Tanzania Foreign Investment News (Page 33)

By XINHUA

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

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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.

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The 2024 edition of the AllAfrica Media Leaders’ Summit, May 8-10 in Nairobi, Kenya, will feature innovations to leverage the ever-changing media landscape revolutionized by emerging technologies like a digital approach to public debate, innovations from the Newsroom Innovation Youth Challenge, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and a specialized metaverse from Ubuntu Tribe.

During this pivotal event, AllAfrica and technology pioneer Ubuntu Tribe will introduce the “Ubuntuverse,” a state-of-the-art metaverse platform designed to bridge cultures and accelerate educational and technological engagement across Africa. This partnership marks a significant milestone in digital media and technological integration, fostering a new era of innovation and connectivity.

Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Tribe, Mamadou Kwidjim Toure, “We are thrilled to partner with AllAfrica to present the Ubuntuverse at this year’s summit. This collaboration is more than a technological venture; it’s a cultural bridge. The Ubuntuverse is designed to foster a community that thrives on mutual respect and collective progress, using technology to empower and unite.”

Dr. Tendai Mhizha, AllAfrica Senior Advisor said  “The partnership with Ubuntu Tribe comes at a crucial time. As we tackle the challenges of misinformation in our digital age, the connected technologies we are showcasing, especially the Ubuntuverse, provide transformative tools for factual reporting and cultural exchange. This is a leap forward in our mission to inform and empower.”

Amadou Mahtar Ba, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of AllAfrica added “ As technologies become more and more available and impact progress in Africa, it is crucial for media leaders to experiment and  understand  the positive changes these innovation can bring to the continent and how their industry will be hugely transformed. The partenship with Ubuntu Tribe marks a significant step towards mobilizing new technologies and funding for media in Africa.”

Ubuntu Tribe backed by 500 Global leading Silicon Valley VC Firm, is a global pioneer, continuing to break new ground in the realm of Real World Asset Tokenization of resources and assets. One of the first to launch GIFT (Gold International Fungible Token) backed 1:1 by real gold and made available from 1mg, as well as Utribe Wallet, hosting GIFT and future Real World Assets, currently available on AppStore and Googleplay. As a leading innovator and technology partner featuring The Ubuntuverse at this year’s AllAfrica Summit, it represents the next step in the journey—creating immersive, interactive platforms where innovation in technology like AI and blockchain enhances the understanding of the world to unify communities and information in a new era. This approach aligns seamlessly with Ubuntu Tribe’s mission of shared prosperity and financial inclusion through accessible, blockchain and AI-powered asset classes.

About AllAfrica and Ubuntu Tribe LLC

AllAfrica is a voice of, by, and about Africa – aggregating, producing, and distributing news and information in English and French languages from over 130 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. AllAfrica operates the largest online platform dedicated solely to Africa-related news and information and is the only news site with truly Pan-African reach. AllAfrica’s multi-channel platform is the only independent, comprehensive pan-African news source, with unrivalled reach and reputation. AllAfrica is the go-to one-stop digital platform for African and African-interested ‘influentials’ across the continent and throughout the world.

Ubuntu Tribe LLC is revolutionizing the financial landscape by providing universal access to tokenized natural resources. Starting with gold, our platform offers secure, blockchain-powered investment products that represent real-world assets. Our approach integrates ethical sourcing with innovative technology, fostering economic empowerment and environmental stewardship globally. Ubuntu Tribe is not only pioneering in decentralized finance but also driving the new frontier in Real World Asset Tokenization, offering transformative solutions for a more equitable world.

For further information and media inquiries, please contact:

Melissa Sequeira, CMO, Ubuntu Tribe

Email: melissa@utribe.one   Phone: +4917685313133

Source: allafrica.com

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By LUKE ANAMI

The East African region is staring at a looming food shortage after extreme rains and floods unleashed a wave of destruction, killing people, injuring others, ruining infrastructure and destroying farmlands in the food basket regions.

Heavier-than-usual rains, compounded by the El Nino weather phenomenon, have devastated Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, engulfing villages and threatening to inflict more pain in the weeks to come.

The floods have impacted agriculture, transport, health, education, and tourism, which was just emerging out of the Covid-induced slump.

Kenya has especially been battered in the past month, with President William Ruto on Friday announcing that at least 210 people have died.

The country’s National Disaster Operations Centre reported that by the end of April, some 4,824 livestock had died, 27,717 acres of cropland damaged, 264 small businesses and 24 schools affected.

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President Ruto on Friday deferred the reopening of schools indefinitely as the government battled the impact of the rains and braced for further crisis with the anticipated landfall of the cyclone Hidaya, which is expected to cause torrential rains, strong winds and dangerous waves and disrupt activities in the Indian Ocean and the Coast region.

