Self-sufficiency shown by general decline in imported goods - BoT
Implications of African Caribbean Pacific and European Union cooperation
Young Tanzanian
picked to attend development youth conference in Scotland
Economist sees need for
tapping into the informal economy
By Angela Mazula
After the good performance of Tanzania’s economy of late, the challenge ahead is
to bring millions of people in the country’s informal sector into the formal
sector, a senior economist has said.
Nikumbuka Shimwela, Chief Executive Officer of Kaput Company Limited, an
economic and business consulting firm, said this during a discussion of
businesspersons brainstorming different issues, organised by Vodacom.
“The economy is right on track, but we have to bring on board millions in the
informal sector, who are marginalised, to play their role effectively,” he said.
He said that the Gross Domestic Product growth rate reached 6.3 per cent as at
December 2004, while inflation was down to 4.2 per cent.
“This is quite a commendable achievement, if we look at where we came from 10
years ago, when inflation rate stood at 35 per cent and economic growth rates
were very low,” he said, attributing the trend to bold reforms that the
government had started to implement from the mid-1980s.
He said the way forward was to ensure efficiency in the money market,
maintaining low and stable inflation rates, improving credit accessibility to
the private sector and the formalisation of the informal sector.
“In Tanzania, we have cattle, land and property worth billions of shillings but
have regarded them as useless for lack of relevant documents,” he said.
“This is also the case for millions of people, who are legally regarded as not
in existence for lack of documents like birth certificates and physical
residential addresses,” he explained.
He said there was huge economic potential in the undocumented assets. The
challenge ahead is to bring them into the mainstream through what he termed as
‘paperisation and title-ing.’
Bar-workers exploited and
exposed to HIV
By Angela Mazula
Bar owners have been urged to increase the salaries for barmaids and attendants,
as a means of improving their employees’ lives. Such a move could also prevent
the spread of HIV/AIDS infections.
Hussein Luambo, Chairman of Makangarawe Local government, told The Express
recently that bar-owners should provide a forum in which they could come
together with attendants and barmaids to air their grievances openly.
He explained that it was vital that barmaids be guided on safety measures
against becoming victims of HIV.
Mary Anthony, a bar attendant said that many of them were drawn into illicit and
multiple sex relations for the sake of getting money to supplement their
extremely low salaries.
She added that normally a barmaid is paid between Tsh. 10,000 and Tsh. 20,000
per month, depending on the employer and the bar manager.
Mary stressed that barmaids should insist on the use of condoms because they are
the ones who are going to suffer later for being infected.
Irene Andrew, a barmaid at Magomeni, said barmaids often lack employee
contracts, and are being penalized for petty accidents like breaking glasses,
for which replacement costs were deducted from their meagre pay.
Stop fiddling
the accounts then you’ll get subsidies – R C
By Sebastian Gabunga, Mwanza
Mwanza City Council and Sengerema District Council are the only councils in
Mwanza Region that have fulfilled the conditions required, and have qualified
for subsidies from the Central Government with regard to development purposes,
for the financial year 2005/06.
Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Daniel ole Njoolay, said this when speaking on the
problems confronting district councils, which were causing them to fail to
secure clean inspection certificates. He said the councils that failed to fulfil
the required conditions were denying their people an opportunity of receiving
funds.
He applauded Mwanza City Council, the only council to receive clean inspection
certificates for four years. “Only Mwanza City Council has managed to obtain
clean inspection certificates for four consecutive years, but the state of other
councils is unsatisfactory and that is appalling,” Njoolay said.
He directed other councils to take into consideration all set conditions,
including keeping proper account books yearly, in order to be awarded clean
inspection certificates, which will enable them receive subsidies from the
Central Government for the development of the people.
Self-sufficiency shown by general decline in imported goods - BoT
By Timothy Kitundu
The Bank of Tanzania has revealed that during January 2005, the decrease in all
categories of imports is shown by the fact that they amounted to US$ 154.8
million (Tsh. 155 billion), compared with US$ 208.8 million (Tsh. 209 billion)
in the previous month.
