Tanzania in 2006: a land plunged into darkness. Generators roar from every corner, spewing black smoke as businesses struggle through endless power cuts. This energy crisis, fuelled by a brutal drought, exposed a harsh reality that Tanzania’s leaders had failed to prepare for. But amidst the blackouts, a daring solution emerged.
Enter China with a technological behemoth: the Three Gorges Dam in China’s Hubei province. This engineering marvel dwarfs anything Tanzania has seen – a 2.3-kilometre giant with a 660km long reservoir, all for a cool $22.5 billion. Being the largest dam in the world by installed capacity, and ten times bigger than the Nyerere Dam, the Three Gorges Dam isn’t just about showing off. It controls floods, generates massive amounts of power, and even has fancy ship elevators! While Tanzania battled blackouts, the main structure of China’s future-proofed solution was being completed. A huge window of opportunity opened to Tanzania.
And here’s where things get interesting.
A savvy Tanzanian entrepreneur saw the timing of the completion of the Three Gorges Dam structures as a godsend and hatched a plan. He approached the Chinese contractors with a proposition: build, own, and operate (BOO) a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge in Tanzania. The Chinese, needing to put their dam-building crews and assets to work after finishing the Three Gorges Dam, pounced on the idea. Tanzania was to get a brand new mega dam without spending a dime.
But our entrepreneur wasn’t just thinking about power. He envisioned a solution for the future: controlling floods downstream with a clever irrigation system. His plan? Channel water from the dam into reservoirs, creating a network that would irrigate a whopping 400,000 hectares of farmland. This wouldn’t just prevent floods, it would transform the Rufiji region into an agricultural powerhouse!
The scheme was a game-changer. Tanzania has a total of 29.4 million hectares suitable for irrigation, but only irrigates less than 1 million hectares currently. In the 2000s, the entrepreneur’s plan would have nearly tripled the total area under irrigation in Tanzania, potentially doubling or even tripling agricultural output in the region. The possibilities were endless. Unfortunately, this is one of the things that were never to be.
Many things went wrong.
Big mistake number one: Tanzania went it alone. The entrepreneur’s plan relied on a BOO model, where the private sector shoulders the risk and has a vested interest in success. This reduces corruption! But Tanzania opted to self-fund, sinking trillions into the project instead of letting the private sector take the lead. We have not heard the last thing about the cost overruns of the JNHPP project yet.
Big mistake number two: Ignoring the flood risks. Building a dam this size requires careful planning to avoid disaster downstream. Environmental assessments and flood control measures should have been top priorities, yet they were sidelined. No wonder flooding is ravaging Rufiji and Kibiti! This isn’t exactly a new surprise – the government has known about the need for flood control for years, even planning for additional dams for the very purpose. The construction of the JNHPP should have gone hand in hand with the work downstream, not leaving them as an afterthought.
Big mistake number three: Missing the golden opportunity. The entrepreneur’s irrigation scheme wasn’t just about flood control. It was a recipe for agricultural abundance. Irrigation can double or triple crop yields, and this 400,000-hectare plan could have transformed one of Tanzania’s poorest regions. Imagine it – enough productivity to pay for the entire dam possibly in ten years! But this potential bonanza was relegated to the back burner, a missed chance that stings even more considering the current struggles.
The Tanzanian entrepreneur’s proposal was optimistically presented to a government minister (name withheld) for the Cabinet’s consideration. However, when this same minister later held a meeting with Tanzanian businessmen to discuss power solutions, our entrepreneur saw his chance and publicly challenged the minister about his proposal. Awkward silence ensued. The meeting ended abruptly.
What happened afterwards is a matter of public record: Tanzania went ahead with dubious power generation projects such as Richmond and Symbion, which ended up costing the nation dearly. It took
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Air Tanzania Banned From EU Airspace Due to Safety Concerns
Several airports have since locked Air Tanzania, dealing a severe blow to the Tanzanian national carrier that must now work overtime to regain its certification or go the wet lease way
The European Commission has announced the inclusion of Air Tanzania on the EU Air Safety List, effectively banning the airline from operating in European airspace.
The decision, made public on December 16, 2024, is based on safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which also led to the denial of Air Tanzania’s application for a Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation.
The Commission did not go into the specifics of the safety infringement but industry experts suggest it is possible that the airline could have flown its Airbus A220 well past its scheduled major checks, thus violating the airworthiness directives.
“The decision to include Air Tanzania in the EU Air Safety List underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards for passengers in Europe and worldwide,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“We strongly urge Air Tanzania to take swift and decisive action to address these safety issues. I have offered the Commission’s assistance to the Tanzanian authorities in enhancing Air Tanzania’s safety performance and achieving full compliance with international aviation standards.”
Air Tanzania has a mixed fleet of modern aircraft types including Boeing 787s, 737 Max jets, and Airbus A220s.
It has been flying the B787 Dreamliner to European destinations like Frankfurt in Germany and Athens in Greece and was looking to add London to its growing list with the A220.
But the ban not only scuppers the London dream but also has seen immediate ripple effect, with several airports – including regional like Kigali and continental – locking out Air Tanzania.
Tanzania operates KLM alongside the national carrier.
The European Commission said Air Tanzania may be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with.
A wet lease is where an airline pays to use an aircraft with a crew, fuel, and insurance all provided by the leasing company at a fee.
Two more to the list
The EU Air Safety List, maintained to ensure passenger safety, is updated periodically based on recommendations from the EU Air Safety Committee.
The latest revision, which followed a meeting of aviation safety experts in Brussels from November 19 to 21, 2024, now includes 129 airlines.
Of these, 100 are certified in 15 states where aviation oversight is deemed insufficient, and 29 are individual airlines with significant safety deficiencies.
Alongside Air Tanzania, other banned carriers include Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), and Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran).
Commenting on the broader implications of the list, Tzitzikostas stated, “Our priority remains the safety of every traveler who relies on air transport. We urge all affected airlines to take these bans seriously and work collaboratively with international bodies to resolve the identified issues.”
In a positive development, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been cleared to resume operations in the EU following a four-year suspension. The ban, which began in 2020, was lifted after substantial improvements in safety performance and oversight by PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).
“Since the TCO Authorisation was suspended, PIA and PCAA have made remarkable progress in enhancing safety standards,” noted Tzitzikostas. “This demonstrates that safety issues can be resolved through determination and cooperation.”
Another Pakistani airline, Airblue Limited, has also received EASA’s TCO authorisation.
Decisions to include or exclude airlines from the EU Air Safety List are based on rigorous evaluations of international safety standards, particularly those established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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The process involves thorough review and consultation among EU Member State aviation safety experts, with oversight from the European Commission and support from EASA.
“Where an airline currently on the list believes it complies with the required safety standards, it can request a reassessment,” explained Tzitzikostas. “Our goal is not to penalize but to ensure safety compliance globally.”
Airlines listed on the EU Air Safety List face significant challenges to their international operations, as the bans highlight shortcomings in safety oversight by their home regulatory authorities.
For Air Tanzania, this inclusion signals an urgent need for reform within Tanzania’s aviation sector to address these deficiencies and align with global standards.
The path forward will require immediate and sustained efforts to rectify safety concerns and regain access to one of the world’s most critical aviation markets.
Source: allafrica.com
