Tanzania Boosts Central Corridor Cargo With DRC Dry Port Land Acquisition

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Tanzania Boosts Central Corridor Cargo With DRC Dry Port Land Acquisition

Tanzania has secured 60 hectares of land in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to develop a dry port, aiming to enhance cargo movement along the central corridor and boost transshipments at Tanzanian ports.

The newly acquired land will facilitate the construction of a dry port, serving as a logistics hub for cargo arriving from Tanzania’s ports and destined for the DRC and landlocked neighbors like Burundi.

This development comes in response to a significant increase in cargo destined for the DRC, which reached 3.4 million tonnes last year.

The Port of Dar es Salaam, which is linked to the Central Corridor, has been intensifying its competition with Kenya’s Port of Mombasa, part of the Northern Corridor.

Dar es Salaam has been enhancing its efficiency and competitive edge to attract more cargo through the Central Corridor.

The formalisation of the land acquisition occurred during a meeting where Marc Ekila Likombo, the DRC’s Minister of Transport, handed over the documentation to Prof Godius Kahyarara, Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport.

This initiative forms part of Tanzania’s broader strategy to strengthen economic ties and improve logistical connections with neighbouring countries.

The development of dry ports is intended to streamline transit cargo management, reduce congestion at Dar es Salaam Port, and expedite the movement of goods to and from the DRC.

This project is a key component of the Tanzania Ports Authority’s master plan to enhance port infrastructure and operational efficiency.

The dry ports will accelerate clearance and shipping processes, benefiting traders and improving trade efficiency between the two nations.

While the Great Lakes countries have historically favored the Northern Corridor via the Port of Mombasa, there has been a shift with some landlocked neighbors now routing their cargo through the Central Corridor and Dar es Salaam.

The Central Corridor, spanning 1,300 km, begins at the Port of Dar es Salaam and serves Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Eastern DRC.

In contrast, the Northern Corridor, stretching 1,700 km, starts from the Port of Mombasa and serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Eastern DRC.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzania: U.S. Embassy Launches 653m/ – Tz Tech Challenge

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DAR ES SALAAM — THE US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, in partnership with the US Department of State will host an open competition for private sector and/ or civil society organizations to submit applications to support innovative solutions to boost civic participation and bolster media literacy and information integrity in Tanzania.

The Embassy’s Counselor for Public Diplomacy, Jeanne Clark stated up to three organizations will be selected as winners of the Challenge and will receive funding totaling 250,000 US dollars (about 653m/-).

She made the statement at the AidData/REPOA event to launch the “Investing in Tanzania’s People” survey report.

“We invite technologists and change makers from across Tanzania to submit their applications to present their proposals and solutions to an audience of government, civil society and private sector stakeholders,” she noted.

Up to eight organizations will be selected to demonstrate their technology to a panel of judges, with up to three winning funding.

Winning solutions will be put to use for the benefit of Tanzania only.

Participants can present tech-based solutions for education programs, gaming platforms, fact-checking tools, content-authentication tools and other topics.

Proposals should particularly seek to bolster civic responsibility and community engagement; and support expanding digital literacy resources including to areas with limited media access.

The U.S.-Tanzania Tech Challenge will be hosted in Dar es Salaam on September 18-19, 2024, as a two-day event.

The first day of the competition will consist of a demo day featuring the selected technologists or organizations; day two will feature panels and discussions among technologists, government officials, civil society, academia and the media to share lessons learned and opportunities for cooperation around addressing the challenges of boosting civic participation, increasing media literacy and strengthening the information environment.

Those applying to compete in the Tech Challenge can find more information at https://cvent.me/ Z0Am03

Through this Tech Challenge the U.S. Department of State seeks to support Tanzanian tech companies and/or organizations to continue their development of innovative solutions aimed at enhancing civic engagement and respon- sibility through enhanced media literacy.

“We also believe in fostering ongoing and con- structive engagement on civic participation, improve media literacy and a stronger information environ- ment between Tanzanian tech companies, educational institutions, media orga- nizations, civil society and government stakeholders.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzania: 2024/25 Budget – Blueprint for Thousands Jobs

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Tanzania is poised to generate between 349,886 and 654,787 new jobs in the next 2024/25 financial year, based on the 49.35tri/- national budget tabled recently by Finance Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba.

