Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on April 07, 2025

President Hussein Mwinyi weighs in on geopolitical shifts at Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit

President Hussein Mwinyi delivered a keynote address on Monday at the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit 2025, where he reflected on the shifting global power dynamics and their impact on youth across the Commonwealth.

“In recent years, we have witnessed several challenges: a significant shift in global power dynamics and trade alliances, growing resource competition manifested in protectionist trade measures, and labor market disruptions caused by technological change and demographic shifts,” President Mwinyi stated.

He urged Commonwealth nations to leverage what he referred to as “the Commonwealth advantage”—a global network spanning six continents, representing one-third of humanity, and bound by commonalities such as legal systems and language.

President Mwinyi proposed a range of measures to strengthen economic cooperation within the bloc. Chief among them was the intensification of intra-Commonwealth trade, which currently stands at USD 700 billion. To facilitate this, he called for the creation of a Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Fund to address non-tariff barriers and streamline customs procedures.

He further advocated for the establishment of a digital market within the Commonwealth, as well as the development of supply chain resilience initiatives that prioritize sourcing critical goods and services from within member countries.

President Samia in Angola for a three-day state visit

President Samia arrived in Angola on Monday, 7 April 2025, for a three-day state visit that will be concluded on April 9, 2025. The visit follows the invitation from the Angolan president, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.

Tanzania’s State House says the purpose of the visit is to strengthen the historical and brotherly ties between the two countries.

Angola and Tanzania share common regional interests through SADC, and also, the two countries have been involved in seeking a peaceful resolution of the DRC conflict.

Last year on December 04, 2024, Tanzania’s Vice president was in Angola for an official meeting with the then U.S. president, Joe Biden. The meeting, dubbed the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit, focused on a transregional infrastructure project connecting mineral-rich southern DRC and northwestern Zambia to western markets via Angola’s Port of Lobito, utilizing the existing Benguela rail network in Angola.

Another high-level delegation visit from the country occurred on March 13, 2025, when the Zanzibar Vice President, Othman Masoud Othman, attended a conference in Angola but was held at the Airport for a full day, alongside several former heads of state, a situation that sparked region-wide outrage over the mistreatment of African leaders.

Second Gemstone auction to be held in Arusha

The second gemstone auction will be held today, April 08, 2025. Organized by the Mining Commission in collaboration with the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX), the auction is set to commence at around 8 am at the Tanzania Gemmological Centre in Arusha.

The auction is one of the latest government efforts to curb leakages in the mining sector value chain as well as reduce the risk of fraud in the sector.

The first auction, which was held on December 13, 2024, brought about Tsh. 1.2 billion, it is expected that the current auction will invite more participants, leading to higher revenues.

Stakeholders call for policy reform to protect human rights defenders

Stakeholders are urging the government to formulate a new policy aimed at recognizing and protecting human rights defenders in the country. This call was made during a one-day dialogue on Monday, involving civil society organizations and bar associations, focused on the state of civic space in Tanzania.

The event was held at the Rafiki Hotel in Dodoma, with the Deputy Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Mr. Jumanne Abdallah, serving as the Guest of Honour.

“We are requesting a policy that formally recognizes and protects human rights defenders. Our work is vital and far-reaching, yet there are still people who do not understand what we do. Some actively create obstacles or limit our freedoms. Some countries have already enacted laws to protect human rights defenders,” said Onesmo Olengurumwa, Executive Director of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC).

Participants noted that a model policy has already been developed by stakeholders and is ready for government review.

“I will present your recommendation to the Minister, but we expect your continued engagement to help move this issue forward,” said Deputy Minister Jumanne Abdallah.

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