TCCIA News and Events Blog

Livestock supplies to Pugu market in Dar es Salaam rose by three per cent to an average of 1,113 animals daily last week
compared with the previous week.

That happened because herders in
major cattle-rearing regions of Singida,
Dodoma, Shinyanga, Tabora,
Mara, Arusha and Morogoro, where
pasture is scarce, sold more animals
for fear that the livestock might
starve.

A Ministry of Industry, Trade and
Marketing report shows that 673 head
of cattle were supplied from upcountry
a day last week compared with
654 the previous week.

Prices of most animals increased
last week but the average beef price
has remained at between Sh3,000 and
Sh4,000 a kilo for months.
The price of grade two cows
remained at Sh398,000 each in the
past two weeks while those of the
grade three animals increased to
Sh235,000 from Sh230,000.
A grade two bull was sold at an
average of Sh625,000 last week from
Sh585,000 a week earlier while that of
a grade three animal was Sh420,000
compared with Sh405,000 before.
The supply of goats averaged 340
a day last week, higher than 310 the
previous week. A grade two she-goat
was traded at an average of Sh55,400
last week compared with Sh45,000 the
previous week while that of the grade
three animal averaged Sh41,000 from
Sh30,600.
The price of a mature grade two
he-goat increased to Sh65,000 last
week from Sh55,000 the previous
week while that of the grade three
increased to Sh44,000 from Sh35,800.
Sheep supplies declined to an
average of 100 animals a day last
week compared with 115 the preceding
week. A grade two ewe was sold at
an average of Sh47,800 last week compared
with Sh42,500 the previous
week while that of the grade three
was Sh30,000, more than Sh28,800

Source – The Citizen

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East African states have pleaded for financial support from donors to mitigate effects of climate change in the region.

Their plea comes amidst receding glaciers on top of their highest mountain, The Kilimanjaro, decreasing water levels in lakes and recurrent droughts.

Ministers responsible for environment and resources who ended a two-day meeting here last weekend further requested financial institutions to remove co-financing conditionalities in order to let the region have easy access to funds.

The ministers from the five partner states of the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda, said climate change, a phenomenon associated with global warming, has heavily impacted on the region.

“This is already happening and can be attested to by the loss of ice cover on top of Kilimanjaro, Kenya and Ruwenzori mountains and the rise in the sea level along the EA coast line,” they said in a joint declaration.

The impact of climate change in the region can also be seen with sub-merged islands because of a rise in the sea level, decreasing water levels in lakes and rivers apart from periodic occurrences of drought and floods.

The ministers warned that, if not addressed urgently, climate change would continue to pose a serious challenge to the sustainable development of the region with dire consequences on its economy.

“The impact of climate change in the region will be worse than in other areas owing to the region’s vulnerability and lower adaptive capacity,” they said at a meeting held only days before the EAC heads of state summit here.

Tanzania was represented at the meeting by the minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, Mr John Chiligati, Burundi by its minister for EAC Affairs, Ms Hafsa Mossi while Rwanda was represented by the minister for Natural Resources, Mr Stanislaus Kamanzi.

Uganda?s delegation was led by the minister of State (Environment), Ms Jesca Eriyo, while from Kenya was the minister for Forestry and Natural Resources, Dr Noah Wekesa.

The ministers called on EAC member countries to hammer out a common stand during next month?s World Summit on Climate Change to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The summit, also dubbed the 15th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is expected to chart out Post-Kyoto dispensation on climate change.

The ministers stressed that the EAC must adopt a common stand for negotiating a comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012 and develop its own climate change master plan.

They also called for preparedness in mitigating disasters associated with climate change, such as floods and landslides seen in the region recently and believed to have been triggered by El Nino rains.

Over 20 people were killed in Same District, Kilimanjaro Region, last week during a landslide on heavily populated hills in the district.

Elsewhere in the country several people have lost their lives and many made homeless by floods. About a million Tanzanians are also facing a food shortage because of a severe drought which has wiped out large cattle herds.

