Browsing: Indian Ocean

• In May, Tanzania took a bold but risky step by banning fishing on Lake Tanganyika for three months.
• In the Lake Victoria fishing zone, a new challenge, the smuggling of fish maws, is denying the government revenues.
• Statistics show that Tanzania is also experiencing reduced volumes of Nile Perch caught in Lake Victoria.

Tanzania’s water bodies alone hold plenty of economic activity potential, including the opportunity to harness the country’s billion-dollar fishing industry.

Records from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries show that the industry employs nearly 200,000 people directly. Another 4.5 million individuals benefit from the fishing industry’s value chain in Tanzania.

Tanzania’s fishing industry share of GDP

Tanzania’s fisheries contributed 1.8 per cent to the GDP last year and expanded by at least 2.5 per cent. The sector, despite displaying plenty of potential for creating jobs and powering the economy is facing a myriad of challenges. From Tanzania’s …

As a high-risk area, Kenya was paying billions to shipping lines for insurance of their goods.

But there is a break. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has removed the Indian Ocean from the list of High-Risk Areas (HRA) giving a major boost to trade for Kenya and the wider Eastern African region.

The decision was communicated during the 106th session of the Maritime Safety Committee at the International Maritime Organization in London. This is the UN agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping, by the Best Management Practice (BMP-5). It consists of the five largest global shipping industry associations.

BMP-5 looks to deter piracy and enhance maritime security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.…

Tanzania is also party to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) agreement that requires countries not only to take all necessary actions to prevent and even end illegal fishing activities in the Indian Ocean but to also report all such activities.

Similarly, Tanzania is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the FAO’s Code of Conducts for Responsible Fisheries as well as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

However, even with all these goodwill memberships, the country still underperforms in the fishing sphere and even with environmental concerns in mind, the country needs to increase foreign (and domestic) investment in the sector.…

Sub-Saharan Africa region could see a GDP growth of2 per cent with improved port performance…

Tanzania is blessed with plenty of water bodies, from the vital Ruvu, and the Indian Ocean to the great lakes—Tanganyika and Victoria. These rich water-bodies have also served the nation of more than 55 million a rich blend of aquatic organisms for dietary and business needs. 

Aquaculture is taking new ground in Tanzania, and more young people are taking an interest in it. Aqua-Farms Organization (AFO), a local fishery NGO based in Dar es Salaam, is one of the platforms utilizing aquatic resources for possible business and professional opportunities. 

As the window of job opportunities gets slimmer, organizations such as AFO with a human capital of more than 20 youth, provide a decent and interesting line of a career that caters for multiple demands across communities, economic and health factors being the top priorities. 

READ:Tanzania set to import fishing gears after change of heart

The fisheries

Kenya and Somalia have agreed to normalise bilateral relations starting with the restoration of the issuance of travel visas on arrival arrangement for citizens of the two nations.

The restoration of the visa on arrival arrangement is aimed at enhancing free and unhindered movement of people and commerce between Kenya and Somalia.

READ ALSO:Is oil wealth pitting Kenya against Somalia?

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of the Federal Republic of Somalia on the sidelines of the just concluded Nairobi ICPD25 summit.

During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the invaluable relations that exist between Kenya and Somalia and agreed to explore avenues of strengthening bilateral and diplomatic ties between Nairobi and Mogadishu for the benefit of the citizens of the two nations.

President Mohamed conveyed his gratitude to President Kenyatta for the role Kenya continues to play in the …