(In order to make this section as interesting and representative as possible we welcome contributions from readers. If you see a mention of Tanzania in the journal, magazine or newspaper you read, especially if you live overseas or travel outside the UK/Tanzania, please send us the relevant item together with the name and date of the publication. We greatly value the many contributions we receive for this section of TA. – Editor)

Judith Melby writing in CHRISTIAN AID NEWS (Summer 2008) gave her view that Tanzania was not getting the financial returns it should be getting at the Geita Gold Mine: Extracts:
‘When Tanzania entered into contracts with mining companies in the 1990s, the World Bank was urging governments to develop private investments and provide incentives to attract foreign capital. Peter Kafumu, Commissioner for Minerals, says negotiating with the mining companies and their experienced lawyers was intimidating, and likened it to facing a traditional African weapon: “The companies are holding a panga by the handle and we are getting the sharp end.” Instead of reaping the rewards of a bonanza, Tanzania has lost hundreds of millions of pounds because the royalties levied on extracted gold are so low and mining companies have reportedly minimised their tax liability by inflating their losses.

AngloGold Ashanti’s (AGA) mine in Geita, one of Africa’s biggest open-cast mines, produced 308,000 ounces of gold in 2006 but AGA would only start paying corporation tax in 2011- 11 years after starting operations. Yet the company’s own annual reports showed that it made operating profits of US$93million from Geita between 2002 and mid-2007.

The residents of Geita had little to show for AGA’s gold boom. The town has few paved roads and intermittent electricity, and water is still drawn from wells. The town’s population has exploded from 20,000 to 120,000 as men flock there in search of work. Geita District Hospital was built in 1956 and probably has not seen much upgrading since. It is busy, with about 250 outpatients a day and 160 inpatients. Many wards have two patients to a bed…..’

‘Tanzania’s Environment Body Gets Tough on Developers.’ This is the heading of an article in the EAST AFRICAN (June 16) explaining that the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has warned that development projects of almost all kinds must undertake environmental impact studies before launching projects. The Council stated its intention to take stern measures against any violations of the environmental law.

Vicky Ntetema writing in the July issue of the BBC’s FOCUS ON AFRICA explained how even Tanzania’s middle classes were now feeling the pinch as the prices of the main staple foods had gone up two fold in the past few months to 80 cents for a kilo of maize and $1 for a kilo of rice. The article quotes the case of 49-year-old pharmacist Joyce Mwasha who is fairly well paid, earning $700 a month at the city’s main hospital. Her husband is a forestry expert and together they can afford to send their son and daughter to boarding school. But they have noticed other price increases: meat is now $3 a kilo; it is $10 for a chicken and a kilo of cassava flour now costs 80 cents. She also has to spend between $60 and $100 on transport to work each month.

A highly-competitive student competition with £24,000 of prize money for the best ‘Big Idea’ (sponsored by the TIMES) attracted more than 1,000 entries from 68 universities around world. The paper reported that the winner was John Tilleman, the co-founder of ‘Solar Oven Systems’ which had developed a simple solar oven made from a piece of reflective plastic folded into a cone. Tilleman was reported to be in Tanzania to investigate the concept. He was hoping to use solar power to reduce deforestation – Thank you M. Anderson for sending this item – Editor.

According to EAST AFRICAN BUSINESS WEEK (February 25) data now being acquired in off-shore Tanzania has shown that it is possible that commercial production of petroleum oil and gas could be achieved as early as 2012. According to Dr. Philip Nelson, the Director of Petrodel Resources Ltd which has licences in Latham and Kimbiji there have been signs of “flat spots” and “bright spots” which are widespread in the seismic data from Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta. These ‘spots’ are fundamental to the discovery, development, and production of oil and gas he said. Petrodel began its survey in February to collect seismic data. The company expected to begin similar surveys at the offshore sector in Tanga later – Thank you Keith Lye for sending this and other items -Editor.

AFRICA REPORT published in its April issue a list of the top 500 companies in Africa. Way out ahead at the top of the list is Sonatrach, an Algerian hydrocarbon company which is followed by South Africa’s Old Mutual insurance company. The only Tanzanian company on the list – at number 275 – is Vodafone Telecoms. 37 of the top 50 companies in the list are in South Africa.

The EAST AFRICAN (April 21) reported that the Olympic torch had arrived in Dar es Salaam from Argentina on the night of 12th April (see last issue of TA). The torch had a trouble free journey through the Tanzanian capital, the only African leg of the flame’s journey to Beijing. The 25 kilometre route had to be scaled down to five kilometres because of heavy rains that had pounded the city and flooded several sections of the rally route. The paper said that it was, to all intents and purposes, an all-Chinese affair as Chinese citizens working in East Africa turned up at the airport and lined the streets. Only a small crowd of Tanzanians were there at the periphery.