The budget, which has increased by 11.2 percent from the previous financial year’s 44tri/-, prioritises sectors with significant employ- ment implications.

By analysing key budget areas and their potential impact on job projections using metrics from the budget and a formula derived from a study published in the International Journal of Management and Economics, one can assess the employment effects of public investment in infrastructure sectors, particularly in low-income developing countries (LIDCs) like Tanzania.

The formula for estimating job creation involves multiplying the investment amount (in million US dol- lars) by sector specific job creation coefficients (jobs per million US dollars).

In LIDCs, public investment typically generates 16-30 jobs per million US dollars, reflecting the high labour intensity and lower capital per worker in these economies.

This analysis also takes into account potential biases, such as overestimation resulting from inefficiencies and corruption in public investment management, as well as the linear extrapolation of data from advanced and emerging markets to LIDCs.

Defense, Legal, and Security

The allocation for the defense, legal, and security sector is 5,493.5bn/-.

This allocation is broken down as follows: defense receives 3,323.5bn/-, the judiciary is allocated 465.9bn/- and public safety is granted 1,704.1bn/-.

The job creation estimates in this sector include formal jobs such as military personnel, police officers, judicial staff, and administrative roles.

Additionally, there are informal jobs for support staff and construction labor for infrastructure projects.

Economic Development Sector The economic development sector has been allocated a total of 10,290.7bn/-.

The detailed allocation is as follows: agriculture receives 1,938.1bn/-, energy is allo- cated 1,883.7bn/-, industries sector gets 110.8bn/-, youth development and skills enhancement receive 34bn/-, mining is allocated 231.9bn/- , natural resources, tourism, and environment receive 336.2bn/-, trade is allocated 272bn/-, and construction, transport, and communication receive the largest share of about 5,5tri/-.

The job creation estimates for these sectors are substantial.

Agriculture is expected to create between 13,312 to 24,960 jobs, energy will generate 12,960 to 24,300 jobs, industries are estimated to create 1,773 to 3,324 jobs, and youth development and skills enhancement will add 545 to 1,020 jobs.

The mining sector is projected to create 3,710 to 6,957 jobs, natural resources, tourism, and environment will generate 5,378 to 10,089 jobs, trade is expected to add 4,352 to 8,160 jobs, and construction, transport, and communication will create the highest number of jobs, ranging from 87,742 to 163,500.

Infrastructure Development

For infrastructure development, the budget allocates substantial funds; 5.5tri/- to transport infrastructure, about 1.94tri/- to agriculture and almost 1.88tri/- to energy.

Using the rule of thumb, these investments are projected to create between 37,600 to 70,500 jobs in transport infrastructure, 13,312 to 24,960 jobs in agriculture, and 12,960 to 24,300 jobs in the energy sector.

These jobs encompass both formal positions like engineers, project managers, and skilled construction workers, as well as informal roles such as unskilled labor and local suppliers.

Education

The education sector is allocated 6tri/-. The breakdown includes primary education with 4.4tri/-, administration services with 157.2bn/-, higher education with 1.35tri/-, science, technology, and innovation with 72.4bn/-, and technical education and vocational training with 196.5bn/-.

The job creation estimates are as follows: primary education is expected to create 58,576 to 109,832 jobs, higher edu- cation 17,872 to 33,672 jobs, and technical educa- tion and vocational train- ing 2,896 to 5,460 jobs.

Healthcare

The Healthcare sec- tor has an allocation of 2.54tri/-.

The breakdown includes medical services with 1.06tri/- /-, dispensaries with 61bn/-, district hospitals with 901bn/-, administration services with 95.7bn/-, health centres with 109.3bn/-, and preventive services with 310.7bn/-.

The job creation estimates are as follows; medical services is expected to create 16,998 to 31,872 jobs, district hospitals 14,416 to 26,820 jobs, and health centres 1,749 to 3,255 jobs.

Water, Housing, and Community Development

The allocation for water, housing, and community development is 1.42tri/-.

