Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Monday, September 12, 2022.
Tanzania launches prize for creative writing
Creative writers from Tanzania will now be able to win a prize worth as much as Sh10,000,000 after the government Monday launched the Mwalimu Nyerere Prize on Creative Writing.
Minister of Education, Science and Technology Prof Adolf Mkenda said during the launching ceremony in Dar es Salaam that the prize is aimed at motivating creative writers in Tanzania as well as publishers.
“We can change our curricula and our education policy but what will happen if our people do not read?” asked Mkenda who doubles as Rombo MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM). “This prize seeks to make more and more creative writing available to our people.”
The government has set aside a total of Sh1 billion in the current financial year that will be used to support creative writers, Prof Mkenda said.
Novelists and poets have until November 30, 2022, to submit their manuscripts at tunzonyerere@tie.go.tz where ten winners will be announced on April 13, 2022, to coincide with the birthday of Tanzania’s founder Julius Nyerere who the prize has been named after.
The prize committee chairperson Prof Penina Mlama said they decided to name the prize after Nyerere to honour his contribution to creative writing in the country.
According to Prof Mlama, an outstanding playwright herself, the first winner will be awarded Sh10,000,000 and also has his/her manuscript published into a book and distributed in all public libraries, secondary schools and universities.
The second winner and third winners will each receive Sh7,000,000 and Sh5,000,000 respectively while the fourth to the tenth winner will only be provided with certificates.
Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric launches transformer factor in Dar
Egyptian multinational electrical company Elsewedy Electric on Monday launched a transformers factory in Dar es Salaam during a function attended by Energy Minister January Makamba, the Ambassador of Egypt to Tanzania Mohamed Abu El Wafaa and Elsewedy Electric East Africa Managing Director Ibrahim Qamar.
This is the second factor that the company has established in Tanzania. President Samia Suluhu Hassan inaugurated the first phase of Elsewedy Industrial Complex last December 2021, the wires and cables factory.
“Having the second phase of this huge industrial complex inaugurated within nine months of inaugurating the first phase proves that Elsewedy Electric is a real partner willing to exploit the favourable business climate in Tanzania and supporting the inter-African collaboration,” a statement quoted Mr Makamba as saying.
Ambassador Mohamed Abu El Wafaa expressed his pleasure at participating in the opening of the second phase of the Elsewedy Electric Industrial Complex in Tanzania and praised Elsewedy Electric’s efforts to boost its investment in the highest priority economic sectors of Tanzania.
The Transformers factory covers an area of 5,000 square meters and has a production capacity of up to 2,500 Oil Immersed Distribution Transformers per year, serving several applications including distribution grids, pole mounted, and pad-mounted, in addition to auxiliary transformers.
The cables factory is built on 35,000 square meters, with a capacity of up to 1,200 tons per month, catering equally to the local market and exporting to the region.
Bolt, Uber expected to resume services in Tanzania
Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) director general Habibu Suluo revealed on Monday that ride-hailing companies Uber and Bolt would resume services in Tanzania following a “fruitful” consultative meeting between the companies and the regulator.
Uber and Bolt had withdrawn from the Tanzanian market and limited their services, respectively, following the release of the new fare setting order by LATRA, the agency responsible for the land transport sector which covers the road, rail, and cable transport.
The companies said then that their decisions were a result of the failure of conversations they had with regulators concerning the new arrangement that while others criticised others welcomed it.
“We called them so that we can discuss since we believed we can reach an agreement through dialogue,” Mr Suluo was quoted as saying on Monday.
Monday’s meeting came a few weeks since Mr Suluo told a press conference in Dar es Salaam of the regulator’s intention to meet with Bolt and Uber and explore possibilities for the companies to resume operations in Tanzania.
During their meeting between September 5 and September 6, Uber and Bolt brought their Africa’s representative and the two parties agreed to resume services, according to a report by The Citizen newspaper.
Govt to build first-ever presidential museums
The acting director for the Department of Antiquities in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Christowaja Ntandu said Monday that the government is planning to build the first-ever presidential museums in its capital Dodoma to promote understanding of the presidency.
Ntandu said the presidential museums would be used as repositories for the papers, records, and historical materials of the country’s presidents.
“The public and researchers will be able to access these preserved irreplaceable documents for the widest possible use,” Ms Ntandu said.
According to her, preparations include architectural designs of the museums and the collection of the country’s presidents’ documents and artefacts.
She explained that the minister for natural resources and tourism, Pindi Chana, inspected the construction site of the presidential museums in Chisichili which covers 20 hectares.
The minister added that constructing the presidential museums would add to the East African nation’s list of tourist attractions.
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