BBC TANZANIA News: In Summary
• The process of awarding the tender to DNATA was not “transparent, and due process was not followed and it was conducted against the law”, the statement said.
• The new operator officially starts operations at the terminal from 1 December, which was built at a cost of $120m (£101m).
- The stand-off is expected to dominate politics in the island of Zanzibar.
Zanzibar airport operators furious over job losses in Dubai deal
Tanzania air operators say over 600 workers are set to lose their jobs after the semi-autonomous government of Zanzibar awarded a Dubai-based company exclusive rights to handle ground services at a refurbished airport.
The Tanzania Air Operators Association (Taoa) said in a statement that the contract awarded to DNATA, which is registered at the London Stock Exchange, was in breach of the law banning any company from having exclusive rights to ground-handling services at major airports.
The process of awarding the tender to Dnata was not “transparent, and due process was not followed and it was conducted against the law”, the statement said.
Zanzibar’s President Hussein Mwinyi defended the government’s decision, saying the aim was “to provide world-class standards” at the new terminal at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
The new operator officially starts operations at the terminal from 1 December, which was built at a cost of $120m (£101m).
The expansion aims at increasing the number of passengers at the airport can handle from just under a million per year to 1.5 million, according to earlier reports by the government.
Tourism is the main source of income for Zanzibar and airline industry is a major stakeholder.
The stand-off is expected to dominate politics in the island.
See also:
- Muslims in Pemba conduct special prayer against ZAA decision
- Zanzibar Airport Authority to audit ground handlers
- Zanzibar airport monopoly puts 600 jobs at risk
- Ground handlers at Zanzibar airport given two months to vacate terminal 3
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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
