The AfricaNews articles of angelnavuri
Tanzania among top 10 in Mo Ibrahim index
Tanzania has entered into top 10 ranked countries on the continent for this year's Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance-2012 IIAG, revealing overall positive trends in governance on the continent. - The sixth IIAG pre-results which was released earlier this week, reveals that Tanzania came 2nd out of 11 countries in East Africa, and 10th out of 52 overall.
This is the first time for Tanzania to enter into such position since the establishment of IIAG awards in 2007.
“The 2012 IIAG provides full details of Tanzania’s performance across four categories of governance: Safety & Rule of Law, Participation & Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human …Tanzania: Farmers cautioned on counterfeit agro-inputs
Unscrupulous traders are reportedly colluding with importers and distributors in selling counterfeit fertilisers to farmers. A recent report commissioned by the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT) has discovered that poor governance and lack of transparency impact negatively on the country's agro-inputs subsidy scheme. - Recent media reports from Sumbawanga and neighbouring districts in Rukwa region have revealed that over 10,000 50-kilogram cement bags of counterfeit fertilisers were sold to farmers. The reports had it that unscrupulous businessmen repacked Minjingu fertiliser into phosphate ‘DAP’ bags.
The demand for DAP fertiliser in the area is high and the input …Tanzania: Laxity in weights, measures control
The Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (TCCIA) in Iringa region with the financial support from the Business Environment Strengthening for Tanzania - Advocacy Component (BEST-AC) has been implementing a project on enforcement of weights and measures' legislation in the region in two phases since 2006. - The Impact Assessment Study (IAS) has been commissioned to Match Maker Associates Ltd. This article gives you some study outcomes. Read on…
THE project focused on farmers, village leaders and traders’ limited understanding of unfair practices, and their limited awareness of the existence of regulations on weights and measures.
TCCIA – Iringa …Tanzania: New initiative to transform dairy sector
A closer look at the development of the dairy sector in the country calls for more coherent and focused interventions. Development interventions should be aimed at addressing both technological gaps and marketing problems, especially at the farm level, reveals Tanzania Milk Producers' Association (TAMPA) Chief Executive Officer Edmund Mariki. - “If appropriate producer price incentives are in place and input markets are allowed to operate freely, dairy production may respond positively,” Mariki says. He explains that a long-term solution calls for practical involvement of the government in terms of new governance and policy support. Stakeholders, associations, donors, farmer…Tanzania exporters call for new fund
The Tanzania Exporters Association (TANEXA) has proposed the establishment of the Tanzania Credit Guarantee Fund (TCGF) as a source of finance to boost the efforts of local producers and exporters. The proposal to form the TCGF, according to TANEXA, is crucial due to the current shortcomings in the Export Credit Guarantee Scheme (ECGS) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Credit Guarantee Scheme (SME-CGS). - Tanzanian exporters and producers of export commodities believe that the performance of the two schemes will improve tremendously if a legal separate entity with a clear mission and strategy is established.
The proposal to create the Fund follows a study on the utilisation of the two …Hunger paralyses school performance in Tanzania
Lack of school feeding programmes to cater for the more than 100 primary schools in the coastal district of Bagamoyo is hampering the performance of pupils as they go hungry all day. A survey conducted in the district with support of Hakielimu reveals that many pupils complain of missing such an opportunity, forcing them to go home for lunch and thereby wasting a lot of valuable study time on the way. - Bagamoyo District Executive Director Samuel Silamba says his council plans to discuss the matter at a meeting to be convened soon.
“I can’t give details on the problem because most of my colleagues are attending another meeting for two weeks. They are going through Standard Fou…Tanzanian industries move to salvage economy
The Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) has called upon the government to speed up implementation of the projects earmarked to address the ongoing power problem. The CTI believes this will save billions currently being lost as a result of unreliable power supply. - The call is contained in a set of recommendations put forward by the CTI in its July 2011 report entitled: “Challenges of Unreliable Electric Power Supply to Manufacturers in Tanzania” supported by Business Environment Strengthening for Tanzania (BEST –AC) The report is a policy research paper submitted to energy sector stakeholders, which focuses on advocacy for ensured reliable electricity supply to manu…Tanzania’s Clove industry under scrutiny
After over four decades of decline and stagnation, clove - Zanzibar's backbone sector - is back with a price bang and renewed advocacy. But Clove growers are sceptical about the current regeneration path taken by the government and its agencies in an effort to bring back to new life the clove industry in Zanzibar. - The farmers feel that focusing just on few issues like price to revive such a huge industry won’t help a great deal.
