In a significant milestone of rural transformation, the Rural Energy Agency (REA) has successfully electrified 98 per cent of all villages across the country. Such great stride in the energy sector is in line with the ruling party CCM’s 2020-2025 Election Manifesto, which directs the government to supply electricity to all streets and villages by 2025. With one year ahead to the deadline, the sixth phase government under President Samia Suluhu Hassan is on track to beat the envisioned goal of connecting all villages with electricity infrastructure, which is critical in elevating citizens’ living standard. The REA Director of Rural Electrification, Engineer Jones Olotu told the ‘Daily News’ in an exclusive interview in Dar es Salaam recently that as of July this year the power agency connected with electricity a total of 12,031 villages, equivalent to 98 per cent of all villages. He said currently, only 287 villages are not connected...

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has called on Tanzanians to diligently pay their taxes, saying that tax revenues are crucial for funding national development projects. Speaking during a stopover in Tunduma Town, Songwe Region, on her way to Dodoma after concluding her tour in Rukwa, President Samia highlighted the government’s dependence on tax collections for initiatives and infrastructure projects. “Everything the government does, and what you want it to do, relies on tax revenue. At time we even need to seek international funding to supplement these resources,” she said. She acknowledged occasional inefficiencies in tax collection but assured the public that these issues are being addressed and rectified. The tax revenue in Tanzania was reported at 11.47 per cent of GDP in 2023, down from 11.6 per cent in 2022 and below the sub-Saharan Africa average of 14.2 per cent, according to the World Bank. In her address to the people...

Zanzibar — The Administration of Shandong Province of China has shown interest in investing in various development areas in the isles. The delegation led by the Vice-Chairman of Shandong Province Mr Zhang Xinwen expressed the interest when they met President Hussein Mwinyi at the State House. President Mwinyi invited the investors to invest in various areas including the blue economy sector. “We still have many areas including opportunities in fishing, tourism, sea transport and agriculture and the government guarantees security and good environment of investing and doing business with improved infrastructures,” Dr Mwinyi said. He explained that the people of Zanzibar are proud of the existing strong Zanzibar-China historical relation that has enabled medical personnel from China including Shandong province to serve in Zanzibar for many years. “We thank China government and medical personnels for the ongoing support in improving healthcare in the Islands of Zanzibar, providing services in various hospitals,”...

MUHIMBILI National Hospital-Mloganzila has become the first public hospital in the country to introduce a new service for treating skin diseases using advanced laser technology. MNH-Mloganzila Deputy Executive Director, Dr Julieth Magandi said this during a press briefing on the official launch of the service held at the hospital on Wednesday. “We thank our colleagues from South Korea for helping us to provide training on how to use laser technology to treat various skin diseases. Now our specialists are fully capable of providing these services,” added Dr Magandi. Dr Magandi further mentioned that the hospital has specialists who are highly skilled in dermatology, along with modern medical equipment available at the facility, which ensures efficiency in service delivery. She said the diseases treatable with laser include the removal of acne scars, skin diseases and tattoo removal because of the availability of modern types of equipment and professional dermatology doctors. On...

Arusha — THE COMESA-EACSADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement, will come into force tomorrow, following the attainment of the required threshold. The entry into force of the agreement follows the depositing of instrument of ratification by Angola on June 25th this year that made the total number of the instruments of ratification deposited to be 14, the number which enables the agreement to enter into force. According to a press statement released by the Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Mr Simon Owaka, for the agreement to take effect, at least 14 out of the 29 partner states needed to deposit their Instruments of Ratification. It was further disclosed that the matter was announced during the 37th Tripartite Task Force meeting which took place on July 20th this year on the sidelines of the 6th African Union Mid-Year Coordination meeting in Accra, Ghana....

