Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on April 29,2024.
Dar es Salaam RC: The city needs a major overhaul of its drainage system
The Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, Albert Chalamila has called for an overhaul of the Dar es Salaam drainage system. Chalamila explained that drainage system and water pathways have been blocked in the city as the result of human activities.
Chalamila was speaking during a joint press conference with the Minister of Works, Innocent Bashungwa on the assessment of damage caused by ongoing rain in the country.
“I iterate my earlier analysis, we have not been hit with flooding, what is there, is the obstruction of water pathway and drainage system which now causing water to go to people’s homes and other places. What Dar es Salaam needs at the moment is a major overhaul of the city drainage system,” argued Chalamila.
Chalamila also highlighted that most roads in Dar es Salaam are not suitable anymore because of the increase of vehicles, and weight that pass on those roads. Chalamila also faulted the road design that does not incorporate a drainage system leading to water-destroying roads.
“Most road designs in Dar es Salaam have been built at surface level dressing, road design which can last up to 8 years. But we need different designs that can last longer based on the number of vehicles and weight that passes on these roads,” explains Chalamila.
On his end, the Minister of Works Innocent Bashungwa said so far the government has ensured anywhere where there is an emergency, road is opened within 24 hours.
“As the rain continues, it will not be prudent to build permanent roads where damage has happened. But we are continuing with the assessment, up to now the estimated cost to restore damaged infrastructures stands at Shs. 600 billion,” said Bashungwa.
Tanzania collected Sh. 12.6 billion in digital tax from global tech companies
Tanzania has collected a total of Tsh. 12.6 billion from global tech companies that do not have residency in the country. This was revealed on April 29, 2024, by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Official, Hudson Kamoga during a meeting with Tanzania editors.
The country collected the revenue between July 2023 and March 2024. The Digital Service Tax, introduced in July 2023, mandates non-resident digital service providers to remit 2 percent of their transaction volume registered in the country to the authorities.
Companies are required to voluntarily register on a platform designed by TRA and remit the required tax.
World Bank and REGROW Project in Tanzania: A timeline of key events
Tanzania has promised to proceed with its controversial Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth Project (REGROW) even without funding from the World Bank, which pulled out of the project following allegations that human rights abuses have accompanied the project’s implementation.
We look at the key events leading up to the funding suspension which occurred thanks to years of pressure from affected Tanzanians and human rights groups, which accused the Bretton Woods institution of violating its own policies by continuing to fund the project:
September 28, 2017: World Bank approves US$150 million, or Sh388.6 billion, credit for the implementation of the Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth Project, or REGROW, to improve conservation management in Tanzania.
Read the full analysis here
Government to clear over 18 billion debt owed to Tanzania media houses
The Minister of Information, Communications, and Information Technology, Nape Nnauye, said that the government is in the process of clearing debt of over 18 billion owed to various media outlets in the country.
Nnauye made these remarks on April 29, 2024, at the 13th annual professional meeting of the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) in Dodoma.
Nnauye highlighted that five billion shillings are debts accrued by local authorities who showed no signs of reducing or paying off the debt, underlining that they will be a new push to settle them, with the remaining amount being debts from the central government.
Now is the time for a bolder Tanzanian foreign policy
Tanzania’s foreign policy engagements have taken a more dynamic turn under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, taking strides towards a rebuilding of greater diversity and trust in external partnerships after a period of comparative isolationism under her predecessor.
The official review of foreign policy underway since 2023 is now a chance to consolidate this revival and ensure that Tanzania’s external relations deliver maximum benefit for the country’s citizens, without compromising on core values.
Between 2022 and 2024, the international affairs policy institute Chatham House and the Tanzania office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) have partnered on a research project to analyse the status of Tanzania’s foreign policy. The project has brought together foreign affairs experts and policymakers to discuss the opportunities presented under the review process.
Read the full analysis here
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