Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
Inquest opened in UK into death of British national during Bukoba plane crash
An inquest has opened in the UK into the death of a British citizen who died during a plane accident involving flight PW-494, property of Precision Air, which crashed at Lake Victoria in Bukoba on November 7, 2022, killing 19 people.
Jonathan Rose, a resident of Woodbridge, a port town in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, was one of 39 people (38 adults and one infant) on board the 5H-PWF ATR42-500 aircraft, which was flying from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba when it crashed around 08:53 AM.
The 46-year-old Rose, a married father of three, was the only British national on board the flight.
On November 14, 2023, presiding coroner Darren Stewart heard a pre-inquest review hearing at Ipswich Coroner’s Court.
Full story here.
Report details widespread mistreatment of Tanzanian, Ugandan graves by EACOP
A new report has revealed that the construction of the controversial East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has disturbed and risks disrespecting over 2,000 graves along the project’s construction route from Uganda to Tanzania.
Titled As If Nothing Is Sacred, the report by the US-based international, multi-faith climate justice organisation GreenFaith also documents that the project has routinely disregarded the pleas of local families to respect graves.
It also ignored information which families or community members shared about the location of unmarked graves and provided inadequate, delayed, or no compensation for the harm caused.
“Family members and local communities have suffered emotional and spiritual trauma due to these actions and project officials’ lack of consideration,” the 39-page report, which relied on public documents and information gathered through field research, states.
Full story here.
More damages reported as Tanzania experiences heavy rains
Authorities from several parts of Tanzania are taking stoke of damages that ongoing heavy rains in the East African country have caused to people, households, communities and infrastructure as calls for preparedness to respond to unfriendly weather patterns gather steam.
For almost two weeks now, heavy rains have been reported from several parts of the country as the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) warns that more downpours should be expected, cautioning about potential flooding in certain areas and disruptions to economic activities.
The government’s Disaster Management Department, under the Prime Minister’s Office, is yet to release a report on the damages that the ongoing rains have done to communities, but the picture emerging from isolated local and district reports is grim.
Full story here.
EU, Tanzania awards NGOs working on sustainable cooking solutions
The European Union (EU) and the government of Tanzania have awarded five grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as part of their commitment to environmental sustainability and climate action in Tanzania.
A statement released on Wednesday stated that the grants amounting to Sh26.1 billion have been allocated under the EU-funded Integrated Approach to Sustainable Cooking Solutions Programme.
In Tanzania, the programme aims to address the challenges of the cooking energy sector to improve livelihoods, empower women, and reduce climate change impacts.
With charcoal as Tanzania’s primary cooking energy source, the program recognises its unsustainable production, environmental damage, and contribution to deforestation and forest degradation.
Full story here.
Swiss cement giant Holcim sells Tanzania, Uganda businesses
Swiss cement giant Holcim said Wednesday it was selling its businesses in Tanzania and Uganda to local companies as the group focuses on its core markets.
Holcim said it signed an agreement to sell its Ugandan subsidiary, Hima Cement, to the Uganda-based conglomerate Sarrai Group in a deal valued at $120 million.
It will sell its 65-percent stake in Mbeya Cement Company in Tanzania to Amsons Group for an undisclosed sum.
“These divestments advance our strategy to consolidate our leadership in core markets,” Martin Kriegner, Holcim’s regional head for Asia, the Middle East and Africa, said in a statement.
The deals must be approved by regulators before they’re sealed.
Recovering from COVID-19’s aftermath: Is Tanzania prepared for future infectious diseases?
Almost three years ago, the world watched in terror as COVID-19 spread like wildfire globally. What was an outbreak in China soon became a global pandemic. It was almost the real-life scene of the erupting Mount Sibo in the Jurassic Park movie. Life really does imitate art.
A novel virus that forced the world to come together for a solution. Economies tanked, jobs lost, businesses closed, and the global health systems took a hit like never before. And the fastest vaccine development to ever happen in the history of humankind happened.
While the focus on the effects of COVID-19 is based on mortality and morbidity, measures taken to contain the outbreak had a broader impact on other health systems, including vaccine distribution.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the backsliding of routine vaccinations globally, including routine childhood vaccinations. The disruption was significant, fuelled by the diversion of resources and personnel to support the COVID-19 response, funding shortfalls, and vaccine misinformation, especially in low and middle-income countries.
Full analysis here.
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