Dar es Salaam. Good morning and Happy New Year! Welcome to our first morning briefing for the year 2023, with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Monday, January 9, 2023.
Magufuli among leaders to be awarded African Icon Award
The late John Magufuli, Tanzania’s fifth-phase president, will be among African leaders that will receive the African Icon Award, an award given to Africans “who have distinguished themselves by contributing to the advancement of Africa,” according to organizers.
Magufuli, who died on March 17, 2021, will receive the posthumous award alongside other former and serving African Heads of State like Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan during an event slated for April 1, 2023, in Kigali, Rwanda.
In a statement on Monday, the organisers said the event is intended to celebrate and honour personalities of African heritage who have distinguished themselves through remarkable achievements across the globe.
Aside from bestowing international prestige and recognition, the award will focus on the critical importance of culture and leadership, which the organizers believe lies at the core of any shared advancement of socioeconomic and political development in Africa, the organisers said in a statement.
The Award will also cast a spotlight on individuals who, under challenging circumstances, have empowered their people and impacted their sphere of influence to pave the way for sustainable and equitable development, according to the organisers.
US donates patrol boats to Tanzania
The United States has donated two patrol boats worth over $1 million to Tanzania, the latest of several recent donations to African navies, reported defenseWeb on Monday.
The two boats were handed over to the Tanzanian Navy during a ceremony in Dar es Salaam on 16 December 2022.
The US Embassy in Tanzania said the boats, worth $1.35 million, will strengthen the Navy’s ability to interdict illicit activities within the sovereign waters of Tanzania.
The donation included repair and maintenance equipment, towing vehicles, and a two-week training course.
The boats appear to be manufactured by US company SAFE Boats. One is a 10.5-metre Interceptor model while the other is an 11.5-metre enclosed cabin command boat.
US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Raines said the donation was a continuation of the United States’ longstanding partnership with the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) in the security arena, which includes ongoing support to help develop both Tanzania’s military and drug enforcement forces.
“The United States continues to stand with Tanzania in its efforts to combat maritime threats, and I am certain these new boats will strengthen Tanzania’s ability to secure its maritime territory,” Raines was quoted as saying.
Tanzania hosts international conference on Islamic Unity
Tanzania hosted a one-day international conference which was aimed at “promoting unity among the Muslim Ummah,” according to a report by the International Quran News Agency (IQNA).
Organized by Al-Mustafa International University’s branch and Iran’s cultural centre in Dar es Salaam on January 6, 2023, the event hosted Shia and Sunni scholars from Iran and Tanzania.
According to IQNA, participants presented papers that focused on interactions between the Muslim world’s scholars, the future of the Muslim world, Takfirism, and Palestine.
The Head of Al-Mustafa International University’s branch in Tanzania Hojat-ol-Islam Ali Taghavi told IQNA that the event sought to discuss the need to promote Islamic unity.
Taghavi said that other aims including helping the revival and expansion of Islamic culture and knowledge; defending the sanctity of the Quran and Sunnah; promoting proximity between Islamic schools of thought; and creating a united front against anti-Muslim propaganda of enemies were among the other main aims of the event.
Govt sets aside over Sh1 trillion for renovation of old primary schools
The government has set aside Sh1.15 trillion for the renovation of old primary schools across the East African nation, Angellah Kairuki, minister of state in the President’s Office responsible for regional administration and local governments, said on Monday.
She said the renovation of the old primary schools will be done between January 2023 and February 2024.
“Under the program, some of the old schools will be demolished and built afresh while others will undergo required renovations,” Ms Kairuki was quoted as saying.
She was opening a meeting on education improvement and supervision for 2023 in Morogoro.
Kairuki also said that the government will continue implementing the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQUIP) financed by the World Bank.
SEQUIP aims to increase access to secondary education, provide responsive learning environments for girls and improve the completion of quality secondary education for girls and boys.
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