DEVELOPMENTS, published by the UK’s DIFID, highlighted in its Issue 4 of 2008 what it described as an unprecedented joint venture between the Japanese giant Sumitomo Chemical and A-Z Textiles in Arusha (see cover photo TA 0). Sumitomo are the creators of the ‘Olyset’ anti mosquito net – the first long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets which are guaranteed to last for at least five years. They never need re-treatment, are virtually tear-proof and can be washed up to 20 times while remaining effective. The non-toxic insecticide is contained within the fibre, not coated on the outside. The Arusha factory is now one of Tanzania’s largest employers with approximately 3,200 staff, mostly women – Thank you John Sankey for sending this – Editor.

‘Eco philanthropists are now buying up vast tracts of East Africa with little interest in commercial gain. Will this be the generation to rescue Africa’s wildlife and offer affluent consumers a true wilderness experience?’ This was the subject of an article in the FINANCIAL TIMES on 17th May by Lucia van der Post in which she described an ‘African miracle’ taking place in the north-west corner of the Serengeti. Extracts: ‘Just six years ago, this vital Western corridor of the reserve was a dismal hunting block with badly controlled hunting and poaching by the desperately poor population. It had now been transformed so that all its 346,000 acres were flourishing again under the beneficent eye of Wall Street fund manager Paul Tudor Jones. He has turned the area into ‘Singita Grumeti Reserves’ and made it one of the most sensationally luxurious safari destinations in Africa…. It has created jobs for some 600 people, offered educational scholarships and founded small businesses for neighbouring residents, to bring to this corner of Tanzania something of the prosperity that eco-tourism has brought to other places….. Nobody has any illusions that this eco-tourism can ever be made to pay its way. Keeping the costs down is the most that they are aiming for. Tudor Jones is rumoured to have poured some £45 million into the project and any future profit is to be directed to the ‘Grumeti Fund’ which helps villagers to set up small enterprises –Thank you Debbie Simmons for this – Editor.

A fun event reported in the WANTAGE HERALD (3rd July) comprised 20 specially created scarecrows scattered around the village of East Hagbourne and followed the heroes, heroines and villains theme of a church fete. It attracted a lot of attention. The objective was to raise funds to equip a hospital plus solar panels and equipment for schools in Liuli, Tanzania – Thank you Geoffrey Stokell for sending this – Editor.

The EAST AFRICAN (16th June) quoted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List as describing a ‘grim’ roll-call of endangered species of birds around the world. Among the 1,226 species now threatened are the Sokoke Scops owls which feed mostly on insects such as beetles in the forests of coastal Kenya. But the birds are also found in the Usambara Mountains where a few hundred birds are still thought to reside. Global warming is affecting the bird population through long-term drought and sudden extreme weather which disrupts the natural environment of the birds.

On Sunday 13 April six Maasai Warriors ran the Flora London Marathon to raise funds for a lean water supply for their community in Eluai Village, Monduli Juu. Nguru, Lengamai, Kesika and Ninna completed the race in 5 hours 24 minutes alongside Paul Martin of Greenforce. Isaya, their leader, became ill halfway through the race and was taken to hospital as a precaution accompanied by Taico. The next day, determined to complete the race, Isaya and Taico returned to where they had dropped out and ran the remaining 14 miles, crossing the finish line in a total running time of 4 hours 45 minutes. It was then announced that they had achieved the target of £60,000 and the figure is still growing. The Warriors were supported by various BTS members including Aseri Katanga, Abubakar Faraji and their children, John and Peter Leonhardt, Trevor Jaggar and Liz and Ron Fennell – see BTS Newsletter for more

President Bush’s visit to Tanzania in February received widespread international coverage. For example, the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (February 18) reported that President Bush had signed a 5 year $698 million new aid package for Tanzania. In Arusha President Kikwete spoke about Barack Obama and the excitement of the American presidential election. “The US is going to get a new President. Whoever it is, for us, the most important thing is, let him be as good a friend of Africa as President Bush has been.”
US president Bush at a health centre near Arusha
At a joint press conference in Dar es Salaam President Bush said “America doesn’t work with thieves” and added: “The decision to back Tanzania’s efforts to fight poverty has been prompted by President Kikwete’s stand against corruption.” President Bush described Mr Kikwete as a “smart and role model leader in Africa.”

