Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.

Tanzania receives first-ever cargo plane

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Saturday led Tanzanians in receiving the East African nation’s first-ever cargo plane at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA).

The ​​Boeing 767-300F touched down at the JNIA around 3 PM, where it received the water cannon salute, which has become a tradition for every plane that the national carrier Air Tanzania receives.

The arrival of the freighter is expected to enable investors and businesspeople who were previously forced to export their cargo using other airlines to use the one by Air Tanzania.

Speaking shortly after the plane touched down, President Samia said the plane’s arrival resulted from Tanzanians’ prayers and hard work, urging them to keep up with the spirit.

READ MORE: ATCL Resumes Direct Flights to China

Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) Managing Director Ladislaus Matindi said the newly acquired craft would significantly reduce costs for exporting cargo, mainly agricultural, fisheries and livestock products.

Full story here.

Tanzania declared free from Marburg Virus Disease

Minister of Health Ummy Mwalimu announced Friday that Tanzania is free from the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) after completing 42 days of monitoring per the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

In a Twitter statement, Mwalimu, who doubles as Tanga Ubarn MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM), reported that May 31, 2023, marked the end of the monitoring period since the last patient recovered.

“I’m officially announcing that the Marburg Virus Disease in the Kagera region is officially over,” Mwalimu said. “We have managed to end the disease with great success. Today is a happy day; it’s a day to celebrate.”

On May 1, 2023, the government announced that it would officially announce the end of MVD in Tanzania if no new case is reported by May 31, 2023. The last patient to recover from the disease was discovered on April 29, 2023, Mwalimu said o Friday.

On March 21, 2023, Tanzania officially declared the first MVD outbreak in the country. It was the second country to report the disease after Equatorial Guinea, which continues to battle with the disease.

Full story here.

Chinese company wins contract to build African Court’s headquarters in Arusha

The African Court on Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR) on Saturday assigned China’s CRJE (East Africa) Limited the task of building the court’s new headquarters in Arusha, with Tanzania reported to have approved Sh9 billion for the Sh61 billion project.

The court’s permanent premises will be built in the Laki Laki area on the outskirts of Arusha, with the court planning to raise the rest of the money from other partners.

The President of the Pan African Court, Lady Justice Imani Aboud, told journalists in the region that the handover stage of the construction relieved her, saying the court has been waiting for the day for sixteen years.

She described the multi-million-dollar headquarters project as one of the major projects the Arusha-based legal facility ever undertook.

She said the new headquarters of the Court would provide comfort to the 150-plus staff of the judicial organ of the African Union.

“We are happy that the Tanzanian government has fulfilled its promise,” Lady Justice Aboud said. “We appreciate the host government for offering land.”

On September 13, 2022, it was reported that Tanzania had approved a budget of Sh4 billion to commence the construction of the court’s building.

It followed a meeting between judges from the court President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the State House in Dar es Salaam to discuss issues of mutual concern, where they raised the issue of construction of the court’s permanent premises in Arusha.

The court has been lobbying Tanzania for some time to make sure the Court’s permanent building project becomes a reality, allowing the institution to have its own office in Arusha. The Court is currently operating from temporary offices at the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) buildings.

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