In Kenya, ten people are reported to have died and hundreds made homeless in the last two weeks after heavy rains associated with El Nino. Elsewhere, 3.5 million people face hunger.

The ministers appealed for commitment and ownership by the EAC heads of state of the process for combating climate change at all levels, especially in adaptation, risk management and vulnerability assessment.

It was stressed during the Arusha meeting that combating climate change has become very urgent. It should also be identified as a priority area to be funded by development partners, international funding mechanisms and domestic resources.

The EAC ministers supported the creation of an African Climate Change Fund. In this connection they invited developed countries to commit themselves to support it.

They further called on the EA partner states to accelerate implementation of the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for action that aims to address various aspects of climate change.

These include risk monitoring, observation, early warning, preparedness, emergency response and post-disaster recovery.

Further calling for aid from the developed world, they said: “We urge development partners to give high priority to the EAC and allocate additional financial and technical support based on the needs and priorities of the partner states.”

Source – The Citizen

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East African states have pleaded for financial support from donors to mitigate effects of climate change in the region.

Their plea comes amidst receding glaciers on top of their highest mountain, The Kilimanjaro, decreasing water levels in lakes and recurrent droughts.

Ministers responsible for environment and resources who ended a two-day meeting here last weekend further requested financial institutions to remove co-financing conditionalities in order to let the region have easy access to funds.

The ministers from the five partner states of the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda, said climate change, a phenomenon associated with global warming, has heavily impacted on the region.

“This is already happening and can be attested to by the loss of ice cover on top of Kilimanjaro, Kenya and Ruwenzori mountains and the rise in the sea level along the EA coast line,” they said in a joint declaration.

The impact of climate change in the region can also be seen with sub-merged islands because of a rise in the sea level, decreasing water levels in lakes and rivers apart from periodic occurrences of drought and floods.

The ministers warned that, if not addressed urgently, climate change would continue to pose a serious challenge to the sustainable development of the region with dire consequences on its economy.

“The impact of climate change in the region will be worse than in other areas owing to the region’s vulnerability and lower adaptive capacity,” they said at a meeting held only days before the EAC heads of state summit here.

Tanzania was represented at the meeting by the minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements, Mr John Chiligati, Burundi by its minister for EAC Affairs, Ms Hafsa Mossi while Rwanda was represented by the minister for Natural Resources, Mr Stanislaus Kamanzi.

Uganda?s delegation was led by the minister of State (Environment), Ms Jesca Eriyo, while from Kenya was the minister for Forestry and Natural Resources, Dr Noah Wekesa.

The ministers called on EAC member countries to hammer out a common stand during next month?s World Summit on Climate Change to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The summit, also dubbed the 15th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is expected to chart out Post-Kyoto dispensation on climate change.

The ministers stressed that the EAC must adopt a common stand for negotiating a comprehensive international climate change regime beyond 2012 and develop its own climate change master plan.

They also called for preparedness in mitigating disasters associated with climate change, such as floods and landslides seen in the region recently and believed to have been triggered by El Nino rains.

Over 20 people were killed in Same District, Kilimanjaro Region, last week during a landslide on heavily populated hills in the district.

Elsewhere in the country several people have lost their lives and many made homeless by floods. About a million Tanzanians are also facing a food shortage because of a severe drought which has wiped out large cattle herds.

In Kenya, ten people are reported to have died and hundreds made homeless in the last two weeks after heavy rains associated with El Nino. Elsewhere, 3.5 million people face hunger.

The ministers appealed for commitment and ownership by the EAC heads of state of the process for combating climate change at all levels, especially in adaptation, risk management and vulnerability assessment.

It was stressed during the Arusha meeting that combating climate change has become very urgent. It should also be identified as a priority area to be funded by development partners, international funding mechanisms and domestic resources.

The EAC ministers supported the creation of an African Climate Change Fund. In this connection they invited developed countries to commit themselves to support it.

They further called on the EA partner states to accelerate implementation of the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for action that aims to address various aspects of climate change.

These include risk monitoring, observation, early warning, preparedness, emergency response and post-disaster recovery.

