Editorial
Analysis
Talk of poverty alleviation on everyone’s lips; may
be because the economic direction warrants a nation free of poverty. The
government, which was largely responsible for the task, is now pulling out of
business.
Fortunately, the government is not leaving Tanzanians without help, which is why
it has established various organisations to take care of the people, and ensure
the fight against poverty continues.
The Small Entrepreneur Loan Facility (SELF) is a good example of such
institutions that work tirelessly to free poor Tanzanians from poverty. The
Small Industry Development Organisation (SIDO) is implementing the programme.
According to recent press reports, starting from eight regions, the programme
has now spread to 14 regions. Initially, it was operating in Singida, Dodoma,
Coast, Morogoro, Lindi and Mtwara.
More than 45 business groups comprising over 12,000 individuals have benefited
in the regions where the programme was initially implemented. The programme is
under the Vice President’s Office run by a government loan secured from the
African Development Bank.
The latest regions to come on board SELF include Mwanza, Mara, Arusha, Tanga,
Iringa, Mbeya, Kilimanjaro and Ruvuma. Experts speculate more regions will join
the programme and that it is in reality aimed at alleviating poverty.
As we have seen the benefits of SELF, it is now a responsibility for those who
are running the programme to ensure it spreads to the whole of Tanzania.
On the other hand, it would be a better idea to ensure that SELF and other
poverty alleviation programmes spread to reach the majority poor in rural areas,
where poverty is at its worst.
Stern stance on overloading commendable
Last week, we carried a lead story on the Tanzania
Road Agency (TANROADS) reaction to transporters, who have been complaining of
exorbitant charges for overloading. Actually, transporters would not be
complaining at all if they avoid overloading.
It is perfectly justified for TANROADS to impose heavy penalties for defaulters
since the government has incurred huge expenditure to build the road
infrastructure.
The Agency has no reason to listen to complaints as the roads, which are being
damaged, were built for national development.
It is heartening to note that TANROADS move has already borne fruits; the
number of vehicles found overloaded has significantly declined this year since
the inception of the Agency.
According to TANROADS Chief Executive Dr. F.Y Addo Abeid, the overloading fee
is in line with SADC region guidelines and the highest fee hitherto paid is Tsh.
25 million.
Over loading cannot be tolerated as experience shows it contributes enormously
to road destruction.
If we take the recent controversy involving the transportation of two speed
boats to Lake Victoria, it is obvious that our roads could suffer dearly, but
because the government acted tough the exercise was suspended and that was for a
good cause.
We commend TANROADS for its tough stance and its modernisation strategy that has
seen installation of surveillance cameras at Kibaha weigh bridge. Keep it up!
Analysis
Technology convergence to
boost communication
By Kizito Makoye
The end of TTCL monopoly to provide the basic voice and leased line
services on an exclusive and duopoly basis in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar,
was the subject of discussion during the stakeholders meeting took place in Dar
es Salaam last week.
It is crystal clear now that TTCL exclusive services will be phased out
effectively 22nd February 2005, as the government had already made up its mind
to liberalise provision of basic voice and leased lines and open up competition
in all segments of communications, namely international, national, regional and
district levels.
The meeting sparked a lot of deliberations and grievances among stakeholders,
especially on the post exclusivity scenario among other things. Apparently, the
government has drafted a Bill to make a framework after liberalisation. The
Bill, unfortunately, was given to stakeholders for perusal and recommendations,
just a few days ago.
Most participants were irked by the fact that they were given little time to
study the Bill, which would be tabled in the Parliament soon.
Perhaps, this was a deliberate government move to prepare the new ground to
incorporate the changes that would take place at the soonest.
A quick glance at the proposal indicates the legal framework with emphasis on
the following:
Modern technologies and suit customer expectation
Convergence of technology
Meet government objectives as shown in various policy documents
Review existing laws and regulations taking into account internet governance
Remove restrictive licensing
Reduce legal disputes
The new Bill has turned post, telecommunications and broadcasting into two
sectors i.e postal communications and electronic communications.
To the players in telecommunication, the new licensing regime which is
stipulated in the Bill may have some effects as compared to the prevailing
situation, where doors are still closed for competition.
Indeed, this is very good news not only for those telecommunications firms which
were eagerly awaiting the end of the monopoly so that they terrestrially expand
the scope of the services to a broader spectrum, but also for electronic
operators.
The e nd of TTCL monopoly is virtually a blessing for ZANTEL, which for some
time now has been salivating to roll out its services to Tanzania Mainland,
ready to compete with the would-be rivals in communications.
