Mtwara. Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) has advised traders to join hands in an attempt to grab opportunities for exporting coal.
Acting Mtwara port manager, Mr Nobert Kalembwe shared the tip after some four companies successfully sold 57,300 tonnes of coal to a company that exported to Poland in one vessel. “If one has a small cargo and another the same, you collect and get enough cargo for shipment,” Mr Kalembwe said. The four companies include Milco, Sebdo, Beco and Tancoal, which sold to Amex, and Market Insight, which exported the coal to Poland.
Amex Group chief executive officer Filip Celadnic said it was a significant achievement for them to export coal to the European market after months of preparation. He said Tanzania will probably become the only country in the world that can supply coal for the European household market.
“This has been a significant investment achieved through the efforts of many people, including the government and its authorities,” he said.
He said the partners intend to export 500,000 to one million tonnes of coal annually. However, there are a few things to improve, such as the speed of loading a vessel, he said, adding that more work is expected to happen at the port.
A representative of Market Insight, Mr Ashraf Hang, said that they got great cooperation from the TPA and other government authorities that made the exportation of the cargo possible. Head of operations at Milcoil Company, Mr Binod Kumar, explained that the quality of coal produced in the country is better compared to other parts of the continent.
“I worked in two other countries in the coal industry and can confirm that this coal we are producing here is very good. We are going to enhance the production of coal later so that one can recognise Tanzania coal,” said Mr Kumar.
Previously, only two companies namely Ruvuma Coals Limited and Jitegemee Holdings were transporting coal through the Mtwara port since October 2021.
From July last year to the end of January this year, Mtwara port has shipped more than one million (1,000,300) tonnes of coal, which is equivalent to 150 percent of the target of shipping 402,200 tonnes annually.
Recently deputy permanent secretary for the Ministry of Works and Transport, Dr Ally Posi urged TPA to market the Mtwara port following government investment at the port worth Sh157.8 billion.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
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.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
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.”
ALSO READ: NBC participates in TFF 2023/24 awards, promises to enhance competition
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.
Source: allafrica.com
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‘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
