Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
India organises expo in Tanzania to expand defence footprints in Africa
India organised an expo in Dar es Salaam last week in what reports indicate is the South Asian nation’s efforts to expand its defence partnership with African nations.
The Indian High Commission in Dar es Salaam organised the Mini-DefExpo in Dar-es-Salaam, attracting over 16 Indian companies (seven from the government sector and nine from the private sector), India’s Economic Times reported.
The Indian delegation was led by Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary, Indian Ministry of Defence.
Minister of Defence of Tanzania Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax was the Chief Guest and she inaugurated the event.
During her speech, Dr Tax encouraged the Tanzania People’s Defense Force (TPDF) and Indian partners to work together with an open mind and develop partnerships.
Chief of Staff of TPDF Lt. Gen. ME Mkinguke and senior leadership of TPDF were also present, according to the Economic Times. Mkingule recollected historical relations between India and Tanzania and added that bilateral Defence cooperation has much larger potential.
The seminar was followed by one to one sessions between companies’ representatives and TPDF officers. India and Tanzania have long-standing defence cooperation in areas of trading, capacity building and equipment supply.
Recently in the first week of May Deputy NSA Vikram Misri had visited Tanzania during which he had met Defence & Foreign Ministers and TPDF officials.
Mineral exploration company Edenville Energy agrees to terminate contract with operator of Rukwa coal project
Edenville Energy PLC said Tuesday that it has agreed with Nextgen Coalmine Ltd. to terminate a contract for the operation of its Rukwa Coal Project in Tanzania.
The AIM-listed company said in a statement that it has resumed full control of the site and mining operations. All mining equipment has been brought back into service, and an additional pre-strip excavator has been added to the fleet, it said.
The company hopes to satisfy demand from local customers, targeting sales of 5,000 metric tons a month of washed coal late in the third quarter. The company believes there is sufficient demand based on its order book and discussions with potential customers to sell any coal that is produced at Rukwa.
“The agreed termination of the agreement with Nextgen will enable the company to take advantage of the recent macro changes that have made the economics of our Rukwa project considerably more attractive,” the company’s Chief Executive Alistair Muir said in a statement.
Ethiopian immigrants to South Africa through Tanzania share their plight
A new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed that the distance travelled, the multiple border crossings, the reliance on brokers and the switching of intermediaries along the way may expose Ethiopian migrants to South Africa through Tanzania to numerous protection risks.
Titled Migrating in Search of the Southern Dream: The Experiences of Ethiopian Migrants Moving Along the Southern Route, the report mentions some of the risks that include deception, exploitation, ill-treatment and even death.
“The overwhelming majority of respondents stated that they experienced severe lack of food, water or shelter (97 per cent, 369 individuals) and/or suffered abuse, violence, assault or torture (71 per cent, 270 individuals),” says the report commissioned by the Ethiopian embassy in Dar es Salaam.
Eighteen of the immigrants interviewed told IOM researchers that they have witnessed the death of fellow migrants – sometimes two or three people, and in one case, 15 out of a group of 60 people.
“Several families interviewed [for the study] confirmed having lost at least one member along the Southern Route, suggesting that this route may have become more violent, exploitative and perilous,” the report concluded.
Makumira inaugurates new program on theology, gender and leadership
Sixteen women and men from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches across Africa have begun training as part of a new gender justice program established in memory of the pioneering Malagasy theologian Hélène Ralivao, the Lutheran World reported Tuesday.
The Theology, Gender Justice and Leadership Education (TGLE) program is hosted by Tumaini University Makumira in Arusha, in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) and the LWF.
The Hélène Ralivao Fund was launched in 2021 as a two-part program to honour the legacy of one of Madagascar’s first female theologians and women’s rights campaigners in the Malagasy Lutheran Church who was murdered in 2020.
The first part of the program provides direct scholarships for women from LWF member churches in Africa to pursue doctoral and masters’ studies in theology and leadership development.
The second part, which was inaugurated on May 25, 2022, takes the form of a two-week training course led by the dean and staff of the theology faculty at Tumaini University Makumira.
After the in-residence training, participants will return to their home countries for three months of research and writing, before returning to Makumira for another two-week session, culminating in the publication of material that can serve as a resource for the churches in Africa and beyond.
LWF’s program executive for gender justice and women’s empowerment Rev. Dr Marcia Blasi said during the launching of the program in Arusha that the experiences and stories of gender injustice that were shared during the training reveal the many challenges that are ahead.
“It is time to deconstruct religious beliefs that create pain and suffering, in order to construct new understandings that promote full life for all,” the Lutheran World quoted Rev. Dr Blasi as saying.
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