Security was extremely tight during the visit. US security officials camped on the roof a one of the buildings in the State House complex and sniffer dogs were roaming the State House grounds. President Bush arrived in a massive bullet proof limousine which was equipped to fend off heat-seeking bombs from more than 100 metres. Some of the security guards took time off in Arusha in the evening to visit the Greek Club. On the way back to their hotel they were mugged!
President Bush summed up the visit by saying: “It was very moving for us racing through the streets of Dar es Salaam to see thousands of people there greeting us. I really do want to extend my thanks.” President Kikwete gave Mr Bush a stuffed leopard and lion and Mr Bush gave Mr Kikwete a pair of basketball star Shaquille O’Neil’s athletic shoes. In April the US said it would increase the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) assistance to Tanzania by an additional $303m, bringing the total amount contributed to over $817m. Again in April they gave some $2.3 million to strengthen smallholder horticultural export market linkages for high value vegetables – Thank you Christine Lawrence and Elsbeth Court for sending parts of the above and Ron Blanche for sending another part from Singapore – Editor.

The London GUARDIAN WEEKLY REVIEW (February 29) wrote: ‘Never mind the bubonic plague, or T.B. or Aids, no disease in the history of the human species has caused more sickness or death and no disease has proved harder to defeat than malaria. It destroyed armies during the first and second world wars and counts among its illustrious victims Alexander the Great, Dante, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Oliver Cromwell and Lord Byron. Meanwhile in Tanzania Shadrack Nuru, a nine months old baby in Bagamoyo, is one of 340 babies who are part of a newly energised global campaign to defeat this tenacious killer. They are participating in clinical trials which are under way to test the efficacy of the most promising malaria vaccine yet devised. Half of the babies have been injected with the prototype vaccine known as RTS.S and half with a control vaccine.

Shadrack, because he is at the centre of a major international research project, has a much higher chance of surviving than the average baby in the country where local doctors estimate that more than 100,000 chil- dren died from malaria in 2007. The cash for the project has come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Salim Abdullah, who heads the Bagamoyo Research Centre, was quoted as saying: “I believe we are the first generation in human history with a serious chance of beating malaria. But I would not have dreamt of saying such a thing 10 years ago when we were alone, neglected and unfunded – Thank you Sister Lucia CSP for sending this – Editor.

BIRDS, the publication of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, indicated in its May/July issue the concern being expressed by people from Lake Natron regarding a proposed new soda ash plant. This is said to threaten the only breeding site of the African Rift Valley’s millions of lesser flamingos – among the world’s most sensational wildlife experiences. The Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators was quoted as saying: ‘Over and above tour operators’ losses, the country will lose in terms of employment, taxes and the economic trickle-down effect.’ The scheme is a joint venture between the government and Tata Chemicals of India. A spokesman for Tata was quoted as saying “It could well be that this project is impossible to carry out without significant risk to the survival of the lesser flamingo, but that point, in our opinion, has not yet been reached.” Representations about the issue have been made to the parliamentary Committee on the Environment in Dar. Thank you Robert Wise for this – Editor.

The NEW SCIENTIST (19th April) wrote: ‘Despite being one of the world’s poorest countries, Tanzania has become a role model in how to reach global targets for reducing death rates of children and mothers – putting most of its poor African neighbours to shame. So says the World Health Organisation which reported that, of the 68 nations that account for 97 per cent of the world’s childhood and maternal deaths, only 16 are on track to meet millennium development goals in children under five by two thirds and maternal deaths by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015. Between 1999 and 2004 Tanzania increased the annual amount spent on health care per citizen from $4.70 to $11.70. No other African government matched this. As a result child mortality fell by 11 per cent between 2000 and 2005 and Tanzania should be able to reach its target’ – Thank you Keith Lye for this and many other contributions – Editor.

An article in DEVELOPMENTS Issue 41 under the title ‘Net Benefit’ reported on an unprecedented joint venture to protect against malaria between the Japanese giant Sumitomo Chemical and A-Z Textiles based in Arusha. Sumitomo are the creators of the Olyset net which is guaranteed to last at least five years; it never needs re-treatment; its polythene technology makes it virtually tear-proof so it can be washed up to 20 times and still remain effective; its control – release technology enables the non-toxic insecticide to be contained within the fibre, not coated on the outside; it has a quadruple insecticide effect on mosquitoes – bite inhibition, repellency, knockdown and kill. Started in 2004, production has now reached 10 billion nets a year. Some 3,200 people, mostly women, have gained employment.

Kate Elsheby, writing in the April issue of NEW AFRICAN described a visit to ‘the mesmerising, yet little-known Katavi National Park in south-west Tanzania. There are more hippos than anywhere else in Africa. The park receives only 1,200 visitors each year in contrast to the Ngorongoro crater which recorded a record 375 cars on one day alone in August 2007. The animals at Katavi are completely wild and not like other parks where they are used to vehicles and sit watching like moody, camera-weary models. During the dry season Katavi’s crocodiles display behaviour unique to this area which resulted in the National Geographic Society coming out to film them in 2007. The crocodiles slither into caves along the riverbanks to hibernate: lying still, their heart beats slow to two beats per minute, and they remain like this for up to six weeks….’