The disadvantage of monopoly is that the services are being provided
unilaterally irrespective of the quality and without any opponent. The new
regime hopefully might bring relief to consumers, who have been bearing a heavy
burden to access the services.
With liberalisation, the mobile phone firms too will be happy as they will be
allowed to use their own gateways for international telecom exchange.
Minister for Communications and Transport Prof. Mark Mwandosya made it clear
that liberalisation of this sector is in line with the National
Telecommunications Policy of 1997 and National Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) policy of 2003.
The policy requires the country to have an accelerated development of an
efficient telecommunications network that provide a national info-
communication infrastructure and access to present-day technologies, i.e
broadband technologies.
On the other hand, the National ICT policy (NICT) requires Tanzania to become a
hub of ICT infrastructure and ICT solutions that enhance sustainable
socio-economic development and accelerated poverty reduction, both nationally
and globally.
The liberalisation process would entail integration of technologies of
telecommunications and broadband into common digital technologies of information
and communications that allow delivery of broadband services of video, audio
text graphics and data.
This means the Internet Protocol(IP)will have more autonomy as the
traditional difference between telecommunications and broadcasting technologies
will be broken. If we put this into perspective, there will be intermingling of
technologies.
The changes which are being made in the converged licensing regime will have
some benefits including:
Save cost of running the sector
Create one-stop centre
Reduce the number of institutions
Creation of new services and opportunities
It must be understood that the convergence of technology has not been fully
realised but it is a real thing. It is good for the country to have a
forward-looking approach of addressing the convergence as technology keeps
changing.
Fighting child labour: An
uphill task in Tanzania
By Timothy Kitundu
Child labour or worse forms of child abuse are rampant globally and
it has been substantiated that poorer nations, including Tanzania, are the ones
that are heavily affected by this phenomenon and that fighting it is more
difficult.
Child labour has penetrated all sectors, and of late, it is being practised in
the guise of training. It is now a common thing to find boys aged as young as 14
years working in motor vehicle garages and construction sites.
Jacob Sabini (not his real name) is 14 years old. He completed standard seven a
year ago but his father could not afford to pay his school fees at a private
secondary school. He ended up in a motor vehicle garage, where he is now an
assistant.
Initially, the move was useful to all those who were unable to continue to the
secondary school level. However, the chores given to young assistants are
regarded hazardous even for grown-ups.
Jacob told me his father could neither send him to a vocational training centre
nor to a private secondary school because he could not afford the fees.
However, he added, his father found it cheap to take him to one of the garages
located in Magomeni area in Dar es Salaam. He paid Tsh.20,000 to the garage
owner who accepted him as a trainee. The money, he said covers the cost of
purchasing spanners.
Jacob is paid a small allowance daily but he is given chores ranging from
changing a tyre to spraying paints to the bodies of cars. The work of spray
painting is more hazardous to health as mixing colours involves the use of
solvents.
Jacob will have to stay a trainee in that garage to as long as three years
before he qualifies to be a garage worker. He is then given the option of
remaining there or looking for employment elsewhere, but the job-search is hard
because given that he has no credentials.
In order to understand the problem here, one has to take into consideration the
importance of education to all children as well as to their parents. Training,
particularly in technical fields, is very important, be it through a registered
institute or a local motor vehicle garage.
It is also worrying to note that motor vehicle repair garages and construction
sites, where boys can learn some skills to help them in their future, have been
turned into breeding areas for child labour.
It is an uphill task fighting child labour while it is taking root in areas
vital in laying lifelong foundation for young people.
Trade unions in the country have been at the forefront in the war against child
labour. Some have programmes that are being implemented, but the most intricate
point appears when it comes to demarcations.
For example, the Conservation, Hotels, Allied and Others Workers Union (CHODAWU)
and the Tanzania Plantations and Agricultural Workers Union (TPAWU) are
implementing such programmes in their respective sectors.
But the problem is; who is going to execute such programmes in informal sectors
such as the small construction sites and the local vehicle repair garages? This
adds to the difficulty of fighting child labour – making it an uphill task.
The main concern of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), therefore, is
not child work as such, but rather the fact that the work is detrimental to
children’s physical and mental development.
According to the ILO, the priorities are therefore set on hazardous forms of
work, detrimental to the safety and health of any worker, but especially of
children, who are physically and emotionally more vulnerable.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child captures this priority
in its Article 32, which provides that State parties recognise the right of the
child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work
that is likely to be hazardous.
Unless such hitches can be taken care of first, the war against child labour
will continue to be an up hill task in Tanzania. Organisations implementing such
programmes should form alliances such that child labour in the informal sector
is dealt with collectively.
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