THE United Nations should adopt Kiswahili as an official working language to get on board an authentic African language that is a lingua franca in most parts of Africa, the Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Dr Damas Ndumbaro has said.
He said in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday that it was time United Nations adopted Kiswahili as one of its official languages because it is the only true authentic and indigenous African language that is widely spoken across the globe.
“It is high time now the UN adopts Kiswahili as its official language, and we believe when we are celebrating the next 78th United Nations anniversary will be using Kiswahili. This will be after it has been accepted by the UN,” said Dr Ndumbaro at the event to commemorate the United Nations Day which was accompanied by launching of the first and only UN website in Kiswahili.
Kiswahili is a lingua franca in the African Great Lakes region and East and Southern Africa, including some parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, the southern tip of Somalia, and Zambia.
It is considered as the tenth most spoken language, which is spoken by over 200 million people globally.
It is one of three official languages of the East African Community (EAC), and one of the working languages of the African Union and of the Southern African Development Community.
He pointed out that Tanzania, as the birth place of Kiswahili language takes pride in the landmark decision by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) of November 23, last year to designate July 7 as the World Kiswahili Language Day.
The minister said that due to the decision, the first International Day of Kiswahili was commemorated this year.
He commended the UNESCO and the United Nations for promoting multilingualism as an essential element in achieving the 2030 Agenda for as an essential element in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
“We are also appreciative of all the roles being played by various stakeholders in the growth of Kiswahili language.
“I applaud the efforts of UN Tanzania in creating the Kiswahili website that we have launched… this will not only promote the use of Kiswahili but it will also make the UN website more accessible by a bigger Tanzania readership,” said Dr Ndumbaro.
He welcomed other development partners to follow suit by adding Kiswahili to their own websites, noting that when delivering a message to people using the language they understand it can be widely disseminated.
Expounding further, the minister attributed the launch of the website as a huge deserved stepping stone towards recognising Kiswahili as a crucial language.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Zlatan Milisic, commended the government of Tanzania for its longstanding, sustained commitment to the United Nations and multilateralism.
“This UN birthday is perhaps also an opportune time to reflect on the future,” said Mr Milisic, pointing out that the second “SDG Summit” – the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the General Assembly will be convened in September 2023 during the General Assembly high-level week in New York.
He said that the summit will mark the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“It is only by ensuring that we have all hands on deck, while addressing inequalities and emphasizing that no one is left behind , will we be able to achieve the SDGs,” stressed the UN Resident Coordinator.
For his part, the Executive Director of the UN Association of Tanzania, Mr Reynald Maeda, called for government financial inclusion, economic empowerment, inclusive representation and meaningful participation in decision making by the youth for true meaning of inclusive community.
Source: allafrica.com
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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.
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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.
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