Browsing: Samia Suluhu

• Tanzania has offered the Uganda National Oil Company (Unoc) to use the Dar es Salaam port for oil importation.
• This presents a strategic alternative amid the ongoing importation stalemate between Uganda and Kenya.
• The legal dispute between Uganda and Kenya over oil importation policies is pending before the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), with indications that Uganda may withdraw the case.

Tanzania has stepped forward with an enticing proposition that Kampala finds hard to ignore, especially regarding the ongoing deadlock in Nairobi-Kampala oil imports.

Tanzania has extended an offer to the Uganda National Oil Company (Unoc) to utilise the Dar es Salaam port for its fuel importation needs. This development comes as Uganda explores alternatives in response to Kenya’s steadfast position on Kampala’s oil importation demands.

Uganda’s grievance at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) remains pending amid these unfolding events, casting a shadow of uncertainty over …

• Tanzania hosts World Bank Group Human Capital Project (HCP)
• President Samia announces national efforts to increase youth employment
• Africa suffers the lowest learning poverty in the world

It is now three years since the World Bank Group launched the Human Capital Project (HCP) in 2018, and Tanzania is making the best of the initiative.

Let’s first look at the World Bank Group’s intentions under the Human Capital Project (HCP) and then see how Tanzania intends to lead the rest of Africa in the implementation of the project. The HCP is a global effort to “accelerate more and better investments in people for greater equity and economic growth.”

The HCP is an initiative by the World Bank to help countries increase employment and employability of their workforce.

Since its launch in 2018, the initiative now has some 87 members. On July 25, Tanzania hosted the launch of the Africa Heads of …

• Microbe animal feed supplement doubles milk production in 24hrs
• Bacterial solution solves aflatoxin problem in animal feed
• Tanzania dairy industry to benefit from Kenyan feed supplement

Kenyan dairy farming scientists have developed a molasses-based animal feed supplement that is capable of doubling milk production in just 24 hours.

Using naturally occurring microbes, scientists have figured a way to ‘pre-ferment’ or ‘pre-digest’ animal feed which in turn allows for the cow’s body to easily and quickly absorb nutrients and in turn produce more milk much faster.

Cows, like most other ruminant herbivores, do not have the time to properly chew their feed in the field, this could be a natural self-preservation adaptation i.e. quickly collect the feed when in a hazardous environment filled with predators and only process it later in the safety of their resting places.

Grass is stored in one of the four chambers (four stomachs) before being regurgitated …

• US President Biden supports an African permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
• Vice President Harris’ visit to pave way for Biden Africa tour later this year
• US increased investment in Africa,still lags behind China

The United States Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to land in Africa this week where she will tour at least three countries. Her itinerary includes Ghana on March 26, then Tanzania on March 29, and finally Zambia on March 31.

This trip paves the way for the even more anticipated visit by President Joe Biden, as promised at the US-Africa Summit held in Washington in December 2022.

A little over a decade ago, former US president Barack Obama showed America’s commitment to Africa’s growth through wide-ranging programmes and initiatives that aimed at cementing the US-Africa relations. But Donald Trump’s lukewarm relationship with Africa and the continuous rise of China’s influence has made the US …

• Tanzania inflation hits five year high
• Zanzibar bans export of food commodoties ahead of Holy Month
• China reopens market, expected to speed global recovery

Tanzania’s annual inflation rate has hit its highest point in five years clocking 4.9% in January 2023 and at the close of February the rate was no better.

According to the Tanzania Central Bank The Bank of Tanzania (BoT), the prices of food & non-alcoholic beverages went up by 9.9% up from 9.7% in December of last year.

The BoT monthly economic update report showed similar increase in prices across all sectors and indicator that the cost of living in Tanzania has increased drastically. Wit no matching increase in income, this means that the burden of acquiring daily basic needs like food has become worse for Tanzanians.

With percentages in the brackets here are how several sectors are suffering from price increase in Tanzania: Transportation (6.2% …

• The DRC is viewed as a most promising member of the regional bloc offering a market of over 96 million people.
• DRC is also rich in many coveted minerals such as cobalt and Nickel, gold, and diamonds, which has caused a long-standing conflict.
• The EAC peace forces in the DRC were sent in early last year to restore peace and stability in the region.

The East Africa Community (EAC) has been touted as a model for regional economic blocs in Africa but the tension between Rwanda and the bloc’s newest member, DRC, is threatening to derail the region’s social and economic integration.   

The two neighboring countries have had a dicey relationship in the recent past with the largest country of the EAC, the DRC, accusing the smallest country in the region, Rwanda, of supporting rebels within its borders.

The DRC is viewed as a most promising member of the regional …

• Tanzania launches Youth Guarantee Scheme and Loan Facility
• Special scheme to give 11,000 acres to its youth for agriculture
• Youth empowerment initiative to be overseen by the Agricultural Input Trust Fund

Tanzania is giving land to the youth to boost agricultural productivity and create employment. 

While speaking at the Africa Food Summit in Dakar, Senegal, Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced that the state will give 11,000 acres to it’s youth for agricultural production. 

Suluhu explained that the decision is part of the country’s ‘Building a Better Tommorrow’ (BBT) initiative. Through a special programme, the Tanzanian government has announced that it will give qualifying youth access to land ownership as part of the country’s ongoing initiative to secure economic empowerment for its youth, the largest part of its population.

The move is part of an ongoing national agricultural development initiative that is meant to develop the sector for economic empowerment. …

• The increased credit to the private sector is associated with positive growth-focused policies.
• The data shows that there was robust private credit growth except for the tourism industry which is still coming out of the post-pandemic period.  
• Overall lending rates dropped slightly from 16.8 percent in August 2021 to 16.1 percent in August last year. 

Tanzania is pushing for private sector growth evident in increased credit to the private sector, according to the World Bank.

In the most recent World Bank report on Tanzania’s Economic Update, the growth rate of credit to the private sector increased from 3.2 percent in August 2021 to 20.7 percent in August 2022 and is expected to grow further this year.

The increased credit to the private sector is associated with positive growth-focused policies designed to support private sector recovery in a post-pandemic and slowing global global growth environment.

The development comes as the country …

• The move makes Tanzania among the first seven African countries to start making the best of the single African market.
• Tanzania plans to export no less than 10 different products under the AfCFTA deal starting with coffee and marble.
• The AfCFTA Secretary General is confident that the deal will result in higher paying jobs and also sees the deal favouring women who are expected to get the larger portion of wage gains.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is at the centre of discussion again as African Heads of State and Government meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for two days to iron out the complexities of the Africa-wide trade zone.

The focus of the summit is on the intra-Africa trade going by the theme; The Year of AfCFTA: ‘Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.’

At the 36th ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, President Samia Suluhu …

While ties with Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania are growing with the recent signing of agreements to end double taxation, among other deals, authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently announced a Dubai visa ban on 20 African countries.

They include Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros and the Dominican Republic.

“Any applications from the above-mentioned countries will be sent back or cancelled,” the UAE authorities warned trade partner authorities along with travel agents, urging them to reject all related applications.

The reason given for the ban is increased visa term violations by persons from the said countries. The UAE authorities explained that persons from these countries are using 30-day visas to Dubai to stay and work in the country illegally.…