Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Workers expected pay rise during May Day. They received promises
Public service workers on Sunday had few reasons to smile after their hopes for a pay rise during May Day became futile when President Samia Suluhu Hassan decided to make promises instead of announcing a pay rise.
During the May Day celebrations on Sunday, which at the national level took place in the capital Dodoma, the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) Hery Mkunda asked the Head of State to upgrade the minimum wage for public servants from the current Sh315,000 to Sh1,010,000.
Mr Mkunda said that the cost of lives has skyrocketed to the extent that the current minimum wage does not allow a public servant to lead a decent life, pleading for an increase that would allow workers to take good care of themselves and their dependents.
“TUCTA is proposing that the minimum wage should be at least Sh1,010,000 per month, if possible,” said Mr Mkunda. “We will be very grateful.”
President Samia said that she strongly agrees with Mr Mkunda that the current amount of salaries do not meet the needs of the workers and their families, especially in times like these when the cost of living has gone up.
However, she fell short of announcing an increase. The Head of State, however, made this promise: “We will increase the salaries. Brothers and sisters, this matter is being considered [but] not at the amount proposed by TUCTA because you know our economic situation and that of the world. The situation is not that good, our economy extremely declined.”
Tanzania expects Sh460 loan from World Bank
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Planning Mr Emmanuel Tatuba said over the weekend that the government is expecting an Sh460 billion loan from the World Bank that will be used to fund various development projects in Tanzania.
Speaking with the government-owned Daily News newspaper, Mr Tatuba said the agreement follows his meeting with the bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Vice-President for Africa Sérgio Pimenta in Washington DC recently.
“The government has already submitted to the IFC proposals for various development projects such as the construction of the four-lane highway from Dar es Salaam- to Dodoma, construction of a hotel and modern shops at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) as well as ICT infrastructures that the government want to be implemented under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP),” the paper quoted Mr Tutuba as saying.
Mr Tatuba noted that the WB funding will support the implementation of the Third National Five-Year Development Plan, worth Sh114.8 trillion, whose 40 per cent of its implementation (about Sh40.6 trillion), has to be undertaken by the private sector.
The remaining 60 per cent (Sh74.2 trillion) has to be carried out by the government.
Tanzania: Campaign to develop healthier diets, good nutrition practices launched
The government in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through the European Union-funded AGRI-CONNECT flagship programme, have launched a national nutrition campaign to develop healthy eating habits in Tanzania based on locally available foods.
The campaign was launched at the Kisutu Central Market in Dar es Salaam on Sunday and was attended by a diverse group of experts and stakeholders.
With its Lishe Bora ni Mtaji (Good Nutrition is an Investment) slogan, the national nutrition campaign will include activities such as cooking programs, dala dala (minibus) nutrition education tours, training for female youth, and the establishment of msosi asilia (traditional food sites).
Over the course of two years, it is expected to reach 32 million people via traditional and social media platforms.
“Agriculture and nutrition are two sides of the same coin, and we must improve our respective food systems to meet the nutrition needs of the world’s rapidly growing population,” said Mr Lamine Diallo, Head of Natural Resources at the European Delegation in Tanzania.
“Tanzania can address the high rate of malnutrition in several regions if takes full advantage of its significant agricultural potential. We sincerely hope that this campaign, combined with other AGRI-CONNECT activities, will mobilise all partners and contribute to the improvement of people’s health and wealth” he said.
Dr Nyabenyi Tipo, FAO Representative in Tanzania emphasized that as the global pandemic continues, the importance of healthy diets in mitigating its effects has never been more important.
“A shift in societal practices regarding food production, consumption, and market access would increase access to food, boost body immunity, and provide smallholder farmers with an income,” Dr Tipo said.
The FAO-led programme titled “Building Resilience of Agri-Food Systems and Better Nutrition in the Context of the Global Pandemic” is the fourth component of the “AGRICONNECT- Supporting Value Chains for Shared Prosperity” project which focuses mainly on nutrition and establishing systems to help absorb pandemic-like shocks to food and market accessibility.
Dr Honest Kessy is the Director of National Food Security at the Ministry of Agriculture who noted that reducing malnutrition in Tanzania is a government priority, saying the campaign comes at the right time as the world grapples to contain the COVID19 pandemic.
“We have strengthened our nutrition leadership by encouraging more investment in agriculture, food production, and nutrition education to increase the availability and accessibility of healthy diets through improved agricultural productivity and a better understanding of the importance of healthy diets in preventing nutritional disorders and improving body immunity,” Dr Kessy said.
New bus fares announced as hardship bites
The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) on Saturday announced new transport fares for both daladala, regional and buses going to neighbouring countries effective from May 14, 2022, as the nation continues to brace for the Ukrainian war-induced effects.
Makini the announcement in Dar es Salaam, LATRA Director-General Mr Gilliard Ngewe said for buses (daladala) that travel from 0-10 Kilometer the fare will be Sh500 instead of Sh400 and the fare of Sh450 will be Sh550, which is an increase of Sh100.
For buses that travel 30 km the fare will be Sh850 instead of Sh750, and for 35 km fare will be Sh1,000 while for 40 km fare will be Sh1,100.
“As for buses going to the regions, standard class buses for one km the fare has increased by 11 per cent which is from Sh36 to Sh41 and as for the middle class it has increased by 6 per cent from Sh53 to Sh56.88,” Mr Ngewe said
Equally, he said that the new fares for buses travelling to the regions and neighbouring countries have increased by 11.92 per cent for standard class buses and for the middle class it has increased by 6.88 per cent.
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