Further calling for aid from the developed world, they said: “We urge development partners to give high priority to the EAC and allocate additional financial and technical support based on the needs and priorities of the partner states.”

Source – The citizen

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Annual headline inflation rate for the year ending October 2009, has gone up to 12.7 per cent from 12.1 per cent registered in September this year, recording a surge of 0.6 per cent.

This is due to soaring food prices, official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show.

The overall index had increased to 175.3 in October this year from 155.6 in the same period last year, which is an increase of 19.7 points.

According to the NBS, food inflation rate grew to 18.1 per cent in October 2009 from 17.3 per cent in September 2009.

Non-food inflation had also gone up by 4.4 per cent in October from 4.0 per cent in September, this year, representing an increase of 0.4 per cent. Non-food items include tobacco and household goods and maintenance.

In October this year, monthly inflation rate rose by 1.1 per cent, while overall index increased to 175.3 during the period from 173.4 in September this year.

NBS says the increase under consideration was highly attributed to soaring food prices by 1.6 per cent. Food items that contributed to the price increase included cereals, cassava, potatoes, cooking bananas, fruits, fish, beans, cowpeas, groundnuts

 and coconuts.

Source- The Citizen

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The shilling skidded against the dollar but it showed a mixed trend against other currencies of major trading partners last week.

At bureaux de change, Sh1,322.24 was exchanged for a dollar last week, down from Sh1,320 the previous week, The Citizen review has shown.

It was sold at an average of Sh1,327.72 a dollar and purchased at Sh1,316.75 over the period. It appreciated against the pound, with an average exchange rate being Sh2,151.52 a pound last week from Sh2,156.65 the previous week.

It lost against the euro, exchanging at an average of Sh1,939.66 last week compared with Sh1,925.03 the preceding week.

It strengthened against the Kenya shilling, exchanging at an average of Sh17.26 a Ksh last week compared with Sh17.28 the preceding week. Sh166.75 was exchanged for a rand last week compared with Sh164.93 the previous period.

In commercial banks, the shilling depreciated against the dollar. The average exchange rate was Sh1,314.05 a dollar last week, down from Sh1,306.57 the previous week. It lost against the sterling, exchanging at an average of Sh2,119.17 a pound last week down from Sh2,099.2 a week earlier.

It depreciated against the euro, exchanging at an average of Sh1,959.07 a euro last week from Sh1,930.08 the preceding week. Sh176.4 was exchanged for a rand last week, down from Sh174.65 during the same period.

The local currency strengthened against the Kenya shilling last week. It was exchanged at Sh17.08 a Ksh compared with Sh17.07 a week earlier.

Export earnings from mainly agricultural produce, tourism and donor inflows buoyed the shilling some weeks ago, but last week it plunged against the greenback at bureaux and commercial banks. Meanwhile, the Tanzania Revenue Authority has lifted its quotations for importers and exporters.

Importers will this week be charged Sh1,324.78 a dollar from Sh1,321.99 last week while exporters will be charged Sh1,298.28 a dollar compared with Sh1,295.55 over the period. Imports from UK will be charged Sh2,198.47 a pound compared with Sh2,182.6 last week while exports to the similar destination will be charged Sh2,153.98 a pound from Sh2,138.43.

Imports from EU markets will be charged Sh1,968.88 a euro this week from Sh1,961.83 last week while exports to the same markets will be charged Sh1,928.99 from Sh1,922.07.

Imports from South Africa will this week be charged Sh170.92 a rand from Sh170.88 last week while exports to the same destination will be charged Sh167.53 a rand from Sh167.16 over the period.

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Tanzania has called for increased investments from Russia in the areas of agro-processing and manufacturing as a means of improving bilateral trade and economic ties between the two countries.

The minister for Industries, Trade and Marketing, Dr Mary Nagu, told a visiting Russian business delegation that trade between the two countries was dismal despite sharing some similar ideological backgrounds.

The countries were champions of command economies but were forced by circumstances to embrace market economics about twenty years ago.

Dr Nagu pleaded with the Russians to seriously consider investing in processing and manufacturing to help boost Tanzania’s small capacity in agro processing.

