By Damas Makangale,
Dar es Salaam
With election bells ringing and the ruling party CCM pacing the political arena up and down to coax the electorate, the naked truth that has downed is that the country’s flagship anti-poverty economic vehicle MKUKUTA is but a white elephant unlikely to deliver.
As the government is preparing the second phase of the National Strategy for Economic Growth and Reduction of Poverty, MKUKUTA, academicians and ordinary citizens have criticized the strategy as incapable of revising the current abject poverty in the country.
Dr Haji Semboja, Senior Economist and Research Fellow at the University of Dar es Salaam (told The Express in an exclusive interview that Tanzania is not poor but its people are ignorant and negligent.
“I am saying that Tanzania is not poor at all but people of this country cannot think properly how to use their natural resources,” he said.
Dr Semboja said indebted poor countries such as Tanzania cannot overcome their poverty until they learn how to effectively use their mental resources to bring about social and economic development.
He said the Government is wasting time and resources on implementation of Mkukuta, as by concentrating on the initiative’s framework, it was leaving important issues for the country’s development unattended to.
A leading economic researcher, he elaborated further that government officials were paying to much attention on how to fight malaria, while skipping most important areas for national progress.
He further noted that Mkukuta is a mere strategy on papers that was first adopted from the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP), which was created by the international community.
Dr Semboja added the international community through donors cannot assist Tanzania to overcome poverty, something that will pave the way for the country to effectively enter the global capital market.
He said donors are putting pressure on the government to concentrate on malaria, HIV/Aids and other minor issues, using the same opportunity to steal the country’s resources such as minerals.
Dr Semboja clarified the Kilimo Kwanza initiative was a clear manifestation of how the government was dilly-dallying in the fight against poverty across the country.
He said the government does not have a clear focus on its strategies in alleviating poverty situation in Tanzania. “It is a surprise that in this decade Tanzania is thinking to eradicate malaria and ignorance, while other are dwelling on industrial development,” he emphasized
Dr Semboja pointed out that higher authorities in the government should spend more time on domestic issues instead of traveling around soliciting aid.
He called upon His Excellency President Jakaya Kikwete to concentrate on sustainable exploitation of natural resources instead of seeking support from the international community.
Commenting on the same, Rogers Ipengwe from the Bank of Tanzania said Tanzania needed at least a decade of sustainable and solid economic growth to help lift the people from poverty and improve basic facilities.
He noted that this could be achieved by focusing on policy direction and increasing the pace on MKUKUTA objectives implementation.
He said Tanzania was unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, as the number of people living below the poverty line keeps increasing every year, due to poor implementation of key objectives of MKUKUTA.
Ipegwe pointed out that the 2007 Household Budget Survey (HBS) indicated that some 12.9 million Tanzanians lived below the poverty line compared to 11.4 million during the 2000 / 01 period.
“The survey points out that the MDGs for health, gender equality and hunger are lagging behind. Due to population growth rate, poverty remains overwhelming with some 83 per cent individuals living below the basic needs benchmark in rural areas as compared to urban areas,” he said.
Says the Sadick Mapezi , prominent businessman: “ Unless the government takes a change in policy direction and increase the pace of MKUKUTA implementation, objectives enshrined in the MDGs will be at risk.”
He adds: “Most of Tanzanians still depend on agriculture which is the backbone of the economy, but the survey indicated that its importance has declined because of poor implementation of some key areas of MKUKUTA.”
The HBS indicated that involvement in agriculture has declined to 57 per cent from 62 per cent in 2000 / 01 among active members (15-60 years).
The report stated that cash income continued to be largely through agricultural products, with food crops dominating, providing the main source of cash income for 40 per cent of households.
The HBS also showed that around 87 per cent of rural households were reported to own land for agriculture, slightly smaller than the proportion reported in 2000/01. The mean of the acreage of land owned in rural areas appears to have declined from 6 to 5 acres. “Ownership of specialized agriculture equipment continues to be very low as there has not been much headway in mechanism,” highlights part of the survey.
In line with shrinking land for agriculture in rural areas, livestock ownership has also declined substantially since 2000/01, following hard droughts.
Some 68 per cent of employed adults are engaged in agriculture, livestock and forestry.
According to the Premier Mizengo Pinda, the agriculture sector lacks enough investment and technical equipment, despite its importance in providing a living to a big percentage of Tanzanians.
Pinda acknowledges that more strength is needed towards boosting agriculture, especially in rural areas which area which is the focus for farming, cattle-rearing and horticulture.
“We need to develop economic policies while placing special attention on income-generating activities in rural areas that can benefit the poor,” says the premier.
