Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.

Tanzania to establish vaccine-manufacturing plant

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday announced her government’s plan to build a COVID-19 manufacturing plant in Tanzania as part of the sixth phase government’s efforts to fight against the global pandemic and other diseases.

According to a statement released by the director of presidential communications Zuhura Yunus, President Samia revealed the plan to the President of the European Council Mr Charles Michel where she stressed her government’s ambition to make Tanzania a leading exporter of life-saving vaccines in the region.

“Tanzania wishes to submit a proposal on the same and I’m looking forward to the facilitation of this idea into a fruitful project,” the Head of State, who is currently in Beligium on Michel’s invitation, remarked. “I trust this plan, when implemented, will open new avenues to deepen our ties.”

Samia said that Tanzania is expected to spend up to Sh216 billion by 2030 importing vaccines into the country, a cost she thinks can be avoided if the East African nation produces its own vaccines.

The statement, however, does not feature Mr Michel’s response to President Samia’s proposal for the plant.

USAID releases additional $4 million to support refugees fleeing from Burundi, DRC

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said Tuesday that it is providing $4 million in additional humanitarian assistance to respond to the needs of refugees who have fled to Tanzania from neighbouring Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to instability and violence.

According to USAID, the assistance will help the agency’s partner the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide cereals to refugees in Tanzania.

“With USAID support, WFP reaches 235,000 refugees in Tanzania with monthly food distributions, including cereals, pulses, fortified vegetable oil, and salt,” the organisation said in a statement. “WFP also provides vital nutrition assistance to children and pregnant and lactating women to prevent and treat malnutrition.”

USAID said that the United States remains committed to supporting the people of Tanzania and the refugees sheltering there.

Minister reveals measures Tanzania takes to address hiked prices of fertilizers

Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe told the parliament on Monday that the government is taking measures aimed at addressing rising prices of fertilizers caused by challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bashe revealed the government’s initiatives to control hiked prices of fertilizers when responding to Special Seats MP Jacqueline Ngonyani who wanted to know what the government was doing to control the prices that affected farmers in the East African nation.

The government’s short and long term measures include ensuring that ports in the country give priority in offloading fertilizer cargo and reducing port charges for fertilizers.

Bashe said other measures include the use of rail to transport fertilizers, and encouraging the use of alternative fertilizers and allowing competition in the importation of fertilizers.

He told the House that long-term measures include encouraging more investment in fertilizers industries.

The minister said the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed prices of the product in the global market. 

Zanzibar puts nine more islets up for grabs by investors

The Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) has announced that it was putting nine more islets located in the archipelago up for grabs by investors who seek to invest in the much-touted blue economy. 

ZIPA Executive Director Shariff Shariff was quoted as saying that the latest development follows an “overwhelming response” to the government’s decision to open up ten smaller islands for high-end development and investment opportunities last year.

Shariff said the public and investors responded “magnificently” to the initial islet offering, prompting the decision to launch phase two of the programme in 2022.

“We are seeking to further increase the diversification of our blue-economy policy by attracting high-end investment,” he said. “Small islands surrounding Zanzibar are major assets with huge win-win potential.”

As with the first phase, potential investors are asked to submit proposals to develop, operate and manage the next nine islands or plots of land thereon under a long-term lease.

The islands are located in South Unguja, North Unguja, South Pemba and North Pemba, and include Sume, Popo, Miwi, Jombe, Kwata, Kashani, Fundo (200 hectares), Njao (200 hectares) and Matumbini (200 hectares).

The islands, which are able to be accessed all year-round by boat, are ideally suited to investment projects such as tourist attractions, fishing hubs, exhibition centres, recreational activities and the establishment of ICT and agricultural hubs.

This is it for today and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see below) or following us on Twitter (here) as that is the best way to make sure you do not miss any of these briefings.  And in case you have any questions or comments, please consider dropping a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.