts have called for greater collaboration among EAC member states and international partners to address the region’s educational challenges.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzanians will go to the polls on November 27 in the first real political test of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.

The official date was announced this week as security agencies and the main opposition party, Chadema, clashed over the right to assemble, which the authorities saw as a plot to sow chaos in the country.

Hopes for a smooth conduct of the civic poll, which will lay the groundwork for next year’s general elections, were dealt a severe blow after a heavy-handed police response to Chadema’s plan to hold a rally in Mbeya, south-west Tanzania. 

The party’s leaders and some supporters, more than 500 of them, were arrested ahead of the rally on Monday before being released and sent back to their homes.

The incident overshadowed the long-delayed announcement of the election date by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Administration (Tamisemi), which was made with fanfare in the capital Dodoma on Thursday.

Police violently enforced a ban on the opposition rally, which was to mark the annual International Youth Day.

Among those arrested in the raid were party Chairperson Freeman Mbowe, Vice-Chairperson Tundu Lissu, Secretary-General John Mnyika and central committee member Joseph Mbilinyi, who were eventually taken back to their home regions under heavy police guard with other detainees.

The police and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties said they were concerned that the rally could spark anti-government protests along the lines of the Gen-Z youth movement in neighbouring Kenya as the reason for prohibiting it.

But at their first press conference on Wednesday after returning to Dar es Salaam, the Chadema leaders condemned the “unprecedented brutality” they had experienced at the hands of the police.

Lissu and Mnyika minced no words in describing how police officers used batons, pepper spray and tasers to rough them up, and how their colleague Mbilinyi was seriously injured and taken to hospital in Dar es Salaam.

Mnyika recounted how the police team leader, Commander (CP) Awadh Haji, who heads the force’s Operations and Training Unit, “snatched my spectacles off my face, broke them and then stomped on them, before other police officers began beating us up mercilessly”.

“We were then thrown into police trucks and driven for hundreds of kilometres, lying face down. Mbilinyi in particular was in a very bad state,” he added.

Mbowe said the police action was “totally uncalled for” and said it was a deliberate strategy to cripple the opposition ahead of Tanzania’s new election season.

“Instead of achieving their intended purpose of deterring the youth from pursuing the kind of mutinous stances we have seen in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and elsewhere, such actions could actually spur them on. And it would be pointless to blame the opposition [if this were to happen],” the party leader said.

He said that despite the incident, Chadema would continue its quest for political equality and that if such police violence was repeated in either of the two upcoming elections, “this country will not be safe for anyone”.

Read: Tanzania 2025 elections: Why Magufuli legacy persists despite Samia’s political reforms

The party has also announced its intention to take legal action against CP Haji and Assistant Registrar Sisty Nyahoza, who signed the letter to Chadema banning the Mbeya rally, in their personal capacities for spearheading the week’s events. 

Mr Nyahoza’s letter quoted invitation videos posted on social media by the party’s youth leaders calling on youths across the country to attend the rally “to show that they are as serious as their Kenyan counterparts in charting a new destiny for the country and doing away with state control”.

He said such statements were tantamount to inciting social chaos, which Mbowe dismissed as a “completely baseless assumption”.

The nationwide November 27 civic poll will see the election of village, street and ward chairpersons and council members.

It is expected to be a litmus test for the 2025 presidential and parliamentary elections, in which the ruling CCM party will seek to maintain its legislative dominance and President Samia Suluhu Hassan will seek to secure an outright electoral mandate for the first time.

She was elevated from vice-president by constitutional decree after her predecessor John Magufuli died in office in 2021.

However, the Mbeya incident has fuelled scepticism about the chances of a free and fair vote in November, especially as questions have also been raised about the government’s continued oversight of local elections, despite the establishment of an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following amendments to the electoral law earlier this year.

Kicking off the November race on Thursday, Tamisemi Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa, whose portfolio falls directly under the president’s office, said ballot papers and other required documents were ready for the exercise.

Contesting political parties will only be allowed to start formal campaigning a week before the polls on November 20, and have also been instructed to submit their campaign meeting schedules to the ministry’s approved election supervisors at least a week in advance.

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