Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Where did ACT-Wazalendo get Sh500 million for its new headquarters?
ACT-Wazalendo party leader Zitto Kabwe told The Chanzo on Sunday that the opposition party has so far spent a total of Sh357 million for its new headquarters inaugurated yesterday, adding that it is expecting to spend Sh143 million more for finishing.
Named after the party’s former national chairperson Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad, who died on February 17, 2022, the new ACT-Wazalendo’s headquarters is located in Magomeni, Dar es Salaam and it contains, among other facilities, two conference halls that can accommodate hundreds of delegates.
There has been much speculation over the actual source of the money that ACT-Wazalendo, established in 2014, obtained to construct the new headquarters.
Responding to the speculation on Sunday, Mr Kabwe told The Chanzo that the main source of the money has been donations from its members and supporters.
“I mean, members both local and in the diaspora,” he told The Chanzo. “You know we have a big diaspora of Zanzibaris who are ACT-Wazalendo’s sympathisers.”
“Donations from wellwishers in the country and outside the country,” Mr Kabwe added. “Our aggressive work on party building is paying off. So we collected a lot of donations from wellwishers through our leaders in [Tanzania] Mainland and Zanzibar.”
Mr Kabwe credited the party’s members for the milestone, saying they have been sacrificing everything they have for the party since its inception.
“Our government subventions are so low that we can’t run the party,” Mr Kabwe explained. “Between 2020 and now we have organised three national conventions, each one costing more than Sh400 million, all of them sourced from our members and wellwishers.”
“Why should we prove to people now?” Mr Kabwe wondered. “Those who want proof can wait for the [Controllar and Auditor General] CAG report for the year ending June 2022.”
He said that in 2023, ACT-Wazalendo is expecting to build the same kind of office in Zanzibar plus five regional offices in regions of Tanzania Mainland and two regional offices in Zanzibar.
India’s Navy holds drill with Tanzania, Mozambique
The first edition of the India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral Exercise (IMT TRILAT), a joint maritime exercise, concluded at Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam on Saturday, according to a statement by India’s Ministry of Defence.
The Indian Navy was represented by the guided missile frigate INS Tarkash, a Chetak helicopter and a MARCOS team.
Capability development to address common threats through training and sharing of best practices, enhancing interoperability and strengthening maritime cooperation are the three main objectives of the exercise, according to the statement.
As part of the harbour phase, capability building activities such as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure; small arms training; joint diving operations; damage control and fire fighting exercises; and cross deck visits are scheduled, it said.
The sea phase includes boat operations, fleet manoeuvres, Visit, Board, Search and Seizure operations, helicopter operations, small arms firing, formation anchoring and EEZ patrols.
India says that the exercises reflect its Navy’s commitment to enhancing maritime security and cooperation with maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and promoting Safety and Growth for All in the Region.
Govt targets to export 16,000 tons of meat by 2026
Tanzania Meat Board (TMB) registrar Daniel Mushi on Friday announced measures aimed at increasing exports of meat to 16,000 tons annually by 2026.
Mushi told a news conference in the capital Dodoma that Tanzania exported 3,256.6 tons of meat during the first quarter of 2022 worth 13 million U.S. dollars.
Mushi said TMB has put in place measures that will see the board working closely with meat factories and individual livestock keepers in looking for new markets abroad.
He said other measures include educating livestock keepers on how to fatten their animals to produce high-quality meat.
“We are also intending to educate the livestock keepers on modern livestock-keeping methods with a view to producing healthy animals,” said Mushi.
He said the TMB in collaboration with the government is inviting and promoting investments in meat processing plants and the construction of modern abattoirs.
Mushi said in 2021, Tanzania exported 10,415 tons of meat worth 42 million U.S. dollars.
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