LESS than two years remain before President Hussein Ali Mwinyi concludes his initial five-year term in office, leading up to another general election for Zanzibaris in late 2025.
When he started his term on November 3, 2020, he was tasked by his political party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), among other assignments, to generate at least 300,000 job opportunities for the youth, as outlined in the party’s 2020/2025 election manifesto.
Preliminary results following a study about employment status, for both formal and informal sectors, show that the total number of jobs generated from November 2020 to September 2023 is 187,651, with women grabbing the biggest share – 94,622 (50.4 percent) while men 93,029 (49.6 percent).
Briefing journalists about the development of his office since Dr. Mwinyi assumed office, the Minister of State – Office of the President (Labour, Economy, and Investments), Mr Sharif Ali Sharif, said the President is almost beating the job creation target.
The Minister commended Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Dr Mwinyi for their efforts in creating an enabling environment to increase job opportunities that contribute to building the country’s economy and uplifting people’s lives by promoting Tanzania internationally, leading to job creation.
“I urge my fellow Tanzanians to maintain the existing peace and stability, prerequisites in achieving all development goals,” he said, adding that having a new Zanzibar Investment Law No. 10 of 2023, as well as the amendment of the labor law No. 11 of 2005, has also helped promote investment and create a conducive working environment on the isles.
Mr Sharif explained that Dr. Mwinyi has been sparing no effort in finding opportunities for his citizens and that the people of Zanzibar have witnessed great progress, especially in strengthening investment and economic empowerment, which also leads to economic growth of Zanzibar, which has grown from 6.8 per cent in 2022 to 7.1 per cent in 2023.
Improving the ability of entrepreneurship, promoting internal and external investment, and promoting access to decent jobs, along with empowering young people to be self-employed by providing loans, training, and connecting them with markets, has helped many youths,” Sharif said.
He said that in addition, his ministry in 2023/2024 successfully increased jobs by 65.9 percent due to confirmed contracts from 6,348 jobs in 2022/2023 to 9,630 in 2023/2024 employed in private schools, hotels, and the industry sector.
The availability of employment abroad has also been increasing from 1,080 jobs in 2022/2023 to 3,078 jobs for the fiscal year 2023/2024. Youth are helped to acquire jobs abroad, particularly in Middle Eastern countries.
“This increase is due to growing good relations with foreign countries and also strengthening Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and economic diplomacy.
“The government also has provided loans to 9,123 beneficiaries in 2022/2023 worth about 15.8bn/- and 2,045 others worth more than 7.9bn/- in both Unguja and Pemba,” he said youth get self-employed by establishing projects and businesses of their choice.
He said another opportunity for job creation is by the implementation of distribution funds collected from Local Government Authorities (LGA) to women, youth, and people with disabilities at the ratio of 4:4:2.
Last year, a total of 2.1bn/- was collected, but it is not enough to meet the big demand for the youth to get loans, “Fortunately, the World Bank has agreed to top-up by providing funds for the youth support program.”
In additional development in increasing job opportunities for youths and women, the Ministry registered 1,822 cooperative associations in the year 2022/2023 and 1,560 associations for the year 2023/2024 with the aim of promoting efficiency so that they can operate well and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
He explained that they also provided training to entrepreneurial cooperatives engaged in beekeeping, fruit and vegetable farming, solar power equipment manufacturing, marketing, and bakery, and they have been getting training.
The entrepreneurs were connected with various markets through exhibitions including East African trade exhibitions, Sabasaba international trade fair, and Mapinduzi exhibitions, where the number of entrepreneurs connected to markets has increased from 148 entrepreneurs in 2022/2023 to 194 in 2023/2024.
The executive director of the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Agency (ZIPA), Mr. Saleh Saad Mohammed, said that the registration of 63 investment projects with capital worth US1,499 million dollars and expects to provide about 4,392 jobs.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
In addition, he said that more projects are being registered and that 12 major investment projects were launched by laying the foundation stone during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution.
He said his office has signed agreements for the establishment of huge projects in the Telecommunications, Transportation, and Infrastructure Sector worth US302 Million Dollars and also coordinated the signing of four Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the Energy Sector, Telecommunication Sector, and Banks including NMB and NBC.
The issuance of work permits to 2,960 foreign workers, which is 148 per cent of the target, has led to the collection of more than 2.6bn/- “This is due to changes made on both investment and immigration laws, extending the permit period from one year to two years, and other incentives.”
He said that in the 2024/2025 fiscal year, which starts in July this year, the office will coordinate the availability of 3,500 jobs abroad and 15,000 jobs in the local formal sector as well as developing skills for 110 young people to be self-employed.
Source: allafrica.com
Share this news
This Year's Most Read News Stories
‘No Marburg Confirmed In Tanzania’, But Mpox Remains ‘Public Health Emergency’
Monrovia — The Director General of the African Centers for Disease Control, Jean Kaseya, has said the center stands ready to support Tanzania and other countries in the region where suspected cases of the infectious Marburg Virus Disease have been identified. The World Health Organization earlier this week issued an alert warning of a possible outbreak in the country, although the Tanzanian Health Ministry has said tests conducted on available samples did not show the existence of Marburg in the East African nation.
“As of the 15 of January 2025, laboratory results from all suspected individuals were negative for Marburg Virus,” Tanzanian Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said in a statement. This would have marked the country’s second experience with the highly infectious disease that recently killed over a dozen people in neighboring Rwanda. Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in 2023 in the Kegara region, said to have been the epicenter of the new suspected cases.
At the Africa CDC online briefing on Thursday, Kaseya also said another infectious disease, Mpox, “remains a public health concern”. He said that while in December 2024, the disease had afflicted 20 countries, a new country – Sierra Leone – has been added to the number after recent outbreak there. Sierra Leonean health authorities said on January 10 that two cases of Mpox had been confirmed in the country and dozens of contacts are being traced.
With thousands of confirmed cases of Mpox across Africa and more than 1000 people having died of the disease – mainly in Central Africa – Kaseya emphasized the need to increase testing, a theme he’s heralded before. The Africa CDC boss said over the next few months the continental health watchdog will deploy additional epidemiologists and community health workers to areas considered hot spots of infectious diseases in the region.
Source: allafrica.com
Kampuni ya Elon Musk kuzindua mtandao Tanzania
Huduma ya mtandao ya Elon Musk ya Starlink inatarajiwa kupatikana nchini Tanzania katika robo ya kwanza ya 2023, huku wachambuzi wakisema maendeleo hayo mapya yatakuza uchumi wa kidijitali.Continue Reading
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).
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
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