Read: Kenya weather outlook ‘dire’ as cyclone nears

But the Kenyan meteorological department seemed to downplay the devastation the cyclone may have.

Kenya Red Cross reported at least 132 people missing, 23,511 households displaced and 43,888 others affected by the crisis.

There is a risk of disease outbreaks and vulnerable groups need accommodation and access to essential services at a time the government says it is establishing camps for the affected.

“To support disaster response and mitigation efforts across the country, the Treasury has been directed to provide adequate resources and work with other development partners to provide for the purchase and supply of food, medical and other non-food items,” President Ruto said on Friday.

Those evacuated cannot return to their homes or earn a living for a long time, and governments have found themselves with a new burden of seeking aid for those hit in different ways.

“The consequences of the disaster go beyond the immediate material hardship – they can exacerbate societal issues,” says the UN Relief Web.

“In the regions of Kenya affected by the floods, for example, there are already conflicts over grazing land, intensified by several years of drought in East Africa. The floods now pose an additional threat to the livelihoods of the population groups living from pasture farming, increasing the risk of violent conflicts over scarce resources.”

Read: Floods leave trail of death and destruction

“Contact between humans and wild animals is also increasing – for example, snakes and crocodiles are more likely to inhabit flooded landscapes. The collapse of sanitation systems – water supply and wastewater disposal – can have unforeseeable consequences: in 2019, a cholera epidemic followed the floods caused by El Niño. Stagnant water in many places is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can transmit malaria. Even before the flooding, the countries in the region were already struggling with local outbreaks of cholera and measles.”

Countries in the region are bracing for hunger, as agricultural activities have been disrupted and crops destroyed.

In Tanzania, on which the region depends for food, officials have estimated a 30 percent drop in food production.

This year’s report by the World Economic Forum says extreme weather events could become the biggest global risk over the next decade. It predicts that by 2050, the climate crisis could cause an additional 14.5 million deaths, $12.5 trillion in economic losses and $1.1 trillion in extra costs to healthcare systems around the globe.

“Floods pose the highest acute risk of climate-induced deaths. Floods could take as many as 8.5 million people’s lives by 2050,” the report says.

Besides food shortages, the damaged roads pose a new challenge in transportation of goods in a region that is a net importer of a wide range of items, including food.

The rains have also caused significant damage to critical infrastructure, including roads, and bridges, cutting off access to many areas. In addition, floods have dramatically affected people’s mental health as they cope with the loss of homes and livelihoods.

“The ongoing rains have caused great human suffering and immense damage to infrastructure. We are yet to assess the cost of damage,” Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary, told The EastAfrican.

Read: Underwater: Kenyans in agony amid heavy floods

Many roads in Nairobi have been temporarily closed, including major routes such as the Namanga Road that connects Kenya and Tanzania.

Tanzania is staring at more than 100,000 acres of damaged cropland. Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said his ministry would issue a report later and declined further comment.

In a statement to Parliament on April 25, Prime Minister Kasim Majaliwa said more than 200,000 people and 51,000 households had been affected by rains and flooding since January.

Yet two years ago the country was feeding East Africa and launched an ambitious food surplus creation scheme titled the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania, which uses 350,000 hectares in the country’s fertile southern highlands to grow maize, paddy, wheat, sorghum, millet, cassava, beans, sweet potatoes and bananas.

The Bank of Tanzania said the country held 214,968 tonnes of food stocks in the National Food Reserve Agency in 2022. It opened grain storage facilities in Lubumbashi and DR Congo, and in Juba, South Sudan, to facilitate the sale of surplus food.

“The deficit-producing countries of Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, and Burundi are expected to import maize, albeit at a lower level, from Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia to meet their deficit. Competition for the tradable surplus within the region will likely direct more flows to Kenya and the eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the purchasing power and prices are relatively higher. Still, proximity to major producing areas will incentivise flows from western and southwestern Uganda to Rwanda, northern Uganda to South Sudan, and eastern Tanzania to Burundi,” the report said.

Read: At least 2m Kenyans in need of food assistance

Maize prices were expected to follow seasonal trends across all countries but generally remain lower than 2023 due to increased domestic supply, “except in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia, because of localized areas of below-average production, conflict-related disruptions in supply, and persistent inflation.”

Prices are expected to remain higher than average in most countries because of high production, fuel, and transport costs. The prices are expected to be lower than average in Uganda and Tanzania because of increased domestic supply and lower shortfalls in deficit countries.

