Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Tanzania Oil Marketers: We have no issues with the regulator. Speak on the dollar shortage
The Tanzania Association of Oil Marketing Companies (TAOMAC) has on yesterday debunked rumors of tension between its members and the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA).
The association debunked a rumor that there was a meeting between the association and EWURA which ended with tension and disagreement. “On behalf of our members, we would like to deny these rumors as they are not true,” reads part of the press by TAOMAC.
The statement comes amidst a concern that there is a shortage of fuel in various areas of the country, especially in smaller towns. One of the areas that The Chanzo was able to cover this challenge was in Ifakara, Morogoro, which saw a long line of commuters trying to procure fuel, some without success. Several media have also received reports from members of the public on fuel availability challenges.
Responding to fuel scarcity concerns EWURA released a public statement on July 17, 2023, warning suppliers who hoard fuel with the anticipation of higher prices. EWURA also assured members of the public that there is enough fuel in the country.
In their statement, TAOMAC said that the main challenge that the association face at the moment is the availability of the US dollar for the importation of oil, and reported that the government has assured the association that it’s working to resolve the issue.
The dollar shortage has remained a challenge in Tanzania, this has made the government take several steps including issuing a new directive on the foreign exchange operations in the country as well as arranging for stakeholder meetings to alleviate concerns.
Even though Tanzania operates a floating exchange rate, the mismatch of the rate between Banks and Foreign Exchange bureaus has continued to widen. For example, by yesterday many Banks were buying dollars at the rate between Tshs. 2,430 and Tshs. 2,445 on the other hand many Bureaus were buying dollars at the rate of Tshs 2,510-2,520.
TANAHUT, network against trafficking in persons, launched in Tanzania
A national network to combat illegal human trafficking in Tanzania was launched Thursday ahead of this year’s commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons scheduled for July 30, 2023.
The Tanzania Network Against Human Trafficking (TANAHUT), a loose coalition of about 105 organisations, including NGOs, universities, and media organisations, aims to enhance counter-trafficking activities in Tanzania.
According to the U.S. 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, despite Tanzania’s significant strides in eliminating the crime, the East African nation does not fully meet the minimum standards required.
The report notes that Tanzania convicted more traffickers in 2022. But the lenient sentencing for most convicted traffickers and the failure to sentence many convicted traffickers weakened deterrence and did not adequately address the nature of the crimes.
Mr Edwin Mugambila, TANAHUT’s chairperson, said combating trafficking in persons required concerted efforts by all stakeholders, warning that working in silos will fail to dismantle the million-dollar business.
Full story here.
Tanzanian Ladislaus Chang’a among three newly elected IPCC’s co-chairs
Tanzanian climate change expert, Ladislaus Chang’a, was Thursday elected among three new co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), alongside Hungarian Diana Urge-Vorsatz and Cuban Ramón Pichs-Madruga.
IPCC is a United Nations body that assesses the science related to climate change. Thousands of people from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC. Its assessments are crucial to the international negotiations to tackle climate change.
Dr Chang’a and his fellow co-chairs were elected during the IPCC’s 59th Session in Nairobi, Kenya. The election saw Jim Skea of the United Kingdom becoming the newly elected Chair of the IPCC, expected to lead the body through its seventh assessment cycle.
Dr Chang’a has worked in climate, meteorology and climate change since 1995, his biography on the IPCC’s website states.
Full story here.
The Chanzo scoops several journalism awards in July 2023
It’s award season, and things are looking great for The Chanzo and its journalists. So far, The Chanzo journalists have scooped four awards, and one award was dedicated to The Chanzo.
The first award was received on July 15, 2023, here The Chanzo was announced the winner of the Tanzania Digital Awards as the blog of the year, and Khalifa Said, one of The Chanzo’s co-founders and editors, was awarded best online journalist, men’s subcategory.
The Tanzania Digital Awards are organised by a public relation company Serengeti Bytes and this is the second year where The Chanzo emerged victorious.
On the other hand, on July 22, 2023, three The Chanzo journalists received the Excellence in Journalism Awards in Tanzania (EJAT) organised by the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT).
Full story here.
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