Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Monday, April 24, 2023.
Stakeholders want Nyalali recommendations on multipartyism adopted
The ongoing democratic drive in Tanzania has brought Nyalali recommendations on political pluralism back into the mainstream, with stakeholders demanding the government adopt them wholly as part of national efforts to nurture competitive politics in the country.
The call has intensified since it was given prominence at the national dialogue on 30 years of democratic experiment jointly organised by the Centre for Strategic Litigation (CSL) and the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) between March 30 and March 31, 2023, in Dar es Salaam.
Bringing Tanzanians from different walks of life, the two-day event served as a tool to reclaim the space for civic participation in a process previously dominated by the political class. Participants of the dialogue agreed that shirking Nyalali’s recommendations on multipartyism will serve the country no good purpose.
Veteran journalist and activist Jenerali Ulimwengu set the tone when he gave a keynote address on ‘Nyalali on 30 years of Tanzania’s democratic experiment.’ A practising lawyer, Ulimwengu pointed out that Tanzania is reaping the fruits it sowed by ignoring recommendations by Nyalali, a celebrated Chief Justice who served between 1977 and 2000.
“Nyalali was explicit in his analysis that the current situation where [the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi] CCM is tied to the state has reached a point where it is very difficult to distinguish between the two,” Mr Ulimwengu said during his hour-long address.
Full story here.
Tanzania will investigate health risks associated with energy drinks
Tanzania will investigate health risks associated with the consumption of energy drinks after a new study reported “lethal effects” of the beverages on consumers, particularly the risk of a heart attack.
Titled Acute Myocardial Infarction Following the Consumption of Energy Drink in a 28-Year-Old Male: A Case Report, the study was published on April 23, 2023, in SAGE, an international publishing company.
The study was carried out by Peter Kisenge, Pedro Pallangyo, and Smita Bhalia, all from the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), Tanzania’s national specialised and university teaching hospital offering cardiovascular care, based in Dar es Salaam.
Full story here.
University of Dar es Salaam is stuck. It’s time to save it
As the first University in Tanzania, UDSM played a crucial role in shaping the country in its early stages of formation. It was where issues were discussed no matter how hard they seemed, be it the case of stringent laws that allow the detention of people indefinitely or a shift from socialism to a market economy or criticism to one-party rule.
Difficult questions about our country were asked, and solutions were developed there. Critical thinking was the currency of the day, ingrained among university students. The debates on social emancipation, development and pan-Africanism attracted progressive scholars around the world.
With time, Tanzania changed, and so are its needs. Now issues that need a closer look are no longer those involved with leadership only; you have a growing population that needs jobs, an economy that is deeply integrated with the global economy where technology development is everything and the digital environment continues to change our lives at a pace that we can hardly comprehend.
While the position of UDSM was apparent in the past, it is now stuck between its past glory and its inability to grow and adapt positively. Its deficit of solutions and absence in critical moments of our nation question its current relevancy.
Full analysis here.
Ethiopia’s Deputy PM arrives in Tanzania for state visit
Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, arrived in Tanzania on Monday for his official working visit to four African countries.
According to reports by the Ethiopian press, Mekonnen will also tour Comoros, Burundi, and Uganda. On Monday, Mekonnen met and held talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Chamwino’s State House in the capital Dodoma.
According to reports, Mr Mekonnen underscored that Ethiopia would pay attention to its relations with Tanzania, expressing interest in strengthening them, particularly economic relations.
Demeke assured President Samia that the Ethiopian government is committed to establishing lasting peace in Ethiopia by implementing the Pretoria Peace Agreement, a peace accord signed by Ethiopia’s federal government and leaders in the war-torn Tigray region on November 2, 2022.
Mekonnen’s visit to Tanzania came one day before peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the Oromo Liberation Army kick-off in Dar es Salaam on April 25, 2023, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced over the weekend.
Mr Abiy said that both his government and the people of Ethiopia “greatly want this negotiation,” appealing to “all parties” to “think of today” as an example and to consider that “no benefit” will come out of war.