The ANTIQUE TRADE GAZETTE (November ‘07) reported that the first European credited with successfully climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was Hans Horst Meyer. He eventually reached the summit on his third attempt; On his first he was defeated by deep snow and ice; on the second he was taken prisoner during the Abushiri revolt. In 1891 he published a book on his climbing and this book was recently put up for auction at Christie’s. Gallerie Minerva of Zurich bid £4,200 for it – Thank you John Sankey for sending this – Editor.

The EAST AFRICAN in its March 31 issue devoted two pages to the person it described as ‘Tanzania’s one-man backbench.’ It wrote: ‘Zitto Kabwe, the MP for Kigoma, is at the face of a new breed of young politicians who have lit up the public imagination by incessantly questioning authority and crusading against corruption.’ It went on: ‘Tanzanian society itself is in a state of ferment. For the first time, public pressure is mounting on leaders to account for their actions. And nowhere has this pressure for change been more evident than in Parliament where Kabwe and company have emerged as voices for reform and probity. He represents the new breed of radical nyerereist MP’s who have risen up to revive Nyerereism as an ideology of simplicity and the rejection of the empty worship of wealth…..the man has forced the government to start looking afresh at lopsided mining contracts that Tanzania has signed with multinational mining companies over the years. What CCM bigwigs did not realise was that Kabwe is riding the crest of a wave of popular resentment of mining companies because the people were perceived as not getting a fair share of the revenue from the expanding gold exports…. Kabwe is a trained Trade Economist…. At university he was suspended twice following a student strike…he joined the CHADEMA party in 1993 AND is now Deputy Secretary General. He say he will not contest the next election because he wants to undertake further studies but he is under strong party pressure to change his mind.

The NEW INTERNATIONALIST (October ’07) reported that a number of falconers in the United Arab Emirates have been in negotiations to lease land from the Hadzabe tribe, who dwell near Lake Eyasi and are one of the oldest indigenous groups on the planet. The Hadzabe apparently do not object provided they can continue to co-exist on the land. However, the article says, the Tanzanian government plans to take them off the land and relocate them in ‘shanty towns’ “Their right to their land and their way of life is under threat and protest is gathering worldwide” Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Head of the UAE Falconers Club, is being petitioned to intervene in the case by falconers and also to help to see that the Hadzabe are treated with respect – Thank you Sister Lucia CSP for sending this – Editor.

The FINANCIAL TIMES published on 7th November an excellent six page supplement on Tanzania.
In a detailed analysis of President Kikwete’s performance since he took office two years ago it said that he had yet to prove that he can build significant new successes on the achievements of his predecessors. The article went on: ‘Some say that ministers imposed on him by CCM elders are dragging him down or that the money men behind the party are blocking reform…. A deeper explanation is that Tanzania lacks political accountability. People in power are isolated from the masses. One manifestation of the problem is corruption……’ In its criticism of the agriculture sector the paper wrote that the delicate matter of land reform remained a deterrent to big agricultural investors. ‘The sector has attracted only about five per cent of new investment since 1980…. In Parliament the opposition is increasingly vocal in its criticisms but, as 63% of MPs are from the CCM, parliament still functions as a rubber- stamp institution.’ Writing about the thriving gold mining sector it noted that the sector paid $28 million in taxes annually from 1997 to 2006 but this was only the equivalent of half the contributions by the country’s biggest beer company. Continue reading →

NEW AFRICAN in its May issue included an interview under the heading ‘Jakaya Kikwete – SADC cannot abandon Zimbabwe.’ The first question was: “You have been to Europe twice in recent months. Did Zimbabwe come up in your discussions with European leaders?” Reply: “Oh yes. Everywhere. The US, Europe, the Nordic countries. Zimbabwe is a big story of huge interest. There is a lot of dissatisfaction in Europe and beyond on what is going on in Zimbabwe and they see President Mugabe as some kind of devil. They think that we in Africa should have done something to have him removed….. But we have been saying: fine, you can condemn when something is not going right but our approach has been to say let’s talk about the issues”. Continue reading →

According to the Kenyan NATION a Tanzanian held in connection with the US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998 has apologised to victims. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani (33) told a US military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on March 17 that he did not know about the bombing and was sorry for assisting the bombers. But he denied charges that he bought a lorry used to deliver the Dar embassy bomb. Continue reading →