Photo: Jihadist groups in the north of neighbouring Mozambique a growing threat
EXCLUSIVE – Africa Intelligence 6 October 2022 (2 Minute Read)
Insecurity prompts Zanzibar to review its lucrative island leasing
The Tanzanian central government is planning to boost its security presence in the Zanzibar archipelago and in recent months has struck security cooperation deals with India and Mozambique.
A commission tasked with auditing the country’s security forces was appointed in July by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. It says it is concerned about the situation in the country’s Indian Ocean islands that are under the control of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar local government.
The commission, chaired by the former chief justice Mohamed Chande Othman, is made up of a 12-member team assisted by a five-person secretariat charged with investigating the security sector.
The Tanzanian leader was informed of an increase in the circulation of weapons and drugs in the region and asked the police to create a special police zone in the archipelago, a mechanism that allows for an increased security presence.
Island leasing may be threatened
Zanzibar sources confirm the growing need for better security on the archipelago’s fifty or so islands and islets. This responsibility falls to the Tanzanian central government based in Dodoma. Sources close to the interior ministry say that if it does not get more surveillance and intervention resources, the local government, called the Zanzibar Assembly, could be forced to review its plans to lease some islands to private individuals.
A similar project was envisaged in the 1960s but was cancelled due to the same security concerns.
The Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) early this year put nine islands, ranging in size from several dozen to several hundred hectares, on the rental market for investors from the fisheries, tourism and hydrocarbon exploration sectors. The leasing of a dozen islands last year attracted around $261m in foreign investment. Some of the islands have exclusive maritime zones which require an active security policy, but some Zanzibar Assembly members doubt that the national government is capable of providing this.
Foreign security partners
The central government is however taking steps to boost its security capacity. Defence Minister Stergomena Lawrence Tax last month travelled to New Delhi to meet her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, with whom she agreed to form a bilateral task force to strengthen the partnership between the two countries’ armed forces. India’s deputy national security adviser Vikram Misri had already visited Tanzania in May to offer his country’s assistance in maritime security.
A Tanzanian delegation is also expected to visit India this month to participate in an India-Africa security forum.
Faced with the growing activities of jihadist groups in the north of neighbouring Mozambique, Suluhu also travelled to Maputo in late September to sign agreements with President Filipe Nyusi on defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. On the sidelines of this month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, the East African Community also asked the African Union for greater support in the area of maritime security.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
