Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on July 16,2024.

CCM disputes Nape’s statement on rigging Tanzania’s election

The Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has disputed the statement made by its former leader and the current ICT Minister, Nape Nnauye, who claimed that election victory is not determined by the number of votes in the ballot box but by the person who counts and announces the results.

CCM’s Secretary for Ideology, Publicity, and Training, Amos Makalla, said on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, that Nape’s statement does not represent the party’s position.

“I have heard a leader on social media saying that election victory is not determined by the votes in the ballot box. I want to say that this statement should not be viewed as coming from CCM,” he said.

He emphasized that the party respects fair victories in elections. According to Makalla, the party will respect any results and the decisions of the people through the ballot box.

“CCM will respect any results and the decisions of the people through the ballot box, and anyone who wins fairly will be granted victory,” said Makalla.

Previously, Nape, who once served as the Secretary for Ideology and Publicity of CCM, made this statement on July 15, 2024, during a visit to Kashai market in Kagera region, where he spoke to the public.

In assuring the victory of Bukoba Urban MP, Stephen Byabato, in the 2025 general election, Nape, who is currently the Minister of Information, Communication, and Information Technology, was heard saying that any means would be used to ensure the MP wins.

“You know, listen, the election results do not necessarily have to be from the ballot box; it depends on who counts and announces. And there are many strategies, some legal, semi-legal, and illegal, and all can be used as long as you ask God for forgiveness where you went wrong,” he was heard explaining.

This is not the first time Nape has made such statements as Tanzania approaches elections. It is remembered that on June 22, 2015, while serving as the Secretary for Ideology and Publicity of the party, Nape Nnauye said that CCM would ensure it returns to the State House even “by a handball” during the General Election scheduled for October 25 that year, a statement that sparked a significant debate in Tanzanian politics.

In an X post, Mr.Nnauye said that the statement was a joke and argued that he is a believer of a free and fair election.

Inadequate implementation of CAG recommendations frustrates stakeholders

Various stakeholders have urged the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to consider the importance of convening his office with accounting officers, parliamentary oversight committees, the Public Accounts Committee, local government committees, and the investment committee to find solutions to the inadequate implementation of CAG report recommendations.

This call was made July 16, 2024, in Dodoma during the launch of four accountability reports for the year 2022/2023 by the Wajibu Institute. These reports are based on the CAG reports for the year 2022/2023.

 Speaking at the launch, the Director of the Wajibu Institute, Ludovick Utouh, said that the call was made because, for many years, the implementation of CAG recommendations has been unsatisfactory, often being implemented at only 40%, leaving 60% or more unaddressed.

“CAG and accounting officers should meet to discuss and understand where mistakes are being made, and if there is a problem, a resolution should be found for the benefit of the country’s development, as these two sides need to work closely to avoid repeating mistakes in the CAG reports,” he said.

He emphasized that the presence of the CAG is the eye of Tanzanians on their resources, and the recommendations made are done in good faith. Therefore, they must be respected and implemented to prevent the misuse of funds from recurring.

The Wajibu Institute has been producing accountability reports annually. The aim is to increase public awareness of key issues raised in the CAG reports. Wajibu distributes these reports to the public and also makes them available online on their website.

Tanzania, USA to collaborate in fighting cancer

The Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative from the United States has pledged an additional USD 100 million, equivalent to TZS 260 billion, to support the fight against cancer, especially in African countries.

This was revealed on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, by the Minister of Health, Ummy Mwalimu, during a meeting held at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, where she was accompanied by the Zanzibar Minister of Health, Nassoro Mazrui.

The meeting was organized by the White House through the Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative. Minister Ummy stated that cancer has become a significant challenge in Tanzania, with an estimated increase of approximately 45,000 new cancer cases annually.

“This cancer disease causes 29,743 deaths, which is 66% of cancer patients annually. The high mortality rate from this disease in Tanzania is because many people are diagnosed late and lack access to medical services,” said Minister Ummy.

Additionally, she thanked the organizers of the meeting, the International Atomic Energy Agency, for deciding to collaborate with African countries in the fight against cancer to save many lives.

On her part, the coordinator of the initiative, Catherine Young, while opening the meeting, said that this important meeting aimed to bring together key stakeholders involved in cancer to enable African countries to combat it effectively.

The funds are expected to help African countries address the shortage of experts, lack of enabling infrastructure, medical equipment, especially for radiation services, data, research, and innovation to enable their citizens to access quality cancer services without hindrance.

The meeting was attended by various health sector stakeholders from eight African countries, including Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Benin, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, and Mozambique.

We spoke to ten self-employed young people to hear about their experiences. Here is what they told us

Out of the ten young people who decided to be self-employed and spoke to The Chanzo, no one spoke in a way that indicated regret or uncertainty about what they were doing. All the young people, aged between 20 and 40, from Tanzania’s capital, seem to be enjoying themselves and proud of their life decisions, urging their peers to follow in their footsteps.

You will remember that the call for young people to become self-employed has been emphasised a lot recently, especially by politicians. This has been accompanied by reports that mention Tanzania as one of the African countries with a significant unemployment problem.

The government and other stakeholders have openly acknowledged that while it is making various efforts to address this issue, which some call a “ticking time bomb,” it is not possible for all graduates to be employed. They are urged to seize the various opportunities available in the country to become self-employed.

However, this call has generated mixed feelings among stakeholders, with some urging the government to stop doing “politics” and create jobs that will help young people. Others have claimed that these voices will be noise if the policy, legal, and regulatory environments do not change to enable young people to become self-employed.

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