The breakdown is as follows; community development receives 320.3bn/-, informa- tion, sports, and culture 285.3bn/-, land, housing, and settlements 174.1bn/-, and water 641.9bn/-.

The job creation estimates are as follows: water sector is expected to create 10,270 to 19,257 jobs, community develop- ment 5,125 to 9,609 jobs, information, sports, cul- ture 4,565 to 8,562 jobs, and land, housing, settlements 2,786 to 5,226 jobs. Social

Security

The social security sector is allocated 2.65tri/- .

The breakdown includes elderly, children, and people with disabilities with 50.1bn/-, health insurance fund with 446.3bn/-, and social security funds with 2.16tri/-.

The job creation estimates are as follows; Social Security is expected to create 40,958 to 76,521 jobs, and the Health Insurance Fund 6,303 to 11,891 jobs.

Analytical Perspective

While the presented 2024/25 budget has the potential to create thousands of jobs across various sectors, it is crucial for the government to consider several key challenges to ensure these projections are realized effectively.

Officials must address mismanagement and cor- ruption risks through stringent oversight and transparency measures.

Additionally, assessing the feasibility of job creation projections, particularly in historically challenging sectors, and setting realistic targets is crucial. Anticipating and planning for potential project delays by streamlining administrative processes and enhancing inter-departmental coordination will also help ensure timely project completion.

The government should thoroughly evalu- ate the adequacy of allocated funds to ensure they are realistic and sufficient to meet ambitious job cre- ation targets.

Additionally, accounting for external economic factors, such as global market fluctuations, and developing contingency plans will be essential to mitigate risks and ensure the budget’s success.

The budget is a strategic plan with the potential to drive economic growth and boost employment.

By addressing risks such as mismanagement, setting realistic job tar- gets, streamlining bureaucracy, ensuring adequate funding, and considering external economic factors, the government can enhance its effectiveness and achieve its economic goals.

  • Kelvin Msangi is an Operation Director at Tanzania Music Rights Society. He is reached through email; kelvinmsangi@ protonmail.com mobile; 0655963224.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzania: EACOP Pledges to Cooperate With Tanzania’s Media

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Tanzania: EACOP Pledges to Cooperate With Tanzania’s Media

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has promised to cooperate with Tanzania’s media houses in a bid to ensure correct in- formation about the project reaches the public.

The pledge was made by EACOP Head of Communication (Tanzania), Ms Catherine Mbatia, when she addressed editors of Tanzania’s print and electronic media in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

She said for people to understand the benefits derived from hosting the 24- inch heated pipeline passing through thousands of villages from Kagera to Tanga Regions, the EACOP has to work very closely with Tanzania’s media houses.

“Let me assure you that we, in the EACOP, shall work very closely with all members of the media because we believe you are very important stakeholders of this project.

We believe when you will have a clear understanding of the project, the Tanzanian public will understand the project and support it,” she said as she thanked the editors for showing interest and attending all seminar sessions.

She further pledged that the media will be briefed on the progress of the project step by step to enable Tanzanians to grasp varied benefits derived from Tanzania hosting 1,147 kilometres of the1,443 pipelines.

The remaining 296 kilometres are in Uganda.

The crude oil pipeline, starting at Kabaale, Hoima District in Uganda, will transport oil to a crude oil terminal to be built on the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga Port.

The pipe is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Tanzanians because the project will need skilled and unskilled workers along the pipeline corridor.

Main camp facilities are being set up to accommodate workforce across the corridor.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzania: Researchers Promote New Cotton Planting Techniques to Boost Yields

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Tanzania: Researchers Promote New Cotton Planting Techniques to Boost Yields

Morogoro — National Coordinator for Cotton and Director of the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Ukiriguru Center, Dr Paul Saidia has urged Cotton farmers in Morogoro to adhere to the new cotton planting guidelines to increase yield.

Dr Saidia made the call when addressing Cotton farmers during his visit along with TARI researchers from Ukiriguru Centre to Ulanga and Mvomero Districts, aimed at inspecting the progress of demonstration farms used for teaching the technology of cotton farming.

He stated that the new planting method increases the number of plants in the field to 44,444 per acre, compared to the old method which 90 centimeters by 30 centimeters, resulted in not more than 15,000 plants.