“We need the partnership and cooperation of Russian industrialists to come and team up with our local entrepreneurs to develop and expand Tanzania’s capacity in the processing and manufacturing industries.

We need capital and technology to improve our processing capacities for value addition,” she told the Russian business delegation at the Tanzania-Russia Business Forum in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The minister said Russian investments in Tanzania will improve trade relations between the two countries and help to reduce the trade imbalance that has remained in favour of Russia over the years.

Statistics indicate that between 2004 and 2008 exports from Tanzania to Russia grew from Sh1.41 billion to Sh5.985 billion. During the same period Russian exports to Tanzania grew from Sh2.3 billion to Sh87.82 billion.

“This indicates that there is potential for trade between the two countries to grow to higher levels. However we need also to close the trade imbalance that grew from Sh866 million in 2004 to Sh81.8 billion in 2008 in favour of Russia,” Dr Nagu said.

Russian companies showcased their products and services at the forum. They included manufacturers of equipment for agriculture, gas and oil exploration, mining, trains and airplanes.

Tanzanian business and investments promotion agencies such as the Tanzania Investment Centre, the Export Processing Zones Authority, the Private Sector Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture used the forum to promote Tanzania’s investments and business opportunities to their Russian counterparts.

Source – The Citizen

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Barclays Bank customers, who receive salaries through the bank’s ordinary accounts, will save over Sh2500 on the bank charges each month if they join the new Salary Account, which it launched yesterday.

The bank charges a monthly ledger fee of about Sh3500 on its standard account compared to only Sh1000 for the new account, liability head William Mungai said.

“It is so good that I would ask the community to grasp the advantages associated with it,” Mr Mungai said when briefing journalists on the new account in Dar es Salaam.

Transferring money from the Salary Account to a savings account within the bank will be free. The account holder will also be offered with a special debt card, deliberately designed to meet the requirements of the account.

To open the account, one requires a minimum opening balance of Sh30,000 only or evidence of an income in form of a pay slip or income declaration.

Mr Mungai said holders of the new account will also be offered some free services such as being alert by SMSs on salary credits and withdrawals.

The holders will also enjoy free water, electricity and Digital Satellite Television (DStv) bill payments.

Source – The Citizen

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The monopoly of Swissport Tanzania on the ground handling services industry is officially over following the licensing of three new players by Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) last month.

The authority formally announced the development early this month naming the new service providers as Precision Air Ground Handling Company Limited, African Ground Handling Company Limited and Zanair.

Its board of directors, which met on October 21 in Dar es Salaam to approve the new licencees, disqualified one applicant, Kilimanjaro International Limited of Arusha, which had applied to provide in-flight catering and unspecified airport services.

The three operators have been given licences to do business for five years but Precision has cried foul over the type of licence given to it.

A senior official of the company, Mr Alfonse Kioko, who is also the managing director of Precision Air, said their company has been given a class III licence which they did not apply for.

He said the company had wanted a class I licence, which would have enabled it to provide services at major airports.

The licence it got enables it to operate at all other airports in the country except Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA), Kilimanjaro International Airport, Zanzibar International Airport and Mwanza Airport.

“We do not know why they decided to give that class for we believe we command vast experience in ground handling?it’s like we are still in edge of one company’s monopoly,” the Precision Air managing director, Mr Kioko told The Citizen over the phone on Monday.

Mr Kioko said they have appealed against the decision.

When contacted on the matter, TCAA public information officer Abel Ngapemba was not very specific but said the country?s infrastructure at major ports is not well developed to accommodate many ground handling companies.

African Ground Handling Company Limited also got a class III licence while Zanair has the go ahead to serve all airports in the country but on condition, which TCAA did not specify.

Companies with the class I licence serve JNIA and those with a class two one can serve Kilimanjaro International Airport, Zanzibar International Airport and Mwanza Airport.

According to the East Africa Air Transport Survey that was conducted in 2005, liberalization of ground handling services helps among other things to bring service charges down for the benefit of consumers, according to the 2005 East Africa

Air Transport Survey.

