Unguja Zanzibar.
Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi on Saturday, April 29, clarified that disagreement on taxes was the main issue that has led to the stalling of oil and gas exploration in Zanzibar by UAE Company RAK Gas.
Speaking to journalists at a monthly briefing at the State House, Zanzibar, Dr Mwinyi said the company approached government seeking a change in the fiscal terms among other issues.
“According to them there was need to change the terms because the offshore exploration was very expensive therefore they proposed 80:20 revenue sharing until they recoup their investments, something that we accepted,” said President Mwinyi, adding that ZPRA and ZPDC were instructed to find ways of how to settle the concern.
He added: After the discovery of gas which was estimated to be around 3.8 trillion cubic feet, according to the Agreement RAK gas was supposed to conduct a 3D seismic study and then drill the first well, something they did not do.
Mr Mwinyi said the company also requested the Zanzibar government to wave all the taxes something that we failed to agree with.
“We told them that what we could do was to defer the taxes but not a complete waiver of all the taxes that they are supposed to pay,” he said.
In November , 2018 RAK Gas, which supplies natural gas to the UAE’s northern emirates and Africa, signed a production sharing agreement (PSA) with Government of Zanzibar.
The deal was signed by the Zanzibar’s Minister for Land, Water, Environment and Settlements Salama Aboud Talib, director general of the Zanzibar Petroleum Development Corporation (ZPDC) Mwanamkaa Abdulrahman Mohamed and chief executive of RAK Gas LLC Kamal Mohamed Ataya at the State House in Zanzibar.
The project was Zanzibar’s “first-ever exploration project”, said RAK Gas co-chief executive Kamal Ataya, whose company signed the agreement to execute the scheme with the Zanzibar government as well as the Zanzibar Petroleum Development Company (ZPDC).
The company signed the rights to explore and develop the Pemba Zanzibar block, which spans 11,868 square kilometers. The value of the deal was not disclosed initially.
The targeted Zanzibar block had by then undergone several field activities including pre-drilling aerial exploration over and deployment of offshore infrastructure for drilling of test wells.
Former holders of exploration rights for the Zanzibar block — Antrim Energy of Canada then described project owners RAK Gas LLC as “the state natural gas utility of the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates which has interests in two offshore blocks in Ras al Khaimah as well as holding interests in exploration blocks in East Africa and Egypt, including the East Pande block in Mainland Tanzania.”
“The Pemba-Zanzibar block has a proven hydrocarbon system, as evidenced by the Tundaua oil seep on Pemba Island and oil shows in previous exploration wells. Multiple source rocks and petroleum reservoirs are anticipated and numerous prospects have been mapped,” Antrim said then.
Upon the signing of the PSA five years ago, Ras Al Khaimah Company established a subsidiary called RAK Gas Zanzibar on the Isles to meet legal requirements.
Other supporting firms are the UK’s Bell Geospace Enterprises Company Ltd, which conducted the aerial survey beginning early last year, and Brunswick Zanzibar Ltd.
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Tanzania Confirms Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease
Dodoma — Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.
President of the Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, made the announcement during a press briefing alongside World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.
“Laboratory tests conducted in Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”
A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo and Muleba districts in Kagera.
“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease,” said H.E President Hassan.
WHO is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.”
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.
“The declaration by the president and the measures being taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,”
Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67%.
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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.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
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