The February monthly economic review indicates that total capital goods imports
declined by 24.7 per cent, on account of a decrease in machinery imports
particularly of computers and mechanical appliances.
The review shows that consumer goods imports dropped by 36.7 per cent, as a
result of a decline in the importation of maize following an improvement in food
supply in the country.
According to the document, during the period under review, merchandise imports
went up by 13.5 per cent to US$ 2,251.1 million (Tsh. 2,252 billion), as a
result of a rise in the demand for certain consumer good imports.
The increase in importation of certain capital goods was largely associated with
the expansion in manufacturing, mining and tourist activities.
The statistics indicate that the manufacturing sector has been growing
progressively, from 5 per cent in 2001 to 8.1 per cent in 2003 and is set to
grow further in 2004 and 2005.
The wholesale and retail trade, restaurant and hotel sector grew by more than 16
per cent over the same period.
The surge in consumer goods imports from US$ 583.7 million (Tsh. 584 billion) in
the preceding year to US$ 743.1 million (Tsh. 744 billion) in the reporting
period was largely attributed to a significant increase in importation of food
particularly other cereals (not maize).
During the year, a total of 836,867 tonnes of cereals were imported compared to
807,987 tonnes imported in the preceding year.
Implications
of African Caribbean Pacific and European Union cooperation
By Angela Mazula
Non-State Actors based in Zanzibar will be informed about the Cotonou Agreements
and its applicability, in order to discuss Economic Partnership Agreement and
its implications to Tanzania, and engagement in the policy processes regarding
the African Caribbean Pacific organization and the European Union.
Speaking to The Express Tuesday this week, Zitto Kabwe, Project Manager of
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, said that this will be discussed in Zanzibar on
Saturday during a two-day workshop.
He said, the workshop will finalise the issue of EPA to NSAs and make them aware
of what is going between the ACP and theEU.
He added that the capacity to adapt and adjust their economies to the
liberalisation processes which would constrain and challenge the ACP states, is
to initiate the establishment of a unique and innovative free trade agreement
with the EU, that addresses development concern.
He said that the future of East African Cooperation is envisaged in the East
African Cooperation Development Strategy, where political cooperation is said to
be “a foundation for cooperation in the economic, social culture and security
fields.”
He said the objectives of the cooperation between Tanzania and Zanzibar are the
reactivation of the political cooperation, and the promoting of peace, security
and good neighbourliness and political federation.
He added that, due to achieving the goals of East African political cooperation,
some measures have to be taken, such as introducing an East African standard
travel document; but the East African flag is now in place, and the customs
union is now under implementation.
He said that ACP countries have structured the negotiations around market
access, agriculture, service, development issues, trade related issues and legal
issues, but the EU concentrate particularly on agriculture, development issues
and reform of the World Trade Organization rules.
However “A new set of legislation and regulatory mechanism must be enacted by
ACP states, and that this translates into a huge financial technical and
financial burden to these countries, and it has been argued that multilateral
discipline in these areas should enhance global trade,” he said.
Civil Society
Organizations should be recognised by the EAC
By Timothy Kitundu
The East African Community Secretariat, in conjunction with the GTZ (German),
will host a two-day regional workshop for civil society organizations in East
Africa today and tomorrow, at the Arusha International Conference Centre.
According to a statement issued by the EAC, the Secretary General of the EAC,
Amanya Mushega, is expected to give a keynote address to the workshop, whose
theme is: Civil Society mobilization for effective participation in the EAC.
According to the statement, the workshop will be attended by senior
policy-makers in the NGOs/civil society organizations from the partner states,
and by officials from the Ministries responsible for the registration of civil
society organizations and regional cooperation.
Although the EAC process of regional integration originally did not accommodate
civil society participation, many NGOs in the region followed closely the
deliberations of the initial process. In 1996, the NGO community had already
indicated that the EAC integration process had failed to recognize the role of
civil society.
