Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, August 10, 2023.
Court dismisses case against DP World deal: ‘Barren of fruits’
A High Court in Mbeya Thursday dismissed a case challenging the intergovernmental agreement between Tanzania and Dubai, which would allow the latter’s logistics company, DP World, to improve, develop and operate several sections of the Dar es Salaam port.
The case was filed on July 3, 2023, by four Tanzanians – Alphonce Lusako, Emmanuel Kalikenya Chengula, Raphael Japhet Ngonde and Frank John Nyalus – against Attorney General Eliezer Feleshi, Minister for Works and Transport Makame Mbarawa and his permanent secretary as well as the Clerk of the National Assembly Nenelwa Mwihambi.
In their petition, the applicants put forward four arguments against the agreement approved by the parliament on June 10, 2023, for the court’s consideration, which included the agreement’s illegality, unconstitutionality and a threat to Tanzania’s sovereignty and national security.
Full story here.
Samia reiterates need for universal national identification
President Samia Suluhu Hassan Thursday called for a streamlined and universal identification system to spare Tanzanians the inconvenience of walking around with several identity cards and having essential public services delayed.
The Head of State was speaking during a function to launch the 2Africa Submarine Cable and Airtel’s 5G High-Speed Communication Technology in Dar es Salaam when she urged all service-provision entities in Tanzania –both public and private– to consider establishing a universal identification system to ease service delivery.
Samia, whose government increasingly embraces technology in dispensing essential services to citizens, emphasised using the National Identification Authority (NIDA) number to achieve “a unified identity.”
Full story here.
Launch of 2Africa subsea cable makes digital Tanzania dream closer than ever
Tanzania Thursday launched the 45,000-kilometre 2Africa subsea cable that interconnects Europe, eastward via Egypt, Asia via Saudi Arabia, and Africa, making the country have three active subsea cables serving it, with others being the Eastern African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and SEACOM.
Speaking during the launching of the cable, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that the new cable will provide opportunities and options to mobile network providers in the East African nation.
“Undoubtedly, the entry of this cable will provide an opportunity for mobile networks and other service providers to have more options on which cable to use,” said Samia at the launching event. “This will eventually increase the quality of internet services and even reduce costs because now there is more competition.”
Full story here.
Airtel Africa boss hails Tanzania’s transparency in spectrum auctions: ‘World class’
Airtel Africa CEO Segun Ogunsanya Thursday hailed Tanzania’s transparency in frequency auctions, saying it meets international standards that is not seen in many countries.
Mr Ogunsanya spoke during a function to launch the 2Africa Submarine Cable and Airtel’s 5G High-Speed Communication Technology in Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan graced the launching ceremony.
“The auction was fair and very transparency auction process,” Mr Ogunsanya said, as his company joined its competitors Tigo and Vodacom, which launched their 5G networks earlier this year. “We don’t see this in many countries.”
Full story here.
Tanzanian who brought Ukrainian refugees to the Netherlands to be deported
Dutch authorities are contemplating deporting an unnamed Tanzanian national who brought Ukrainian refugees to the Netherlands as the northwestern European nation grapples with the fate of other third-country nationals who arrived there from Ukraine.
According to reports by the Dutch press, the possibility of the Tanzanian national’s deportation follows a ruling by the country’s court that the government is free to do so if it chooses to.
The Dutch government has told all third-country nationals in the Netherlands that they must leave by September 4, 2023, unless they formally apply for asylum. Until now, third-country nationals who go to the Netherlands, from Ukraine, have had the same rights as Ukrainians.
By the end of June, 500 of the 2,300 third-party nationals from Ukraine in the Netherlands had applied for asylum, the Dutch press reported.
The Tanzanian man in question had a temporary permit to live in Ukraine, which expired in October 2022.
The court said the government can decide for itself what regulations should cover third-country nationals if they are not covered by EU directives, which state that the person should be either stateless or have a permanent residency permit.
Immigration lawyer Wil Eikelboom, who was involved in the case, said he would be appealing against the verdict.
“If you bring a group of people under the protection of European law, you cannot then remove it,” he said.
Refugee agency Vluchtelingenwerk says there are 11 similar cases pending .
“If local authorities have to evict third-country nationals from accommodation when there is still a legal option open to them to say, then you have a recipe for chaos,” the organisation said.
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One Response
“Tanzanian who brought Ukrainian refugees to the Netherlands to be deported”
He BROUGHT refugees?
Your source says “a man from Tanzania, who arrived in the Netherlands WITH refugees from Ukraine”
The two are not the same.