Tanzania Foreign Investment News (Page 22)

Nairobi — Police in Tanzania guarding the North Mara Gold Mine have been linked to the killing of least six people and injury of several others during clashes since February 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The Tanzanian authorities should promptly undertake independent and impartial investigations into the killings and other abuses in northern Tanzania’s Tarime district.

The police have accused those killed and injured of “invading the mine” and conducting illegal small-scale mining inside the mine’s premises. The police have made no arrests related to these abuses.

Ensure Independent Investigations; Prosecute Those Responsible

“The growing number of unaccounted for killings connected to Tanzania’s North Mara Gold Mine reflect a worrying pattern of impunity for abuses that needs to be addressed,” said Oryem Nyeko, senior Tanzania researcher at Human Rights Watch, “The Tanzanian authorities should not sweep these deaths under the rug but should ensure that those responsible are held to account.”

In 2014, the Tanzanian government entered into an agreement with the North Mara Gold Mine Limited company to guard the mine with up to 110 police officers, referred to as “mine police” by community members, on an ongoing basis. Rights groups and community members have reported that in the years since this agreement, police officers have been responsible for beating, shooting, torturing, and detaining without charge residents of areas near the mines and dumping areas. The police accuse the residents of theft from the mine and its surrounding waste rock dumping sites.

Barrick Gold, a mining company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and the Tanzanian government have jointly owned the mine since 2019. The area is inhabited by Indigenous Kurya people who have conducted small-scale local mining on the land for centuries. In 2022, 21 Tanzanians sued Barrick Gold before a Canadian court, accusing the company of being complicit in extrajudicial killings and beatings of residents by police assigned to the mine. They alleged that the company converted the police operating in and around the mine “into a private and heavily armed security force.” A preliminary hearing in this case has been scheduled for October.

In the past four months several deaths and injuries have been reported for which no arrests have been made. The police reported that on February 28, Jackson Nyamonge, a 28-year-old resident of Nyamwaga village, was found dead at the mine fence with injuries to his chest and stomach. On April 7, local media reported that police shot Sylvester Sobhe Marwa Nyangige in the head during a security operation at the mine. A copy of a police form, seen by Human Rights Watch, cites “unnatural death” as the circumstances of his death. On April 26, police allegedly shot and injured Pascal Malembara in the leg in the Murwambe area.

On May 6, the police confirmed the death of Emmanuel Nyakorenga, a resident of Kewanja village, at a primary school near Nyabigena village, close to the mine. The police told the media that he was part of a group of people with “traditional weapons” who had attacked the police officers who were preventing them from unlawfully entering the mine.

A witness described the killing of Nyakorenga, telling Human Rights Watch that around noon police officers chased several people from an area near the mine’s Gokona pits into the Nyabigena Primary School playground, about 500 meters from the mine. The police allegedly shot tear gas, sound bombs, and live bullets at the group, injuring some.

Shortly after Nyakorenga was fatally shot, the officers fled and residents of the area began to block the main road near the school in protest of Nyakorenga’s killing. Police later returned and dispersed the crowd, using tear gas. Nyakorenga’s relatives said that a postmortem examination found what looked like a bullet in his head, but that the officials who conducted the exam did not provide them with further information.”

Since May 6, residents have reported the deaths of at least three other people in the area. The day after Nyakorenga’s death, residents reported that they found the body of an unidentified person at a mine dumping area outside the mine premises. On May 22, the media reported that Babu Christopher Iroga, a resident of Mjini Kati village, and July Mohali, a resident of Nyangoto village, were killed during a confrontation with police. The police accused the men of stealing from the mine.

John Heche, a former member of parliament for Tarime district, told Human Rights Watch that police abuses have intensified in the recent years, saying: “For a few years these deaths have been occurring, but never at this magnitude. People are being shot almost every day.”

Barrick Gold said in a June 11 response to a request for information from Human Rights Watch on June 4 that the company “does not, and cannot, have any de facto control over the police and their actions,” and that the “police are requested to enter the mine site to assist in upholding law and order” when their employees’ lives are in danger. The company said that it is “not in any way involved or aware of [Tanzania police force] activity in the community, nor can it be responsible or accountable for it simply because such activity occurs in geographical proximity to the North Mara Gold Mine.”

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Barrick Gold’s human rights policy states that it does “not tolerate violations of human rights committed by our employees, affiliates, or any third parties acting on our behalf or related to any aspect of one of our operations,” and that it does its “utmost to avoid being complicit in adverse human rights impacts, including benefitting from the human rights violations caused by others.”

Under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies have a responsibility to avoid causing or contributing to human rights violations and to provide remedy to victims of abuses to which they have caused or contributed.

The UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials require police to use nonviolent means before resorting to force and firearms. While law enforcement officials have a duty to protect lives and property, they should only use force when unavoidable and in a proportionate manner, and use lethal force only when absolutely necessary to save lives.

“For years, residents of areas near Tanzania’s North Mara Gold Mine have complained about the brutality of the police,” Nyeko said. “The Tanzanian government should ensure independent and impartial investigations into these abuses so that the victims and their families receive justice.”

