DAR ES SALAAM — President Samia Suluhu Hassan has commended the efforts made by the People’s Bank of Zanzibar (PBZ) through its expansion plan in various regions of the country, particularly Mainland Tanzania.
According to President Samia, the bank’s strategy to continue expanding in different areas of the country, especially in mainland Tanzania, allows it to fulfill its primary duty of serving the citizens of both sides of the Union.
President Samia took the stance at the 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair -SabaSaba, while visiting the bank’s booth accompanied by her guest, President President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique.
She added: “Alongside your excellent services, I am particularly impressed by your plan to continue expanding in different regions of the country, especially in the mainland Tanzania, as this step will further strengthen you as an institution ready to serve the citizens of both sides of the Union.”
Gracing the occasion and being enticed by the bank’s performance, President Nyusi requested the financial institution’s leadership to consider opening a branch in his country.
He added: “I hope that your strategy of expanding in different areas of Tanzania goes beyond the borders of the country. Therefore, I kindly request you to explore the ways in which you can also come to Mozambique and open your first branch for the benefit of the citizens, including the business community of both sides.”
In response the bank’s Managing Director Mr. Arafat Haji responded positively, stating that they will incorporate the idea in their expansion strategy, aligning with their commitment to serve customers beyond Tanzania’s borders.
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While at the booth, the two Heads of State had the opportunity to learn various services provided by the bank and listen to its expansion plan, where Mr Haji noted that currently they operate 33 branches and steadily increasing footprint, including recently opening new branches in Morogoro and Mbeya, and plans to expand further into Mwanza, Arusha, and Tanga.
He added: “As the bank’s growth strategy extends beyond just physical locations, we also prioritise investment in digital services to reach citizens in areas, where our branches are yet to reach.
“Equally, we plan to launch our mobile application, which will be officially introduced soon with the aim of further extending and facilitating our services to our customers nationwide.”
Elaborating on the bank’s willingness to work closely with the public sector, Mr Haji said: “In order to enhance our relationship with the government, we are prepared to improve various government services, including our government payment system, to facilitate and accelerate various government payments, including taxes and other collections from citizens through our excellent banking services.”
Source: allafrica.com
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Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