According to a Dar es Salaam-based social scientist , Michael Ndumila another setback towards poverty reduction is complete lack of essential services and other crucial support in rural areas.
“Poverty continues to be rife because the progress in Tanzania’s economy has been uneven and many of the poorest citizens have seen little or no improvement in their quality of life,” he explains.
The HBS showed that poverty is strongly related to education, with the poor are still less likely to send their children to school than the affluent. “Poorest households have seen a rise in education participation rate of more than 30 percentage points between 2000/01 and 2007,” states the HBS. The survey also mentions health as another challenge where poor households remain less likely to consult doctors when sick, although they make greater use of government health services.
In addition, the poor are less-connected to the electricity grid, with the limited extension of the power grid largely benefiting the rich people.
Microsoft intervenes inTanzanian market to curb software pirates
By Moses John
Dar es Salaam
After gold the new stampede to strip Tanzania of its precious minerals has shifted to copper, with foreigners rushing in to invest in mining and smelting of the malleable metal whose ore is incredibly rich in rare, precious metals, so The Express can reveal today.
The Express is informed of the investment rush as the country continues to register more copper reserves. The sites include Mpwapwa, (Dodoma), Njombe (Iringa), Mpanda (Rukwa), Nachingwea (Lindi), Same (Kilimanjaro), Handeni (Tanga), Ludewa (Iringa), just to mention a few.
Under the initiative, the government is bound to either benefit in terms of job creation and revenue collection, or record massive losses from the would-be large scale investors currently operating under the cover of local and facilitates healthy sustainable growth.
He said commercial soft0ware is a more than US$175 billion industry By Moses John,Dar es Salaam
Computer giant Microsoft has intervened in the market to curb software piracy which is disastrously increasing in Tanzania to the detriment of users and dealers, The Express has established.
Terry Odiko, Microsoft Representative in Tanzania, confirmed that counterfeit is still affecting the Tanzanian market in different ways, because it attacks the technology of software which connects communities, drives economic development by fostering local economies worldwide that generates jobs for 2.3 million people globally.
The trade in counterfeit software hurts our honest channel partners who are just trying to earn a living.
Partners who must compete with pirates lose more than software revenue; they lose system sales and the opportunity to service those customers over the years”, said Odiko Customers who purchase counterfeit software are paying good money for inferior products that are not eligible for product updates or technical support, and which expose them to security threats such as viruses and other forms of malware.
According to Odiko, pirated software does not create jobs for students, developers and IT professionals, does not provide sources of revenue for local companies, and does not contribute to local economies; the only people getting rich from piracy are the pirates.
A 10 percentage point reduction in PC software piracy alone would deliver an additional 600,000 new jobs, $24 billion in new tax revenues, and $141 billion in economic growth worldwide, according to a January, 21008 Piracy Impact Model Study.
The Microsoft official said his company works in partnership with law enforcement agencies and private investigators both across regions and in-country, to co-operate with anti-piracy investigations as appropriate.
“Microsoft cannot send individuals to jail; we are a company, not a court of justice.
Where appropriate and on request from law enforcement or government agencies, Microsoft will work to provide courts with the evidence they need to convict those who have been manufacturing, distributing or trading in counterfeit software”.
“However, we are unable to bring criminal cases into court. We can, and do, file civil lawsuits against those who knowingly engage in illegal trade in or manufacture of Microsoft software.
The first step, however, is always to engage with the individuals in question, request they cease and desist, and only then will we move forward with litigation, if they refuse to stop,” he said.
Legal action can result in illegal traders being fined, forced to pay damages, and sent to jail. In some instances, Microsoft will settle out of court with an illegal trader.
This course of action will see the trader paying Microsoft substantial damages and ceasing all illegal trading, in the case of Tanzania, Microsoft works with the government through COSOTA.
He however said the company has many activities and investments directed at combating software counterfeiting.
This and other forms of software piracy are focused across three strategic areas, which are 1st education, where Microsoft is raising awareness among customers and resellers about the risks of counterfeit software to enable them to better protect themselves and ensure that their software licensing is in order.
Microsoft Web sites such as How to Tell, at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell provide detailed information and examples of counterfeit software. Microsoft is also working along with industry partners to make consumers aware of the increasing risks associated with acquiring and installing counterfeit software, such as exposure to critical issues and identity theft.
2nd engineering, Microsoft is continuing to invest in anti-counterfeiting technologies and product features that protect its intellectual property and alert consumers to the presence of counterfeit software.
These technologies include improvements in programs such as Windows Genuine Advantage.
3rd Enforcement, Microsoft actively supports government officials and law enforcement agencies in their actions against software counterfeiters, where he said already this year thousands of reports of counterfeit software have been filed by consumers through the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Web site.