COAST REGION — DEPUTY MINISTER of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Khamis Hamza Khamis, has called for an immediate halt to all human activities within the newly designated Rufiji, Kibiti, Mafia, Kilwa (RUMAKI) Biosphere Reserve. These activities include tree cutting, grazing, and charcoal production. Speaking at a public meeting in Ikwiriri, Rufiji District, during the official launch of the reserve, Khamis emphasized the need to protect the environment in these critical areas now recognized internationally as part of the World Biosphere Network. “Effective immediately, all harmful human activities such as illegal fishing, grazing, tree cutting, and charcoal production must cease in these protected zones. Continuation of these activities threatens the environment and the biodiversity within these areas,” he stated. He said RUMAKI being upgraded to a Biosphere Reserve means it is now connected to the World Biosphere Network. “Our country continues to excel in environmental conservation, with...

THE Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX) announced on Tuesday that it will commence trading cashew nuts and pigeon peas this season, following a successful four-year trial period. Mr. Prince Philemon, TMX’s Finance and Management Officer, told the ‘Daily News’ here on Tuesday that after conducting successful trials, the exchange will include these two crops starting from August. “Following the introduction of sesame last month in Mtwara, cashew nuts and pigeon peas will now also be featured on the exchange,” Mr. Philemon stated. During the sesame auction from last month to midthis month, a total of 27,550 tonnes were traded, amounting to a transaction value of 80bn/- . The auctions, conducted across Mtwara, Masasi, and Nanyumbu under the Mtwara, Masasi, and Nanyumbu Agricultural Cooperative Union (MAMCU), showed increasing prices in each of the six sessions. Sesame prices ranged from a high of 3,570/- per kilogramme to a low of 3,350/- per kilogramme,...

A new digital application has been launched in Dar es Salaam to address digital divide in health in the country’s health sector. The TanzMED App uses an interactive chat bot driven by artificial intelligence where a user has an opportunity to interact with our doctors. “User can even use a video call to talk to our medical experts on various medical issue and where necessary, a patient is directed to the nearest hospital where on arrival, he or she will find their appointment ready booked and therefore get attended quickly,” Mtaka Nyoni, founder and Chief Executive Officer of TanzMED said at a launching ceremony held in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. TanzMED and its features are available in Swahili language while using AI called Dr Amina who uses a Chabot-style format on giving medical advice and there after recommends next step in their medical care said Nyoni...

A total of 33,998 candidates have been shortlisted for various vacancies announced by the Tanzania Police Force. Of the shortlisted candidates, 31,930 are from Tanzania Mainland and 2,068 from Zanzibar. According to information published on the Police Force website and shared on the Force’s official social media platforms on Monday, the interviews will be conducted over 14 days, from July 29 to August 11, 2024. The list, seen by the Daily News Digital, shows that Dodoma Region is leading with 3,051 applicants who have completed Form Four and Form Six, followed by Arusha (2,957), Mwanza (1,948), Temeke (1,577), and Kilimanjaro (1,426). Areas with the fewest candidates are Rufiji (134), Tarime (127), and Songwe (374). ALSO READ: TIOB addresses youth unemployment In the Mainland, the list shows that 2,238 out of 31,930 candidates hold degrees, diplomas, and certificates, while 29,692 are Form Four and Form Six leavers. In Zanzibar, 739 out...

CLIMATE change and environment activists have requested for financial support from the Group of 20 (G-20) so as to increase investments in affordable and renewable energy. Recent severe weather events such as severe droughts in southern Africa and torrential rains in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi have resulted in food shortages, fatalities and displacement. Speaking yesterday during the launch of REPower Afrika, a movement behind renewable energy across the continent, Ms Agnes Hall, Global Campaigns Director said REPower Afrika is an ambitious new campaign aimed at uniting regional community renewable energy projects. She urged financiers and governments to prioritise and increase investments in affordable and clean energy, saying the campaign targets communities at the forefront of the climate crisis. “The main barrier to renewable energy across Africa is finance. For the sources of finance, we must turn to the rich countries and corporations like G20 to fully support and ensure the...