Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Monday, November 1, 2021.

Samia holds talks with UK trade envoy to Tanzania

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday met and held talks with the UK Trade Envoy to Tanzania Lord John Walney on the sidelines of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) whereby the two discussed ways through which the UK and Tanzania can improve their trade and investment cooperation.

President Samia is attending COP26 that is taking place in the Scottish capital of Glasgow where she is expected to address world leaders who have gathered there to find sustainable ways to mitigate the effects of climate change.

According to a statement released by the Director of Presidential Communications Mr Jaffar Haniu on Monday, President Samia pointed out during her meeting with Lord Walney that the UK and Tanzania have continued to enjoy long-standing business relations, noting that the UK is among the largest investors in Tanzania.  

According to the Tanzania Investment Centre, the UK is the number one investor in Tanzania with a 35 per cent share of foreign direct investment. UK companies invested around Sh8.4 trillion (about $5.1 billion in Tanzania from 1990 to June 2013, creating a total of 271,000 jobs – almost four times as many as any other investor.

Bilateral trade between the two nations was worth Sh561 billion (about$340 million. British firms play an important role in all the major sectors in Tanzania including energy, communications, construction, banking, agriculture, and the nascent oil and gas sector, where the British company BG Group alone has invested in excess of Sh1.6 trillion (about $1 billion)

“With the assistance of the Special Envoy, more business opportunities are expected to open up and further strengthen the existing cooperation,” President Samia was quoted as saying.

Lord Walney pointed out that the goal of meeting with President Samia focused on introducing himself, as Tanzania’s important link with the UK in trade, investment and tourism.

He revealed that the meeting equipped him with knowledge on the various priorities set by the government of Tanzania and eased his task of promoting trade and investment, pointing out that the information has better positioned him to encourage more UK business people to invest in Tanzania’s trade and tourism sectors.

Mwinyi urges African governments to implement African Court decisions

Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi has urged African governments to avoid disobeying the decisions made by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR), warning that doing so risk making the international court both toothless and useless, the government-owned Daily News newspaper reported Monday.

Dr Mwinyi gave the warning during a special African Court conference that commenced on Monday in Tanzania’s commercial capital of Dar es Salaam. The conference is drawing its participants from high-ranking judicial officers from various countries who will be deliberating, among other things, on the impacts related to the lack of implementation of the Arusha-based court.

“A court, whose decisions are not implemented, loses its credibility and legitimacy,” Dr Mwinyi noted during his inaugural speech read on his behalf by Zanzibar Minister of State, President’s Office (Constitution, Legal Affairs, Civil Services and Good Governance), Mr Haroun Ali Suleiman. “I reiterate my belief that the court was a very useful addition to the African Human Rights System and it would be self-defeating to allow this court to fail due to States’ failure to implement its decisions.”

Established in accordance with Article 1 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which came into force on January 25, 2004, the African Court works to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights in Africa.

According to Lillan Chenwi, Professor of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, the African Court has “a serious non-compliance crisis.” Writing in The Conversation, Prof Chenwi argues that about 75 per cent of African governments do not comply with the court’s decisions, with the court lacking built-in consequences in its protocol. Only one country – Burkina Faso – has fully complied with the court’s judgments.

As for Tanzania particularly, Prof Chenwi says that the East African nation has complied with only some aspects of decisions, and ignored other aspects. What’s worse, on November 21, 2019, Tanzania withdrew its declaration allowing individuals and non-governmental organisations to file cases against it at the court, generating widespread criticisms from human rights activists.

“The African Court is our own institution,” the Daily News quoted President Mwinyi as saying. “It is in the interest of us all, to ensure this institution does not fail to meet its objectives. There is no gain for Africa if the court becomes a failure or institution that does not practically contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights across Africa.”

USAID launches over Sh70billion conservation project

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday launched a Sh70.2 billion (about $30.5 million), five-year conservation project to address the dynamics that threaten wildlife movement and the long-term preservation of biodiversity in Tanzania, a statement released Monday by the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam said.

Called USAID Tuhifadhi Maliasili (“Preserve Natural Resources”), the project will be implemented by a North Carolina-based non-profit research institute called Research Triangle Institute International.

The project was launched against the background of reports that indicate that in the past few decades, Tanzania has lost at least one-third of its ecosystems and seen its number of threatened species triple.

In addition, approximately 25 per cent of the East African nation’s foreign income comes directly from tourism—the majority of which is wildlife-based. At the current rate of species decline, reports say that the impact on economic stability is expected to be significant.

“At the current rate of species decline, Tanzania is on track to lose a significant amount of tourism, which would have major economic ramifications,” Kate Somvongsiri, USAID Tanzania Mission Director, said in a statement. “Although we cannot reverse previous damage to wildlife and natural resources, moving forward, USAID Tuhifadhi Maliasili will foster sustainable management at the community and national level.”

Tuhifadhi Maliasili is expected to engage and empower women and youth at the local and national levels by encouraging them to participate in decision-making processes, assume leadership roles and take ownership over surrounding natural resources.

“Activities like Tuhifadhi Maliasili are essential in preventing the worst-case climate scenarios,” Somvongsiri added. “Climate change is not just an existential threat, it is currently threatening development progress and exacerbating global inequities; increasing water and food scarcity, the need for humanitarian assistance, and displacement; and contributing to conflict.”

Tanzania receives half a million Sinopharm vaccines

The government Monday received the third batch of Sinopharm vaccines from China on Monday. Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima received the 500,000 doses at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.

A total of 250,000 citizens are expected to be protected against the novel coronavirus through the vaccines, according to Dr Gwajima who told journalists that the vaccines have been proven to be effective and safe by Tanzanian specialists and agencies. 

“Today we are receiving 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines from the government of China for continuing to provide to the citizens with another type of vaccine against Covid -19,” Dr Gwajima was quoted as saying. “This will give citizens the opportunity to choose the vaccine they want.”

The government has so far received 1,058,400 Johnson and Johnson vaccines and another 1,065,600 doses of Sinopharm from the Covax facility, with Dr Gwajima saying that to date, statistics show that the government has vaccinated a total of 972,476 citizens with the Janssen vaccine, which is an equivalent to 91.9 per cent, according to her.

“In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to say that the Janssen vaccines are over since October 19, 2021, and we are now continuing to provide the Sinopharm vaccine,” said Dr Gwajima.

She added that according to figures as of October 31, 2021, the total number of Tanzanians who had received the Sinopharm vaccine is 88,546, which is equivalent to 8.3 per cent of the 1,065,600 doses.

According to the government, regions that have had a high uptake of the jabs are Ruvuma, Mbeya, Mtwara, Dodoma and Kagera.

Get to know what happened during Mr Mbowe’s case

The case involving CHADEMA Chairpeson Freeman Mbowe and his co-accused Halfan Bwire Hassan, Adam Hassan Kasekwa, Mohamed Abdilahi Lingwenya has continued on November 1,2021 with the fourth prosecution witness on the stand. This was the person who had witnessed the arrest of Adam Hassan Kasekwa and Mohamed Abdilahi, in the previous stand both Adam and Mohamed claimed to have been abused during the arrests and that gun and drugs were planted on them and some of their cash was taken.

The Chanzo was at the High Court’s Corruption and Economic Crimes Division where the case is being heard and succeeded at preparing this dossier.

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