“Recognizing the urgency of being heard and of influencing the regional
integration process, the East African NGOs met and formed a coalition with the
aim of directly influencing the formation of the new EAC, and urged it to
recognize the role of NGOs in poverty eradication, justice and social equity,
the promotion and protection of human rights,” reads part of the statement.
The NGO Coalition of East Africa (NGOCEA) was therefore established in October
1996 as an umbrella organization for national NGO networks from Kenya, Uganda
and Tanzania.
One of the main reasons for the formation of NGOCEA was to monitor closely the
integration process and public accountability. To achieve this goal, NGOCEA
presented a preliminary memorandum to the East African Community (EAC), which
recommended that the EAC Draft Treaty provisions include a mention of civil
society organizations, and give a definite role to non-state actors in the
regional integration process.
The statements adds that only four East African Associations have been granted
observer status by the EAC namely; the East African Business Council, the East
African Trade Union Council , the East African Centre for Constitutional
Development and the East African Magistrates’ and Judges Association.
The forthcoming regional workshop for the civil society organizations is
therefore part of the EAC Secretariat’s mandate, of providing a forum for
consultations between the private sector, civil society organisations and other
interest groups, as enshrined in Article 127 (4) of the Treaty for the
Establishment of the East African Community.
Farmers turn
richer thanks to ICT tips
By Sebastian Gabunga, Magu
Growers of food and cash crops in Magu District, Mwanza Region, have said that
the existence of information and communication technology in Magu District has
enabled them to access market information and sell their products at better
prices.
They said this during a one-day workshop, organized by SWOPnet-Mwanza Branch,
held at the Centre for Crops Marketing Bureau (CROMABU) which is in Magu town.
Elias Lumashi, a farmer, said before CROMABU was established, he was growing
millet on a subsistence level only as he thought it had no market. After CROMABU
started searching for markets and providing information about various crop
prices to farmers in villages, suddenly he discovered that millet had a market.
Before that, he said, he was also selling rice to businessmen at a throw-away
price. But after acquiring market information and various crop statistics, he
could sell his rice at a good price.
Another farmer, Marietha Lugata, said that thanks to ICT she got a good market
for her tomatoes at Sirari in Tarime District, where she could sell a basket of
tomatoes for Tsh. 10,000 instead of the Tsh. 5,000 she would obtain at Magu town
markets.
Chairman of the CROMABU Board of Directors, Hirnoy Barmeda, said the centre had
been officially established in 2001, with the aim of enabling farmers to have
access to market information and crop prices from various parts of the country,
through SWOPnet.
Young
Tanzanian picked to attend development youth conference in Scotland
By Timothy Kitundu
A local youth development worker, Donnasian Ishenda from Dar es Salaam, will
join some of the world’s young activists in the field of sustainable
development, in Scotland under the sponsorship of BP.
BP has pledged £30,000 for a travel-scholarship fund for international
delegates, and Ishenda is one of the lucky thirty-seven delegates to receive the
funding.
Yvonne Macfarlane, BP Public Relations Head, said through a statement to The
Express by BP Tanzania, that the third World Youth Congress aims at promoting
the role young people can play in poverty eradication, peace, equality and
environmental issues.
“The congress, to be held in Scotland from 30 July to 8 August, will provide a
forum for 600 like-minded youngsters from all over the world, to come together
to share their expertise and skills, spread best practice and improve links with
young people in other countries as well as development agencies,” reads part of
the statement.
The statement quoted Ishenda as saying, “When I heard BP is one of the main WYC
2005 sponsors I was very hopeful and happy, knowing that many young people will
get the scholarship needed to attend the event”
Delegates will prepare a policy document to present to the United Nations
General Assembly, that will recommend how governments can better target
resources to improve the world we live in.Tim Smith, Communications & External
Affairs Manager, BP Exploration, said that BP is proud to support the World
Youth Congress 2005. The themes of the congress – youth, sustainability, human
rights, education, health, poverty, and community – sit well with BP’s values.
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