Among the institutions identified with deficiencies are the Office of the Northern Unguja Regional Commissioner, Chake Chake Pemba Municipal Council, Fire and Rescue Squad, and the Valantia Unit (KVZ)Continue Reading
accommodation providers must now seek registration from the Tourism Commission.Continue Reading
Targeting to stabilise sugar supply and control prices, Tanzania has imposed regulations on sugar production, importation and distribution within its borders.
Parliament has passed a bill containing amendments to the Sugar Industry Act that gave the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) exclusive mandate to import, store and distribute sugar for domestic consumption.
Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba said that the newly amended Sugar Act would help to control arbitrary shortages, hoarding of the commodity and inflating of prices.
“This amendment will monitor price stabilisation. It is the government’s responsibility to intervene during market failures,” Mr Nchemba said.
The newly amended Sugar Act gives the Sugar Board of Tanzania (SBT) discretion in issuing import licences. SBT will not issue licences unless it is satisfied that the local production is below the required level.
Read: Sugar price cap brews a storm in Tanzania
The new amendments require local sugar producers to declare their production costs then submit any relevant information that may be required by the SBT at the beginning of every production season.
Domestic manufacturers are also required to declare and publish in a widely circulated Tanzanian newspaper the names of their distributors in every region at the beginning of every production season.
The Act now directs issuance of provisional licences and registration of sugar manufacturers, small-scale sugar plant operators and industrial consumers through the SBT.
Tanzania Sugar Producers Association (TSPA) said in a statement on Monday that it is expected to raise production to 663,000 tonnes by 2026 to cater to the local demand.
TSPA Chairman Ami Mpungwe said that sugar production had decreased from 144,000 tonnes in 2017 to 30,000 in 2023, causing acute shortages of the commodity.
Mr Mpungwe said that seven sugar factories were issued with permits to import sugar in 2023 to fill the supply gap and push reduction of retail prices.
Read: Samia’s new food export rules to protect local market
The government has been spending about $150 million to import sugar from other countries to fill the deficit.
Shortages have pushed retail prices from Tsh2,800 ($1.05) to Tsh4,000 ($1.5) per kilo at in shops across the country.
Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) director for Advocacy and Reforms Fulgence Massawe asked the government to attract more competitive sugar producers to increase production of sugar.
He said that the government should come up with better policies for land acquisition and ownership, friendly immigration laws for investors with friendly and prompt registration and provision of business permits within a day for foreign investors.
“Allowing the importation of sugar has significant impact on the balance of trade and use of forex. The government should promote domestic production and investment in sugar production,”, Mr Massawe said.
Tanzania was the largest recipient of EIB support in sub-Saharan Africa. It had €270 million of new investment to support businesses across the country.Continue Reading
Maputo — Mozambique and Tanzania intend to introduce coastal shipping services in order to boost trade between the two countries, undertaken by small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, who was speaking to reporters, on Wednesday, in Dar es Salaam, on the last day of his working visit to Tanzania, in order to put this intention into practice, the Mozambican government is due to organize a Business Forum between the two countries in the near future to explore the commercial gains that maritime trade will bring to the citizens of both countries.
“One of the things that can be thought of and that can immediately begin is coastal traffic between the ports, from Dar es Salaam, from Mtwara [in Tanzania] to the port of Nacala [in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula] even passing through the port of Pemba [in Cabo Delgado province] because this movement will bring some activity to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs’, he said.
He explained that there are Mozambican products that are in demand by Tanzanians, such as cashew nuts, cement, zinc sheeting, just as Tanzania also has goods that are in demand in Mozambique.
“There’s a lot that Tanzanians need in Mozambique, they have factories that sometimes don’t have products, so we’ll have to organize a more structured business forum between Mozambique and Tanzania’, he said.
On the other hand, delegations from Mozambique and Tanzania expressed their concern at the significant drop in trade between the two neighboring countries, which fell from 55.8 million dollars in 2022 to 20.1 million dollars in 2023.
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“During our discussions, we analyzed ways and means of reversing this dismal trade situation’, Nyusi said.
However, the President believes that there will be greater maritime circulation between the two countries in the near future. “The stability of the metical [the Mozambican currency] helps a lot for those who want to do business in Mozambique. It doesn’t fluctuate much’, he said.
Nyusi, on Wednesday, also took part as a guest in the official opening ceremony of the 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair.
At a meeting on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam, with Mozambicans resident in Tanzania, his audience asked Nyusi who is sponsoring and financing the terrorist raids that have ravaged parts of Cabo Delgado province since 2017.
But Nyusi could not give them any names. “We don’t know very well who is financing them’, he admitted, “but we are following the matter. The Defence and Security Forces are investigating. Now we have measures against the financing of terrorism’.
“Some names are appearing’, he added. “They are being questioned, but we can’t confirm that they are the ones’.
Nyusi stressed that caution is needed in investigating those suspected of collaborating with terrorism. He said that some evidence suggests that the sponsors of terrorism are rich individuals living in the major cities.
Source: allafrica.com
DAR ES SALAAM — President Samia Suluhu Hassan has commended the efforts made by the People’s Bank of Zanzibar (PBZ) through its expansion plan in various regions of the country, particularly Mainland Tanzania.
According to President Samia, the bank’s strategy to continue expanding in different areas of the country, especially in mainland Tanzania, allows it to fulfill its primary duty of serving the citizens of both sides of the Union.
President Samia took the stance at the 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair -SabaSaba, while visiting the bank’s booth accompanied by her guest, President President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique.