Fibre optic technology pays off
By Damas Makangale
Dar es Salaam
TANZANIANS have started enjoying the benefits of international broadband networks based on optic fibres, which have dramatically increased internet speed while lowering cost for providers, The Express has established.
The technology was launched in Tanzanian by Seacom, an international telecoms network giant that has laid a submarine fibre optic cable under the Indian Ocean, connecting Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, India, Egypt and Djibouti.
Speaking to The Express in an interview in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, Raha.com Sales Executive Mjata Daffa said fibre optic technology has lowered Internet charges for both consumers and service providers.
He said internet providers are now buying Software Transactional Memory (STM), which is a concurrency control mechanism analogous to database transactions from Seacom at affordable price.
“The introduction of the international broadband networks based on optic cable has facilitated the growth of the communication network in the country,” he said.
Under the satellite-based system, the ISPs had to send their data to a server a satellite, before it was relayed again to London, UK, and back again to the satellite and then to the ISP, before it was finally delivered to the final consumer.
Mjata explained that the old satellite-reliant system was subject to various disturbance forces which caused stress to the data servers of the providers, thereby slowing down Internet speed.
He further noted that during satellite era 128 kilobits cost USD $ 950 per month, while the current price after fibre optics is USD $ 250. That is a noticeable 73.6 per cent drop in cost.
Mjata explained that in the satellite-based format, the cost of megabyte per second was USD $ 300 while under the fibre optics system the same size of megabytes per second cost 100.
He further noted the fibre optic also has changed the system of sharing lines, and paved the way for a module where a customer uses one line alone.
Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL), spokesperson Amanda Luhanga said the introduction of fibre optic cable has significantly changed the communication set-up in Tanzania.
She said the internet speed has increased noticeably and attracted more customers to use Internet services because the charges have also dropped.
Luhanga went on to say that fibre optic has recorded an impressive performance in communication network in terms customers increase, speed and the quality of service.
She noted that the cost of internet service has decreased in the past few months, forcing major providers to lower their fees to customers.
Luhanga said TTCL customers have started enjoying a 50 percent cut in internet charges since last year, making it the first Tanzania telecom company to lower its Internet charges.
Salim Msonda, an IT expert from Computer Centre, clarified that the fibre optics can be use by the majority of Tanzanians to facilitate their social and economic development.
“It is the fast-tracking of communication technology which can facilitate many people to participate in the Information Communication Technology,” he said.
He noted that the current system has speeded up communication in the country and will facilitate the overall growth of ICT industry.
The USD $ 600m SEACOM network, the first of its kind in East Africa whose trials started last March, was expected to lower communication costs in Tanzania 95 per cent.
TUCTA guarantees sporting bonanza
By Elias Mhegera
Dar es Salaam
THE Trades Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA) has assured participants that May Day sports will happen, as has been the recent practice.
Issuing a statement, Award Safari, secretary of the organizing committee of May Day sports nationally, said the events will take place from 16 to 20 April.
Safari said that this clarification comes in order to reassure stakeholders in their uncertainty about whether the occasion is getting off the ground.
“Let me assure you that the sports event will take place as usual, but all participating teams must send two people (chairperson and secretary) to represent them at the preparatory meeting on March 5, at the Telecommunication Workers’ headquarters in Dar es Salaam”, he said.
Safari said that the delay in issuing a statement was caused by the Conservation, Hotels, Domestic and Allied Workers’ Union’s delays, they are hosting this year’s event but have so far failed to announce where it will be happening, on a national level.
He promised that his committee will issue an official statement soon, although there are clear indications that the sports will take place in Dar es Salaam.
He advised all participants to keep in high spirits ready for the occasion, when he spoke to The Express exclusively on Sunday this week.
Safari said that sports not only help in fitness but they help in increasing co-operation between workers from various sectors.
CCJ reiterates sole target is toppling CCM
By Elias Mhegera
Dar es Salaam
THE newly-found political party, Chama Cha Jamii (CCJ) has denied claims it belongs to some political heavyweights from the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
Speaking to The Express exclusively on Tuesday, CCJ chairman Richard Kiyabo said his party was in no way an affiliate of any other existing party.
He was speaking shortly outside the office of the Registrar of Political Parties, shortly after his party was issued provisional registration .
So far, there are two schools of thought about the CCJ, one believing that the party is comprises some CCM heavyweights who operate behind the scenes, while waiting for the right moment to strike a final blow against the CCM.
Another school of thought has it that the CCJ is a hoax party belonging to the CCM, calculated to divert media attention from other existing parties particularly the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), which has turned out to be the main threat to CCM.