He noted that “In this planting method, a farmer can harvest from 1,400 kilograms and above per acre”.

Also Read: ‘NFRA’s plan to import sugar counterproductive’

On other hand, Dr Saidia emphasised the new steps for maintaining the farm which he says that should be done 70 days after planting

On his part, a researcher on the Cotton Victoria project and Acting Coordinator of the Department of Technology Transfer and Cooperation, Dr Abdullah Mkiga, expressed the need for reducing the spraying speed when applying pesticides to ensure effectiveness, since the new planting method increases the number of plants in the field.

The visit, which began in Singida and Dodoma Regions and Morogoro, aimed to assess areas where a farmer’s field day will be held to further disseminate cotton farming technologies, specifically the new planting method.

Source: allafrica.com

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Tanzania: Dar Fish Export Increases By 40% in One Year

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Tanzania: Dar Fish Export Increases By 40% in One Year

TANZANIA’S fish export has increased by 41 per cent within one year, thanks to the growing sea products out- put–aquafarming.

The export increased to 41,271 tonnes up to April 2023/24 from 26,466 tonnes in 2022/23.

The Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Director of Aquaculture, Dr Nazael Madala, said the increase was pushed by seaweed farming and the strengthening of the management for sea products exports and processing factories.

“The aquafarming played a key role in pushing the exports up particularly sea- weed production,” Dr Madala told Daily News recently.

To maintain the export pace, the ministry will contin- ue to strengthen and scout for more markets for fish products overseas. In the course, the ministry has set a target of exporting some 46,000 tonnes of fish products in 2024/25.

The Minister for Live- stock and Fisheries, Mr Abdallah Ulega, when tabling the ministry’s budget said that the entire export value was 515.78bn/- by April, this year.

Additionally, the minister said in the year under review, the country exported 134,572 live decorative fish down from 150,308 live decorative fish in 2022/23.

Also read:https://dailynews.co.tz/tanzania-wants-africa-to-benefit-from-fisheries/

On the import front, the country imports insignificant fish against what is produced at around 0.003 per cent per year mostly salmon to cater to tourist hotels’ demand.

The Ministry data showed that the country imported merely 12.90 tonnes of fish in this fiscal year to April compared to 6.92 tonnes in 2022/23.

The data shows that the import is a drop of water on the ocean as total fish output stands at 472, 579 tonnes of fish in this fiscal year to April up from 426, 555 tonnes in 2022/23.

The International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management–Worldfish (ICLARM-W) said the fish consumption rate in the country was not caused by the preferences of consumers as the demand gap for fish has been estimated at roughly 300,000 tonnes which is a substantial amount.

According to (ICLARM- W), the fisheries sector in the country directly provides jobs for about 200,000 people, while 4.5 million people, is approximately 35 per cent of rural employment indirectly depend on fishery activities.

The sector makes up about 1.75 per cent of Tanzania’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Source: allafrica.com

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House team rejects taxman’s bid to spy on M-Pesa deals, bank accounts

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The National Assembly’s Finance Committee has rejected the Treasury’s proposal to allow the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to spy on Kenyans’ M-Pesa transactions and bank account details.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u had proposed to amend the Data Protection Act to exempt the KRA from the requirement of seeking court orders before accessing sensitive personal information held by data controllers and processors, including banks, telecom operators, utilities, schools, land registries, and the National Transport and Safety Authority.

However, Molo MP Kuria Kimani-chaired the Finance Committee rejected the proposal for changes to the Finance Bill that seek additional taxes of Sh302 billion, which excludes customs revenues.

“The committee notes that the proposal to allow the KRA access to personal data as proposed may not meet the threshold under articles 31(c) and (d) of the Constitution of Kenya,” he said.

“Additionally, the committee observed that Section 51 of the Data Protection Act outlines the circumstances under which exemptions might apply. Further, Section 60 of the TPA [Tax Procedures Act] empowers the commissioner or an authorised officer with a warrant to have full access to any data for the purposes of administering a tax law.”

Section 51 (2) of the Data Protection Act 2019 allows data controllers and processors to share personal data with a third party if it relates to the individual himself purely for personal or household activity and when it is necessary for national security or public interest. Section 51(2) also allows for exemption if the disclosure is required by or under any written law or by an order of the court.

