Dar es Salaam. The value of traded raw hides and skins decreased by Sh482 million in 2023, owing to low quality and an inefficient collection system, according to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT).
The value of these products decreased by 22.7 percent to Sh1.63 billion from the corresponding quarter in 2022 where traded value of the products was Sh2.12 billion.
The data was revealed in the recent issued Consolidated Zonal Economic Performance Report for December 2023.
Hides refer to the skin of cows and buffaloes while that of goat and sheep is called a skin.
“The market for raw hides remains an overarching challenge within the country, depriving revenue generation and other opportunities within the economy,” the report says.
The Lake zone accounted for the largest share of the traded products by 48 percent, trading hides and skins valued at Sh786.7 million.
Lake Zone regions include Gita, Kagera, Kigoma, Mara, Mwanza, Shinyanga and Simivu.
The Dares Salaam zone traded Sha88 million worth of the hides and skins, while the central zone regions comprising of Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida, and Tabora regions traded products worth Sh286.3 million.
Northern regions (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara and Tanga) traded hides and skins valued at Sh220.1 million, while the south eastern traded products valued at Sh58.6 million.
Hides and skins are used to produce leather products (such as footwear, bags, wallets, clothes, furniture, belts and paints) for local and export market.
Most of these products are produced by small and medium enterprises for sales locally as well as in regional and international markets.
Leather products have the great potential for regional and international markets due to growing demand for leather products associated with the growth in the population of people falling within middle and high income classes.
According to the ministry of Livestock Tanzania is uniquely positioned with eight bordering countries (Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique) giving a total regional market size of more than 150 million people.
There is also a huge potential to sell the products locally to the tourists who frequently visit the country as Tanzania is an important tourist destination.
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Tanzania: Exim to Raise Fund for Mental Health Facilities Upgrades
EXIM Bank to raise 300m/- over the next three years for financing essential services and infrastructure upgrades in mental health facilities.
The bank’s Head of Marketing and Communications Stanley Kafu unveiled this when introducing Exim Bima Festival 2024 as a platform for bringing together individuals, organisations and various sectors for raising the funds.
“Exim’s initiative aligns with the government’s broader goals to ensure that every citizen has access to quality healthcare, including mental health services,” he said.
The initiative, which is one of the events for celebrating the bank’s 27th anniversary is scheduled for Wednesday this week in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Kafu highlights that this year’s festival is not only about raising awareness of the importance of insurance in the society but also focuses on enhancing access to mental health services and improving the overall well-being of the nation.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health shows a staggering 82 per cent increase in mental health cases over the past decade.
Mental cases have risen from 386,358 in 2012 to 2,102,726 in 2021, making the need for mental health services more urgent than ever.
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Unfortunately, the country’s ability to address this growing challenge is hindered by a shortage of mental health professionals, infrastructure, medical equipment and essential medication.
For example, out of the 28 regions in the country, only five have facilities that provide adequate mental health services.
The most affected group is the youth aged 15 to 39, who represent the nation’s workforce, underscoring the need for intensified efforts to safeguard this generation for Tanzania’s future well-being and development.
Mr Kafu said by improving mental health services, Exim aims to contribute to the creation of a network of communities that can access care quickly and affordably.
Exim Insurance Department Manager Tike Mwakyoma said they are appreciating the support from partners in the insurance industry, who have stood by them since the last festival.
“Let’s continue this unity for the development of all Tanzanians and our nation as a whole,” the manager said.
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
