Unguja. Utalii ndiyo sekta mama Zanzibar, ikichangia pato la Taifa kwa zaidi ya asilimia 30.
Pia unachangia zaidi ya asilimia 30 ya fedha zote za kigeni na inatoa ajira zaidi ya 200,000 sawa na zaidi ya asilimia 60 ya ajira zote katika mnyororo wa thamani unaotokana sekta hiyo.
Kwa mujibu wa Wizara ya Utalii na Mambo ya Kale, kwa kipindi cha mwaka 2023 watalii wameongezeka kwa asilimia 16.4 kutoka 548,503 mwaka 2022 hadi kufikia 638,498 mwaka 2023.
Hata hivyo, wizara imelenga kufikia watalii 800,000 kutokana na hamasa na namna inavyotangaza vivutio vilivyopo.
Licha ya sekta hiyo kuwa na mchango mkubwa kwa pato la Taifa na kuzalisha ajira, kwa muda mrefu imekuwa ikitegemea maeneo makuu mawili ya fukwe na mambo ya kale.
Hata hivyo, sasa mambo yanabadilika, hivi karibuni Serikali kupitia wizara na Kamisheni ya Utalii imeanza mpango kuhakikisha inaongeza watalii na kupanua wigo wa soko.
Katika mwaka 2024, wizara kwa kushirikiana na Kamisheni ya Utalii imetengeneza mikakati kuhakikisha inapandisha utalii na kubadilisha mitazamo ya utalii wa aina moja.
Njia zingine za utalii zilizoongezwa ni wa mikutano, michezo na maadili.
Kwa mujibu wa Ofisi ya Mtakwimu Mkuu wa Serikali, wageni wamekuwa wakiongezeka, mathalani Agosti, 2024 waliingia 68,223 ikilinganishwa na 58,711 waliongia Julai.
Kwa Septemba walikuwa wageni 72,296, Novemba waliingia 67,049. Ongezeko hili linatajwa linatokana na jitihada zinazofanywa na Serikali.
Waziri wa Utalii na Mambo ya Kale, Ramadhan Soraga amesema wameamua kuanzisha utalii tofauti na fukwe ili kuwa na utalii endelevu muda wote.
Kwa mujibu wa Soraga, wamebaini kuwa na utalii wa aina moja kunafanya wageni wanaokwenda kutembelea kisiwa hicho wasirejee tena kwa sababu ya kukosa vitu vingine vipya.
“Kuwa na utalii tofauti kunasaidia kuendelea kushika soko kubwa la utalii na kuwavutia wageni wengi kuja kutembelea Zanzibar,” amesema.
Amesema Zanzibar imeongeza miundombinu ya ujenzi, ikiwemo ya viwanja vya ndege na kuongeza hoteli zenye hadhi ya kimataifa ili kukidhi matakwa.
Zanzibar ina hoteli zaidi ya 600 zenye hadhi ya kitalii, zikiwa na vyumba 20,000 vyenye hadhi ya kulaza watalii.
Katika mkakati huo, Zanzibar ina mashirika zaidi ya 80 yanayoleta ndege zake kutoka mataifa mbalimbali, watalii wakifika kwa ajili ya kutalii na kufanya shughuli nyingine zikiwemo za kibiashara.
Mwaka 2024 imeshuhudiwa kukianzishwa utalii wa maadili na mikutano uliowezesha zaidi ya mataifa 12 kuhudhuria kongamano lililowahusisha pia watu mashuhuri, akiwamo Mufti Ismail Menki.
Utalii wa Halal unaohusisha zaidi masuala ya kuheshimu maadili na utamduni licha ya kwamba unafanyika mataifa mengine, kwa Zanzibar ulifanyika kwa mara ya kwanza ikiwa ni sehemu ya kupanua wigo wa utalii.
“Soko la utalii wa halal linakua kwa kiasi kikubwa Zanzibar ikiwa ni sehemu ya visiwa vinavyotegemea kipato chake kikubwa kupitia sekta ya utalii, Serikali imeona kuna haja ya kukuza na kuutambua utalii wa aina hiyo kwa kuwa kuna fursa zinazopatikana,” alisema Soraga.
Kwa mujibu wa Soraga, soko hilo linatabiriwa kuongeza mapato ya kimataifa kutoka Dola za Marekani 245.78 bilioni (Sh582 trilioni) mwaka 2022 hadi kufikia Dola 324.96 bilioni (Sh769.7 trilioni) ifikapo mwaka 2030.
Bara la Asia ndilo linaloongoza kwa utalii huo kwa asilimia 31 likifuatiwa na Bara la Afrika kwa asilimia 21 licha ya ukweli kwamba Afrika Mashariki ipo nyuma katika utalii huo.
Mwenyekiti wa Kamisheni ya Utalii Zanzibar, Rahim Bhaloo amesema ni wakati sahihi kwa wananchi kuwa tayari kutumia fursa zilizopo kuchangamkia utalii.
“Fursa muhimu zipo tunatakiwa kuzifanyia kazi ili kwenda na mabadiliko ya utalii nchini,” alisema.
Katibu Mtendaji wa Kamisheni ya Utalii, Arafat Abbas Manji amesema utalii wa kijani ndiyo kiini cha mkakati wa utalii kwani unasaidia kukuza uchumi na kuongeza vipato.
Amesema kamisheni imeanzisha ushirikiano na taasisi zingine kuwawezesha wajasiriamali wa ndani kutoa uzoefu wao na kuonyesha mambo yao kukuza utalii.
Utalii wa michezo
Mkurugenzi wa Utalii, Dk Abdulla Mohammed Juma anasema wameanzisha matamasha na mashindano ya Marathoni ya kimataifa ili kukuza utalii wa Zanzibar.
Amesema juhudi hizo zinalenga kuitangaza Zanzibar kama kivutio cha kipekee cha utalii duniani, huku zikihamasisha wageni wa kimataifa na wa ndani kutembelea visiwa hivyo.
“Matukio kama haya husaidia si tu kuongeza idadi ya watalii, bali kuchangia katika uchumi wa Zanzibar kupitia huduma za hoteli, usafiri na sekta nyingine zinazohusiana na utalii. Hatua hii ni moja ya mikakati muhimu ya kutangaza vivutio vya Zanzibar kama vile fukwe zake, utamaduni wake wa kipekee na historia yake tajiri,” anasema.
Anasema katika jambo hilo mkakati mkubwa ni kuongeza bidhaa za kitalii za Zanzibar kwa kutoa msukumo upande wa utalii wa historia na mambo ya kale, utalii wa michezo, wa vyakula na wa mikutano ili kuongeza siku za wageni kukaa Zanzibar.
“Uhalisia utalii na michezo ni kitu kinachokwenda sambamba na ndiyo maana tukawa na mashirikiano makubwa na wote wanaoanzisha matamasha na marathoni zao,” amesema.
Anasema Serikali imechukua jitihada kubwa kuunganisha nguvu na mipango kwa kushirikiana na sekta nyingine za umma na binafsi ili kufikia lengo la pamoja la utalii endelevu na wenye tija kwa wote.
Mwakilishi wa Taasisi ya Touch Road Marathon, Zeng Peng anasema wanaunga mkono jitihada za Serikali ya Mapinduzi Zanzibar (SMZ) katika suala la kukuza utalii, ndiyo maana wakaanzisha marathoni ili kuongeza watalii wanaoitembelea Zanzibar.
Source: mwananchi.co.tz
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