The growers, through their club, the Zanzibar Clove Growers Organisation (Zacpo), want authorities to do more, in terms of policy as well as law reforms, to fully regenerate the Isles backbone sector.
In its final Clove Advocacy Report compiled by…Tanzania dairy sector in the doldrums
The Tanzanian dairy sector, which is currently grappling with myriad of setbacks, including economic losses due to lack of competitiveness, has a long way to go in achieving better performance today and in the future. This requires reforms geared to give it a new life. Policy and law reforms are particularly crucial, as the following study indicates. -
Daunting task ahead
Reviving the dairy industry against the backlog of poor management which has resulted into the decline in the competitiveness as well as great losses in revenues and jobs, is a daunting task.
The Tanzania Milk Processing Association (Tampa) has conducted a detailed study with the support of the Business Environment…TANZANIA: Rice farmers blamed for power crisis
Rice farmers in the Ruaha River Basin of Tanzania have been blamed for the ongoing power crisis that is threatening to bring the country to its knees. As officials engage in the blame game over who is responsibility for the darkness, the Principal Engineer of Mtera Dam, Julius Chomolla, claims the farmers are sabotaging the nation. - “The rice farmers have contributed to the power crisis. They have blocked and diverted large amounts of water upstream which has reduced the volume and speed of water flowing into the dam,” he explained.
Furthermore, he said, the low water inflows into the Mtera dam also has a crippling effect on the Kidatu Dam situated further downstream. The en…TANZANIA: Making a case for HIV kids
Anita Michael, a resident of Moshi in Tanzania is HIV positive. She was put on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment while pregnant to help lower the viral load in her body. After birth, her daughter Benedetta was also given ARV medication specifically formulated for infants. She was tested periodically until she was one-and-half years old. - Today, Benedetta is six years old and HIV positive. She enjoys all subjects in school and her favorite sport is football.
Anita and her husband hope to have another child and are working closely with their physician to get a negative child.
Anita narrated her story during the Child Camp for HIV positive from around the southern Africa country that was…TANZANIA: 35, 000 condoms to be distributed at agric show
Thirty-five thousand condoms will be distributed at the International Agriculture Show in Tanzania from August 1, according to officials. The birth and sexually transmitted disease control product will be given gratis to the public or sold at highly subsidized rate. - The public relations and communications manager of T-Marc, Maurice Chirimi, said the two brand names of the not-for-profit company, ‘Lady Pepeta’ and ‘Dume’ for women and men respectively will be distributed throughout the 10-day show.
“We expect to distribute 4,100 Lady Pepeta condoms and 20,000 Dume condoms free of charge during the entire period of the agriculture show,” said Chirimi. T…TANZANIA: Meat export to grow
Southern African country Tanzania is expanding its meat exports to neighboring countries of Kenya and Comoros, the Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and Marketing Lazaro Nyalandu told African News. This will enable the country take advantage of its large herd of cattle, whose commercial potential is currently under exploited. - “We are now involved in aspect of trading meat export to Kenya and Comoros where as there is a numerous aspect that the ministry will play the key function across the economy,” said Nyalandu.
According to Nyalandu, meat processing is also part of industries of which the government is working on a policy that will add value addition to foods, meat or …TANZANIA: Double taxation hampers sunflower business
Double taxation is likely to slow down sunflower production in Tanzania if the current trend continues. Farmers are paying more than necessary, making the price of the commodity higher than the market price. There is need to shift some burden to other players along the value chain namely agro-processors and consumers. - A survey carried out by the Guardian and sponsored by PANOS Eastern Africa on the theme, “Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth,” found that in Kondowa and Kongwa in Dodoma region, sunflower farmers are heavily taxed at different levels forcing them to shift the burden to buyers (agro-processors) in terms of higher prices, who in turn pass the burden on to the fin…TANZANIA: Early pregnancy, bane to education
Josephine is only 19 years old, but she has already started taking contraceptives as a means of preventing unwanted pregnancy as she stays in same rented room with a male student. She has been forced to resort to this precarious situation due to lack of money that has also affected her academic performance drastically. - “This is my second year since I started taking contraceptives and it’s because I don’t want to get pregnant while I am still in school and I have rented a room because my home is far, but am staying with my boyfriend who is also schooling here in form three, the situation affects my studies, but I had no choice because my parents are poor they can only offe…TANZANIA: Abortion business skyrocketing
Most private and some public dispensaries, health centres and hospitals camouflaged as family health planning units are centres for performing abortions in Tanzania. A survey carried out over the last two weeks has revealed shocking statistics on health facilities engaged in abortions. - A clinic in the city (name withheld) performs as many as 40 abortions per month, raising questions on safety and the health risks posed to their clients.
