Legal Services Facility (LSF), in collaboration with North-South Cooperation from Luxembourg, has concluded a two-year project called ‘Wanawake Tunaweza,‘ which has empowered women and girls from the Maasai community in Longido District, Arusha Region. Launched in 2022, the project aimed at improving the social and economic status of women and girls by building their capacity through 11 women’s groups. These groups established various entrepreneurial ventures such as livestock, farming, cereal trading, Maasai beadwork, horticulture and VICOBA activities. The women also formed a joint group, ‘Osiligi’ and were provided with 11 sewing machines to produce reusable sanitary pads, improving the learning environment for girls at Lekule and Namanga schools, the main beneficiaries. The project also constructed new dormitories, benefiting over 1,214 girls and promoted gender equality and girls’ rights. A total of 209 women gained entrepreneurship skills, while 2,500 people, including men and women from Longido, were reached with educational campaigns...

The government, through the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), aims to increase integrated financial services access to 80 per cent of citizens by 2028. Currently, Tanzania’s banking sector penetration is low, with less than 40 per cent of the adult population holding an account at a bank or financial institution, indicating significant room for expansion. During the launch of Access Bank Tanzania, BoT Deputy Governor, Ms Sauda Kassim Msemo reported that financial services have reached only 76 per cent of the population, while banking services cover just 22 per cent. As of January, only 23.3 per cent of people aged 15 and older had an account at a financial institution, the same as the previous year. The peak penetration rate for bank accounts was recorded at 46.8 per cent in 2021. As of December, 2020, Tanzania had 53 registered and licensed banks and non-bank financial institutions. Ms Sauda emphasized that financial...

TANZANIA: The Rural Energy Agency (REA) has boosted its funding for the rural filling stations project, increasing the loan amount from 75m/- to 133m/- within just a year of launching the initiative. This enhancement aims to support business owners in constructing essential fuel facilities in rural areas. REA unveiled the new guidelines yesterday that include significant changes, notably increasing the fuel tank capacities from 4,500-5,000 litres to 10,000-15,000 litres. This enhancement will allow business owners to expand the area for building filling stations from 400 square metres to 924 square metres, significantly increasing their capacity to store fuel. The REA’s Senior Engineer, Eng. Deusidet Malulu, explained that the loan operates as a cost-sharing initiative, allowing applicants to apply for a portion of the funding and cover the remaining costs for constructing the filling station themselves. “We decided to increase the fund because fuel agents cannot effectively distribute fuel to villages...

Political parties in the country have been urged to prioritise citizens’ agendas and address their challenges as the country approaches the local government and general election. The National Coordinator for the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Mr. Onesmo Olengurumwa, made the plea recently during an event where he handed over the 2024/25 election manifesto for civil society organisations to Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) on behalf of the coalition. “What we emphasise as civil society is that political parties should approach the elections with a focus on the citizens’ agendas. They should not enter elections to promote their own agendas but should concentrate on what the citizens need. They should address the challenges people face and once they assume leadership positions, whether at the local government or higher levels, they should work to resolve those challenges,” said Mr. Olengurumwa. He noted that this is the third time they...

Significant milestone in the health sector has been achieved as Kairuki Hospital introduces High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of prostate conditions and prostate cancer. HIFU is a non-invasive medical procedure that utilises ultrasound waves to treat both benign and malignant tumours. Dr Julieth Kajugusi, a radiologist at Kairuki Hospital, explained that while surgeries have traditionally been the primary treatment for prostate issues, the newly installed HIFU machine allows for effective treatment without the need for invasive procedures. “This machine can completely treat prostate tumours and prostate cancer in stages one and two, provided it hasn’t spread to other parts of the body,” Dr Kajugusi stated. Patients with prostate tumours undergo ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before being treated with HIFU. “For prostate tumours, HIFU has a 100 per cent success rate, although some patients may not be suitable for treatment if there is too much fat between...