Legal practitioners wondered why the State wanted to allow the taxman to have absolute access to personal data through the Data Protection Act rather than amending Section 60 of the Tax Procedures Act, which requires the taxman to first obtain a court order before going after private information.

Section 60 of TPA, which had once been declared unconstitutional by the High Court, requires the KRA to first get a court order before accessing personal data.

Some organizations, including the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Amnesty International Kenya, an NGO, had called for this provision to be expunged from the Finance Bill 2024 terming it ‘unconstitutional.’

The KRA wants to leverage on increased use of data and linkages between its systems with third parties such as banks and mobile money platforms like M-Pesa to spy on taxpayer’s activities, use of Internet-enabled cameras at excisable goods processing plants and full rollout of digital electronic tax registers to grow revenue.

The KRA’s enforcement units have been using various databases to pursue suspected tax cheats, including bank statements, import records, motor vehicle registration details, Kenya Power records, water bills and data from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCCA), which reveals individuals who own assets such as aircraft.

Car registration details are also being used to smoke out individuals who are driving high-end vehicles but have little show in terms of taxes remitted.

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Tanzania: Ruhinda Laid to Rest, Scores Pay Tributes

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Dar es Salaam  residents, including government officials granted a befitting farewell to former Tanzania Standard (Newspapers) Limited (TSN) Managing Editor, Ambassador Ferdinand Ruhinda, who died on Saturday and was laid to rest yesterday in the city. Ambassador Ruhinda died in the city after a long battle with diabetes.

Among the notable attendees at the burial service of the fallen diplomat Ruhinda, who also served as the former Tanzania ambassador to Sweden, Canada and China, was the Minister for Information,Communication and Information Technology, Mr Nape Nnauye.

Giving the farewell message at the funeral service held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) at Msasani, Mr Nape said the government appreciates Ambassador Ruhinda’s contribution to the country, as he left a legacy everywhere he went.

“His contribution was immense in building our country, along with many good deeds, both that can be recounted and those that were untold. He worked hard and left seeds and his works are explicitly clear for anyone to see and speak of,” said Nape.

Furthermore, Mr Nape called on young Tanzanians, particularly those in the media industry to learn from Ambassador Ruhinda, as he demonstrated patriotism and dignity with the intention of developing the country.

Conveying condolences, TSN’s Acting Managing Director, Ms Asha Dachi said that Ambassador Ruhinda will be remembered for his significant contribution in enhancing professionalism within the company and the media industry as a whole.

“He placed a lot of emphasis on competence and professionalism, he was like a guiding light to ensure that the media industry is respected and journalists are respected as well.

We, at TSN will continue to live his legacy by adhering to professionalism as he taught us,” said Ms Dachi. Former Prime Minister, Judge Joseph Warioba, who attended the same school with Ambassador Ruhinda, described him as honest person who was fond of reading books and magazines, giving him knowledge that helped him accomplish many great things.

He said the late Ruhinda was someone who loved politics, although he did not decide to be a politician, and he participated in teaching him (Judge Warioba) politics.

For his part, Msasani ELCT Church Pastor, Manford Kijalo, urged mourners to reflect on their lives and ensure that they utilise their time not only for themselves but also for others, as Ambassador Ruhinda did.

He said that Ambassador Ruhinda utilised his God-given talents and did his work well, to the extent that he was trusted by top government officials in various positions. He urged others to reflect on how they have lived since birth and ensure that they leave a legacy when they depart from the world.

Recounting the history of the fallen Ambassador Ruhinda, his daughter Pamela Ruhinda said that his father was born in 1938 in Karagwe, Kagera region and received his journalism education at the University of Nairobi.

She said his father served as the Editor in Chief of Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (RTD), now TBC Taifa and later served as the Tanzanian Ambassador to Sweden, then was appointed as the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Canada (1983-1988) and again as ambassador to China (1989-1992) before retiring from public service.

The deceased’s daughter said that her father, who left three children, started suffering from diabetes 15 years ago and was receiving treatment in hospitals within and outside the country until his last breath on June 14 this year.

Source: allafrica.com

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