Source: allafrica.com

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The Tanzanian government has handed control of its seaport to private investors, ceding the second terminal to Adani, India’s largest port operator.

Adani has been granted a 30-year concession to manage Dar es Salaam’s Container Terminal 2, which includes four berths and has an annual cargo handling capacity of 1 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

With this development, foreign investors now control eight out of twelve berths at the facility.

This follows a similar move last year when DP World signed a 30-year concession agreement with the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) to operate and modernise part of the port. DP World’s agreement covers four berths, despite opposition from Tanzanian politicians.

In 2023, Container Terminal 2, with its four berths, handled 0.82 million TEUs of containers, accounting for 83 percent of Tanzania’s total container volumes.

East African nations are increasingly transferring operational control of key maritime assets to the private sector to enhance efficiency and competitiveness in the global maritime industry.

Kenya is also considering privatisation initiatives for multiple berths at the Mombasa and Lamu ports. Last year, the Kenya Port Authority (KPA) invited prospective stakeholders to express their interest in leasing port infrastructure through public-private partnerships.

Analysts suggest that both Tanzania and Kenya aim to improve the operational efficiency of their maritime assets through private sector engagement.

Earlier this year, Dar es Salaam Port, Kenya’s primary regional competitor, experienced severe congestion, resulting in vessel clearance times of up to seven days. This bottleneck increased shipping costs and led to market shortages, prompting Great Lakes countries to redirect more traffic to Mombasa.

Source: allafrica.com

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Serikali ya Tanzania imewaondoa hofu Watanzania kuwa fedha zitakazotumika kukarabati viwanja vya michezo vinavyomilikiwa na Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) zitarejeshwa kwa umma, ili zitumike kufanya mambo mengine.Continue Reading

After 10 months of dedicating time and energy to learn, challenge themselves, try business solutions they never had before, 34 women entrepreneurs met to celebrate and be celebrated by others on June 6th. These Women Creating Wealth (WCW) Tanzania programme participants graduated at an event held in Dar er Salaam signaling the end of one part of their journey with the Graça Machel Trust’s flagship entrepreneurship programme.

The WCW entrepreneurship programme supports women entrepreneurs to develop the skills, tools, and networks they need to transform their businesses from income generators to wealth-generating enterprises. It addresses the growth mindset, agency, personal mastery, and leadership, and provides participants with coaching, mentorship, and technical support. Additionally, the programme facilitates access to markets and finance for women entrepreneurs while working to highlight and dismantle discriminatory economic systems and processes.

It currently has over 2 500 participants in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya Malawi, Senegal Tanzania, and Uganda who have been in business for longer than two years and are ready to gain the skills and tools to strengthen and scale their businesses.

Comprising GMT Country Project Coordinator Brenda Evelyn Mihanjo, Dr Deogratias Mbona WCW Technical Coach, GMT Coordinator and Coach Gloria Lema, with WCW participants Regina Fumbuka and Sabrina Othman a panel discussion unpacked the importance of holistic support for entrepreneurs. Dr Deogratias emphasised how technical coaching helps the programme participants apply the theory learned through the course to their businesses and with guidance from their coaches throughout the 6 months of the mentorship phase. This enables them to make practical adjustments the create long-lasting impact.

Participants praised how the programme has impacted their personal lives and businesses, with Sabrina, who has been in business for 14 years sharing how the it helped put systems in place that have made it easy to manage teams of her two businesses. She also encouraged new participants to embrace the Know Find and Grow Your Money course which challenges women to familiarise themselves with their business finance “You have to know what comes in and what goes out, that helps you to know your numbers, plan, and project.”

Engineer Regina who helps students to love and excel in mathematics through her project MathGenius, says the programme has helped her to put a business portfolio together as well as systems in place that help her to reach out to much more parents as she delivers the service online and physically.

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“A lot of women who have been part of the programme across the 7 countries say: ‘before the programme, my chances of raising capital were 20% and after going through the programme it’s 80%.’ We want of more them to raise the money and have accountability partners that help them truly grow their businesses” Korkor Kudjoe said, speaking to the importance of and impact of supporting the women entrepreneurs.

After graduation participants benefit from being part of a business community that offers support and business opportunities. Speaking to the women about what comes next, Kudjoe said: We want you to be part of our audacious goal to support 10,000 women entrepreneurs on the continent to collectively generate $1 billion revenue and create 200,000 jobs within the next five years. So, we want you to thrive and grow so you can help us create those jobs and that wealth.”

*The next call for applications will start on 14 June 2024.

*Watch the ceremony stream here

Source: allafrica.com

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Taasisi ya Uhasibu Tanzania (TIA) kupitia kwa Kaimu Mtendaji Mkuu wake, Dk Momole Kasambala imetangaza mpango wake wa kuhakikisha wanafunzi wenye mahitaji maalumu wanaosoma kwenye vyuo vya taasisi hiyo, wanapata mafunzo ya teknolojia kama wanafunzi wengine.Continue Reading