Tanzania is expected to remain the primary source of locally produced rice exports to Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda due to a sizeable tradable surplus, well-developed supply chain, and aromatic rice with high water absorption. In Uganda, locally produced rice is expected to be significantly below average since the total ban on rice production in the Wetlands in February 2022.

The dry bean trade will likely be concentrated between Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Tanzania and Uganda are expected to be the primary exporters as better rainfall in 2023 increased production and lowered prices despite localised crop damage, Fews Net said.

Now, the rains will impact both production and cost of food, especially maize, beans, wheat and other cereals in the East African Community as each partner state assesses the impact of floods on its food security.

Abdi Dubat, Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the EAC ministry, said: “We are talking to each other and we are handling issues first at the national level. The severity of floods, damage costs is unique to each country and, just like Tanzania, Kenya is so much affected.”

An April 2024 World Bank Food and Security Update shows that domestic food price inflation remains high in low- and middle-income countries.

Read: Global economy slows on low trade, inflation

The situation is likely to get worse by natural calamities such as the current floods in the region.

“Domestic food price inflation, measured as year-on-year change in the food component of a country’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), remains high,” the World Bank report dated April 25, 2024 reads.

“In East and Southern Africa, food insecurity… continues to rise because of ongoing conflicts and extreme weather events. An estimated 75 million people will be food insecure by October 2024.”

The World Bank is worried that floods could significantly reduce the ability to increase maize production in a region, which is already facing a shortage.

Tourism, an important foreign exchange earner and one of the sectors expected to shore up the tanking economise, has been hard hit.

Last week, staff and visitors were stranded in the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, which links with Serengeti in Tanzania.

Local authorities had some tourist facilities in the reserve closed after River Talek, one of the tributaries of the Mara River, burst its banks and swept through more than a dozen riverside tourist lodges and camps.

In Tanzania, fishing activities in Lake Victoria have also been affected by the rising levels of the lake. At least 50 houses were submerged and more than 300 people displaced on Ukerewe Island in the Mwanza Region. Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) warned that more rains were expected.

In the commercial capital Dar es Salaam several bridges linking the city and its suburbs were swept away causing traffic jams with many productive hours lost on the road.

In Rwanda, Disasters triggered by heavy rains, including landslides and lightning, have killed at least 49 people and injured 79 in the past two months, an official said on Thursday.

Read: Rwanda heavy rains kill 10 people

The minister in charge of Emergency Management Albert Murasira told the national television channel that the government has evacuated about 5,000 residents from high-risk zones to safer areas across the country.

The disasters also destroyed infrastructure, including homes, bridges, school buildings, road networks, and hectares of plantations. The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that several parts would experience heavy rains in the first 10 days of May.

in Uganda, flash floods and cut off major roads, paralysing movement in the mineral-rich and cattle-keeping regions.

Trucks transporting marble from the area have had to go through Kenya to deliver the raw material used for cement manufacturing in Tororo.

On Tuesday the 92km Muyembe—Nakapiripirit road was also cut off after Chepskunya Bridge in Bulambuli was washed away.

According to the National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) projects the heavy rains in the coming weeks could trigger more landslides, flash floods, and destruction of roads and bridges.

Maize, millet, groundnuts, potatoes, cassava, and vegetables farms have also been destroyed by floods, leaving households at the risk of hunger.

In Buteja, eastern Uganda, the floods, which damaged crops after River Nakwasi and Manafwa burst their banks, with some farmers opting to uproot their cassava and sweet potato crops to save them from rotting.

As of January 9, 2023, the World Food Program (WFP) Hunger Map showed that 16.4 million Ugandans were at the risk of hunger.

UNMA spokesperson Lillian Nkwenge projects all regions in the country will experience heavy rains in the coming weeks, amid rising lake and river water levels.

Uganda’s State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Relief, and Refugees Lilian Aber says the government is ready to respond to any disaster that may arise from heavy rains but action will only be taken if indeed disaster strikes.

Additional reporting by Emmanuel Onyango, Kabona Esiara and Xinhua

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By REUTERS

Torrential rains that caused widespread flooding and landslides across Kenya in recent weeks, killing at least 210 people, are forecast to worsen over the rest of this month, President William Ruto said on Friday.

The floods have wreaked havoc, destroying homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy. The death toll exceeds that from floods triggered by the El Nino weather phenomenon late last year.

“Sadly, we have not seen the last of this perilous period, as the situation is expected to escalate. Meteorological reports paint a dire picture,” Ruto said on Kenyan television. “Kenya may face its first-ever cyclone.”

Cyclone Hidaya is expected to make landfall in Tanzania, Kenya’s southern neighbour, on Saturday, bringing with it waves almost eight metres (26 feet) high and 165 kph (100 mph) winds, the Igad Climate Prediction and Applications Centre said.