The Executive Director of Muhimbili National Hospital, Prof Leonard Lema, said that the institution does not perform abortions, but is forced to save the lives of the victims who are rushed to the hospital in critical state after bleeding seriously from …TANZANIA: "Infants born with HIV can be reduced"
The HIV prevalence rate in Tanzania is 5.7 per cent with over 1.4 million people living with the virus - over half of whom are women. But one person with over eight years experience of fighting the scourge in Tanzania believes the large number of infants being born HIV positive can be reduced in the east-central African country. - Charles Lyons, President of the Washington-based Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF), says in the United States very few infants are born HIV + because of interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
“I know that this success is possible to replicate around the globe, including Tanzania,” Lyons told The Guardian.
He said b…TANZANIA: Importation of raw milk considered
In a strange twist milk processors in Tanzania are now considering to import raw milk from neighbouring Kenya and Uganda. In the recent past, foreign milk processing farms from the neighbouring countries were rather counting on Tanzania for their raw milk, but due to alleged shortage of milk local processors are considering importing raw milk into the country. - Speaking in an interview, TAN Dairies Chief Executive Officer Devangwa Mmari said that due to the shortage they have to fashion out a strategy to service the local consumers.
“Currently we are facing shortage of milk of which we have no choice than import milk from neighbouring countries which is Kenya and Uganda,” h…TANZANIA: Mad rush for AIDS herbal cure
From the few hundred meters, the dusty village of Samunge with dilapidated infrastructure, but home to a magical healer, could easily have been mistaken for Africa's biggest open market or those crowd-pulling evangelical crusades for the visitor who arrives at this village in Tanzania for the first time. - Behind this crowd, there are hundreds of vehicles in a queue, all waiting for passengers who have travelled thousands of kilometers to drink the miracle herbs from a tiny cup.
But, the tiny village was neither Africa’s biggest market nor an evangelical crusade by Reinhard Bonke, Billy Graham or Benny Inn. Inside this village lives a humble man turned ‘a celebrity’…TANZANIA: Dairy industry collapsing
The ongoing power shortage has hit dairy milk collections resulting in a loss of billions of shillings by processors and farmers, and the gradual collapse of the industry. "We are facing shortages of milk for processing because of the prevailing power shortages. We are not collecting as much milk as we used to," Tanga Fresh executive director Hussein Alnoor told our reporter. - “This is a major hindrance to the milk sector. In the collection of milk we are sometimes forced to use generators, which are not very effective as they can operate for only a few hours,” he said.
Alnoor said under the prevailing circumstances it would be impossible for milk processors to meet…TANZANIA: ARV scare raises alarm
Some men consuming anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs have developed "strange side-effects" such as growth of breasts, according to The Guardian of Tanzania. Recently, a local TV station broadcast a programme related to the "strange symptoms," on men currently under the medication designed to protect them from the negative effects of opportunistic diseases. - However, investigations have revealed that even women on ARVs are not spared the effects. The drugs are reportedly subjecting them to physical disability.
Joseph Mkanda (43), one of the victims, said he developed strange symptoms plus growing breasts after consuming the drugs. Initially, he suspected the cause to be lack…TANZANIA: Man on ARV develops abnormal breasts
Some Tanzania men on anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs have experienced abnormal breast enlargement similar to that of women. There are even cases where women taking the life prolonging drug against HIV complaining of queer side effects including becoming disabled. - Joseph Mkanda, 43, one of the victims, said he developed strange symptoms plus growing breasts after taking the drugs. Initially, he suspected the cause to be lack of a balanced diet. But he soon realised that the main problem was the type of drugs he was taking.
“I feel very much ashamed to go out of my house, because I have developed breasts like a woman. …I fear that other people would laugh at me,” he said …