She added: “Alongside your excellent services, I am particularly impressed by your plan to continue expanding in different regions of the country, especially in the mainland Tanzania, as this step will further strengthen you as an institution ready to serve the citizens of both sides of the Union.”
Gracing the occasion and being enticed by the bank’s performance, President Nyusi requested the financial institution’s leadership to consider opening a branch in his country.
He added: “I hope that your strategy of expanding in different areas of Tanzania goes beyond the borders of the country. Therefore, I kindly request you to explore the ways in which you can also come to Mozambique and open your first branch for the benefit of the citizens, including the business community of both sides.”
In response the bank’s Managing Director Mr. Arafat Haji responded positively, stating that they will incorporate the idea in their expansion strategy, aligning with their commitment to serve customers beyond Tanzania’s borders.
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While at the booth, the two Heads of State had the opportunity to learn various services provided by the bank and listen to its expansion plan, where Mr Haji noted that currently they operate 33 branches and steadily increasing footprint, including recently opening new branches in Morogoro and Mbeya, and plans to expand further into Mwanza, Arusha, and Tanga.
He added: “As the bank’s growth strategy extends beyond just physical locations, we also prioritise investment in digital services to reach citizens in areas, where our branches are yet to reach.
“Equally, we plan to launch our mobile application, which will be officially introduced soon with the aim of further extending and facilitating our services to our customers nationwide.”
Elaborating on the bank’s willingness to work closely with the public sector, Mr Haji said: “In order to enhance our relationship with the government, we are prepared to improve various government services, including our government payment system, to facilitate and accelerate various government payments, including taxes and other collections from citizens through our excellent banking services.”
Source: allafrica.com
THE Information and Communication Technologies Commission (ICTC) has revealed that the country is ready to deploy Artificial Intelligence (IA) whilst allaying fear among Tanzanians that the technology would not replace human labour but increase productivity.
ICTC Director-General, Dr Nkundwe Mwasaga said this recently at the Tanzania Employers Association (ATE)’s Annual General Meeting held in Dar es Salaam when making his presentation on ‘Tanzania’s readiness to adopt the IA and the future of jobs’.
“AI has not come to kill jobs, but it will change the way of working and thus increase productivity,” Dr Mwasaga asserted.
Furthermore, he said, “AI technology will change the way that people work, so Tanzanians should develop their skills and learn new areas that come with this technology.”
According to him, those new areas (professions) include robot coordinators, machine learning trainers, AI ethicist, chatbot designers and AI powered healthcare technician. In showing the readiness of the country, Dr Mwasaga said Tanzania is gearing up to honor Africa’s brightest young minds in artificial intelligence and robotics competition for the first time in October this year.
He said the competition, which is supported by the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AU-NEPAD) in collaboration with the ElevateAI Institute, has been instrumental in shaping a strategy to promote the responsible use of AI across the continent.
“With a prize pool of 100,000 US dollars (more than 250m/-) the competition aims to cultivate emerging talent and create a platform for young African minds passionate about AI and robotics,” he added.
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Emphasizing the significance of AI, Dr Mwasaga applauded public institutions that have embarked on the use of emerging technologies, citing an example of the High Court of Tanzania which has begun using AI to conduct and coordinate proceedings in various courts in the country, a move that will expedite the delivery of justice.
Recently, Chief Court Administrator, Professor Elisante Ole Gabriel reaffirmed the court’s commitment to integrating technology into its operations.
According to him by 2025, all of the court’s work will be done online.
“We have become the first institution to use the AI technology, thus proceedings that judges used to write 200 pages now they will only talk and once they finish to speak they press a button and it starts translating in different languages, so the work of Magistrates and Judges will be only small in making decisions,” he said.
He said the AI technology has commenced in several courts in the country as a pilot project, including the High Court of Tanzania, One stop center for probate and family matters- Temeke among others
Source: allafrica.com
The Secretary for Ideology, Publicity and Training for CCM in Zanzibar, Mr Khamis Mbeto Khamis said on Thursday, July 4, 2024 that the ruling party was prepared to welcome the Deputy Secretary General for the opposition ACT-Wazalendo, Nassor Ahmed Mazrui,Continue Reading
Tanzania has been named one of the top ten African countries with the largest investments in Mozambique over the past ten years.
The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, revealed this on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, while officiating the 48th International Trade Fair (DITF), famously known as Sabasaba.
Highlighting the economic partnership, President Nyusi noted that between 2018 and 2023, the total external trade between the two countries in imports and exports reached $250 million, with a cumulative flow of $143 million from 2013 to 2023.
Explaining the role of DITF, President Nyusi emphasized that the exhibition will stimulate entrepreneurial growth, fostering economic development for both nations through business investments and private sector participation from both countries, along with foreign capital.
Also read: Nyusi commends Tanzania, SADC
On her part, President Samia Suluhu Hassan lauded the exhibition, attributing its success to the government’s efforts in strengthening national, regional, and international cooperation, which has boosted the inclusive economy.
Tanzania’s President said that in 2023, the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) registered 504 projects worth 5.68 billion/-, with exports increasing to 17.38 trillion/- last year from TZS 12.3 trillion in 2019.
Dr. Samia also promised to continue developing and completing infrastructure projects to facilitate business operations and transportation while encouraging local businesses to seize the exhibition opportunity to learn and prepare to serve larger domestic, regional, and international markets.
Source: allafrica.com
We’ve imagined a Tanzania free from poverty, driven by double-digit GDP growth, and flourishing with opportunities for all its citizens.Continue Reading