“Ours is neither a branch of CCM nor a hoax party, but a political party with tangible policies and programmes of action aimed to remove CCM from power,” he said.
The chairman noted that they had decided to establish a new party after realising that existing opposition fell short of basic qualities they deem essential for toppling CCM.
He noted that the decision was based on a thorough research which indicated that more than half of Tanzanians (20 million) form potential voters (franchise), but unfortunately the country has been ruled by CCM which have only four million members.
“We could not join other parties because they lack the kind of vigour that we want for a serious party, so we have decided to target the 16 million voters who do not support CCM,” he said.
Kiyabo who was accompanied by his party’s secretary general Renatus Muabhi, admitted that there are many Tanzanians who are eagerly waiting for his party’s full registration in order to join it.
As to whether his party is used by the machinery in power in order to divert attention from other existing parties, Kiyabo said that he is not interested in speaking about other parties, and it is not his prerogative to talk on what they are doing or not.
As media attention was focused on CCJ, another new party, the National Coalition for Democratic Movement (NCDM), also received provisional registration Tuesday.
NCDM Chairman Yusuph Lusato was frustrated after he realised that almost all journalists at the scene did not pay attention to his party.
A political analyst from the University of Dar es Salaam who commented on conditions of anonymity, said that there is a possibility some CCM stalwarts were behind the new party.
He said the bigwigs cannot risk exposing themselves as the political culture is not mature enough for such an action, which could jeopardise their political interests.
The registrar Tendwa said his office was ready to register any political party without any kind of restrictions provided the party adheres to the law of the land.
Tendwa said out of the 17 registered parties, some have gone for some years without any kind of registration from the grass root to the national level.
“It is a challenge to the CCJ, I do not know whether they will manage to get a full registration in time and participate in the general election, taking into consideration we have to verify their members before they get permanent registration,” he said.
However, this stance was seriously disputed by the CCJ chairman, who said his party will have completed all the required legal procedures for registering a party in a month’s time.
He said that many Tanzanians have been showing support to his party due to the fact that they want to institutionalise fundamental changes in the political modus operandi.
“Ours is an action-oriented party, we intend to show that by action within a very short time from now, let every patriotic Tanzanian join our party,” said Kiyabo confidently.
There are claims that CCJ is a product of an intra-conflict which has ravaged CCM over the last four years of President Jakaya Kikwete’ tenure.
It is argued that some CCM ujamaa loyalists have decided to defect from their party after realizing that it no long serves the interests of the poor but serves the a small clique of egoistic members.
While the internal conflict seems to subside after reconciliation committee under retired p[residents Ali Hassan Mwinyi , there are indications that the debacle might resurface during CCM nominations later this year.
Analysts predict that a good number of CCM members who will lose in the nominations will eventually jump to CCJ, favoured over other parties which most people deem ineffective.
The annual charity Goat Races clocks 10 anniversary
By Express Reporter
Tanzania’s premier fundraising event, the Goat Races will be held on Saturday 22nd May 2010 at the Green, Kenyatta Drive in Dar es Salaam. Karen Stanley, co-chair of the Goat Race Committee commented, “The aim is to raise millions of shillings for a variety of charities, as well as to provide the community with a unique, fun day out.”
Debra McCreedy, Karen’s co-chairperson, commented, “This is the biggest event of its kind in Tanzania, this year celebrating its 10th year of fundraising, so we hope to attract even more people to the races. The entrance fee is Tshs.5,000 per person, regardless of age, and tickets are only on sale on the day of the event.”
This year there are seven races run throughout the day, which involves goats galloping around a specially designed race track, cheered on by their owners and spectators. All 70 goats are now hard in training, in preparation for their big day.
The seven races this year are: 1pm - the Oryx Oil Energy Express; 1:30pm - the Ultimate Race; 2:00pm - the VodaFASTA; 3:30pm - the Kilitime Stakes; 4:00pm - the British Airways Derby; 4:30pm - the Southern Sun Fillies Frolic; and 5:00pm - the Barrick Gold Rush.
Now in their 10th year, the races have raised an impressive total of 360,8 million Tsh for charities across Tanzania. People in need from Mwanza to Karatu to Iringa and Dar es Salaam have benefited from the generosity of the race goers and support of our loyal sponsors.
Daniela Prang, Goat Race coordinator, added: “Projects must submit their proposals before the 15th March to be considered for funding this year. We hope to have an excess of 55 million Tsh to donate to organizations whose aim it is to improve the way of life of the needy through sustainable projects.” Whilst the main aim of the day is to raise money for charity, everyone has a chance to win some money by betting on the races themselves.