The war in Ethiopia has been ongoing for almost three years since the Ethiopian government began military operations in the Tigray region against the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, in November 2020.
According to Human Rights Watch, civilian structures in towns in Tigray, including hospitals, schools, factories, and businesses, were shelled, looted and destroyed by Ethiopian federal forces and regional militias and Eritrean armed forces.
The rights group says the fighting and continued restrictions on humanitarian access forced more than two million people to flee their homes. It adds that thousands fled into Sudan, leaving at least 2.3 million needing assistance.
Tanzania was elected a Peace and Security Council (PSC) member between 2022 and 2024. It was chosen as the first vice chair of the AU Ministers for Constitution and Legal Affairs committee.
Tanzania to host 8th East Africa’s philanthropy conference
Legal Service Facility (LSF) announced on Monday that it’ll jointly host the 8th East Africa Philanthropy Conference with East Africa Philanthropy.
The annual conference will take place in Zanzibar from June 28 to June 30, 2023, in Zanzibar under the theme Systems Transformation: Catalyzing Collective Action.
LSF Executive Director Lulu Ng’wanakilala told journalists here on Monday that this year’s conference is organized by a committee made up of EAPN members, partners and stakeholders and the LSF is pleased to be co-local organizing partner.
“The conference provides a platform for sharing experiences, collective reflection, as well as the curation and development of philanthropic and social tools and investment practices for the continent’s people and partners,” she said.
“I therefore call upon philanthropy organization, private sector, govenment, civil society and all key stakeholders to register and take part,” Ms Ng’wanakilala added.
The East Africa Philanthropy Conference is the annual signature event hosted by the East Africa Philanthropy Network and customarily comprises of 300+ philanthropic practitioners and organizations. Deemed creative and facilitative, the deliberately planned convening aids change makers in scheming out, networking, contemplating, and developing potent action based on the successes and hurdles experienced in the sector.
The East Africa Philanthropy Conference convene aids change makers in scheming out, networking, contemplating, and developing potent action based on the successes and hurdles experienced in the sector.
The Network’s Chief Executive Officer Evans Okinyi said here that no matter which way stakeholders look at it, the sheer complexity and interconnectedness of the global crises require a complete overhaul of not only how they do things, but also how they understand them.
“In other words, they require a systems transformation approach that is very much about empowerment,” Mr Okinyi remarked.
“By empowering especially those that seemingly have no say, we also look at how we can shift the mindset, so that something that seems impossible at a certain stage, all of a sudden becomes possible,” he added.
The website for the event has just been launched and the registration is now open for participants to save their spots through this link.
US-based lithium explorer Titan Lithium Inc reports positive development
A Nevada-based lithium explorer and developer, Titan Lithium Inc, on Monday announced new positive soil geochemical sample results from further sampling of the company’s expansive Titan 2 lithium property in Tanzania.
The new results complete the approximately 3,950 acres (16 square kilometres) soil geochemical sample grid for which Titan had previously reported partial results on March 19, 2023.
The expansive grid covers about 30 per cent of the total Titan 2 project and was designed and conducted by the technical team to follow up on strong lithium geochemical results obtained from prospecting in the area.
“With all of the soil sample results from the grid in, we note that positive Lithium geochemical values delineate a continuous zone that covers over half the grid area and averages 1.11 per cent Li2O (4,486 ppm Lithium),” the company announced.
“The lowest positive value returned 200 ppm Li, and the highest value returned 2.28 per cent Li2O (10,600 ppm Li),” it added.
Commenting on the development, the company’s CEO Craig Alford said: “The surficial results from Titan 2 are exceptional and have helped expand and define a significant area of very strong lithium in this region. Follow-up work will include further prospecting, geologic mapping, infill sampling and a drill program when permitted.”
The Titan 2 project is located approximately 20 miles west of the larger Titan 1 claim group and appears to be wholly contained within a northeast-southwest-striking fault-bounded structure through a new interpretation of airborne magnetic data that may have served to trap Lithium-rich source volcanics and sediments.
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