Read: Tanzania calls for precaution over Cyclone Hidaya

“This cyclone, named Hidaya, that could hit anytime now, is predicted to cause torrential rain, strong winds and powerful and dangerous waves,” Ruto said.

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Earlier this week, Ruto ordered those living in landslide-prone areas to leave for safer ground.

The government has asked people living near 178 dams and water reservoirs, now close to overflowing, as well as those in informal settlements close to rivers and streams, to evacuate.

Ruto said the reopening of all schools for the upcoming term, which was meant to start this week, would be postponed until further notice.

Nairobi County government has set up 115 camps to host people displaced by the flooding and is working closely with donors and humanitarian organisations to provide food and non-food supplies to those affected, he said.

Opposition leaders and rights groups have criticised Ruto’s administration for its response to the disaster.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused authorities of failing to put in place a timely national response plan, despite warnings from the Kenya Meteorological Department a year ago about the likely impact of flooding caused by El Nino.

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Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania have successfully addressed longstanding concerns regarding the export of poultry and poultry products between them following a two-day meeting at the East African Community headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

Rabson Wanjala, Co-Chair of the meeting from Kenya, underscored the importance of trade between the two countries, highlighting the necessity for ongoing consultations to streamline and facilitate trade processes.

“Both countries have committed to fostering trade relations,” Mr Wanjala stated, stating the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure increased trade in the region.

Benezeth Lutege Malinda, the co-chair of the meeting from Tanzania, echoed Wanjala’s sentiments, emphasising Tanzania’s commitment to resolving issues hindering trade, particularly Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) to trade.

Kenya, historically a significant exporter of poultry and poultry-related products to Tanzania, faced challenges after Tanzania imposed a ban on poultry imports from Kenya in 2021 due to the global outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

The meeting, convened between 29-30 April, 2024, brought together veterinary authorities from both countries to address the ban on the export of poultry and poultry products from Kenya to Tanzania.

The parties clarified that Tanzania had not imposed a ban on Kenyan poultry and poultry products but had implemented sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in response to global Avian Influenza outbreaks, aiming to safeguard animal and public health.

Both parties affirmed the ongoing trade in day-old-chicks and hatching eggs between the two countries, with facilities demonstrating high biosecurity standards permitted to operate.

Further agreements included conducting risk assessments for facilities intending to export poultry products between the two countries, enhancing surveillance efforts, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure timely disease detection and reporting.

Additionally, small-scale poultry producers in both countries will receive support to improve biosecurity measures, enhancing their export opportunities.

Efficient communication channels will be strengthened between veterinary competent authorities in both Partner States for swift issue resolution regarding SPS measures.

Source: allafrica.com

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Kwa upande wake, mwalimu Bestina Mbuligwe amesema wamesherekea sikukuu ya wafanyakazi kama yatima kutokana na sintofahamu ya kukosa sare za walimu mkoa wa Songwe ambao ni wanachama wa (CWT), kitendo ambacho kimewafanya wazomewe na wenzao wa chama kipya cha Chakuhawata (Chama cha Kulinda na Kutetea Haki za Walimu Tanzania).Continue Reading

By XINHUA

Tanzania and Kenya have successfully resolved a longstanding dispute over the export of poultry and poultry products between the two countries, the East African Community (EAC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement said the dispute was resolved during a two-day consultative meeting held at the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha that ended on Tuesday.

Rabson Wanjala, the co-chair of the meeting from Kenya who represented the Kenyan High Commissioner to Tanzania, said both countries are committed to fostering trade relations, adding that their commitments underscore the importance of collaborative efforts to ensure increased trade in the region.

Read: Kenya, Tanzania forge deal on trade barriers

Benezeth Lutege Malinda, acting director of veterinary services in Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, said Tanzania is actively addressing trade obstacles by ensuring that all trade-facilitating agencies focus on resolving issues, particularly non-tariff barriers, that hinder trade.

“We remain committed to tackling these challenges and fostering an environment conducive to seamless trade between Kenya and Tanzania,” he said.

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The meeting brought together veterinary authorities from both countries to resolve the ban on the export of poultry and poultry products from Kenya to Tanzania.

Kenya has historically been a significant exporter of poultry and poultry-related products to Tanzania, including day-old chicks, hatching eggs, parent stock and processed poultry items, said the statement.

Read: Tanzania bans day-old chicks imports, again

According to the statement, Tanzania imposed a ban on poultry imports from Kenya in 2021 due to the global outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a ban that severely impacted Kenya’s poultry industry, hindering access to a vital market.

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