Source – The Citiezen

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Switzerland has dropped 12 places in two years from being the 10th ranking investor in Tanzania to position 22 last year, according to Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) executive director Emmanuel Ole Naiko.

He made the revelation on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam at an exhibition held as part of the Swiss Day celebrations in Tanzania.

“Until 2006, Switzerland was occupying the 10th position with 38 projects worth $68 million. However, of late Switzerland has been overtaken by some other economies and therefore by the end of 2008, it was occupying position 22 with 52 projects,” Mr Ole Naiko told a gathering comprising of the Swiss ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Adrian Schlapfer.

He did not give reasons behind the slowdown in Swiss investment inflows in the country but said he was optimistic that soon Swiss investors will renew their investment interest in Tanzania.

“We trust with today’s rekindling of our “partnership” we shall see more Swiss projects established in Tanzania,” he said.

A World Bank report this year said Tanzania has lost some ground in being a conducive business environment for doing business dropping to position 131 from last year’s 127th ranking. The slip prompted the government to immediately form a team to help rectify the situation, which Mr Ole Naiko said has begun dealing with the issues highlighted in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2010 report.

Among other things, the September report said Tanzania is being let down by the government?s reluctance to make business-friendly reforms. Mr Ole Naiko said the government is determined reverse the trend and restoring Tanzania?s reputation of being rated as among the top ten reformers in 2006.

“The Doing Business Report 2010 gave us a wakeup call. As a result the Government has formed a taskforce to review each of the pillars stated in the report. The objective here is to assign each Government Department with respective responsibilities to rectify the deficiencies, within a certain time frame work during this financial year,” he asserted.

“Our objective is to reduce the cost of Doing Business from three digits to two digits and eventually one digit to retain the position we had in 2006 as one of the top 10 reformers. The Second special Taskforce meeting will be held November 12, 2009 to review the progress,” he said.

Source – The citizen

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Over 1.57 million people in 63 districts in 15 regions need free and subsidized food from the government beginning this November, revealed by the September 2009 Rapid Vulnerability Assessment.

According to the report published last October by the Famine Early Warning System Network says that the affected population expected to need food assistance amounting to 56,740 tonnes, from available in-country stocks.

Out of this amount, 5,674 tonnes are recommended for free distribution to 156,989 poor people, and the remaining 51,066 tonnes are for subsidized sales beginning in November 2009 to 1,412,901 people who cannot buy food at market prices.

The most affected regions include Arusha (277,653 people), Manyara (166,093), Dodoma (259,190), Tanga (177,460), Kilimanjaro (122,427), Mtwara (90,135), Mara (98,233, Shinyanga (79,866), Mwanza (71,620) and Morogoro (63,399).

Prevailing food insecurity in the country all markets registered above five year average prices for all monitored commodities particularly cereals and potatoes, indicating that poor households are constrained in accessing food from markets.

The poor market dependent households in both urban and rural areas generally spend a large proportion of their cash income on food so higher prices have forced them to reduce the quality of food consumed.

Food security conditions have deteriorated in northern and northeastern parts of bimodal areas affecting mainly pastoral and agro-pastoral households, and marginal agricultural households in lowlands of Kilimanjaro.

Water catchments and most shallow wells are dry, reducing availability of water for both livestock and domestic use, the report says.

Decreased levels of milk production have reduced incomes from livestock products (milk and ghee sales) and thus limited pastoral households? ability to purchase grains.

Deterioration of pasture and water in northern and northeastern areas has triggered abnormal migrations of pastoralists in search of pasture and water for livestock.

In Longido, it is reported that 95 per cent of livestock have out migrated, mainly southwards to Kilindi and Handeni districts. Abnormal migration has resulted in long trekking distances, resulting in further deterioration of body conditions and increased mortality.

Field reports indicate that there were also massive immigrants pastoral herds from Kenya in search of pasture and water, which has increased pressure on available pasture resources in some areas and resulted in increased levels of conflict.

The report further says that vuli harvests start in January and normally contribute 32 per cent of production in bimodal areas and 18 per cent of national production.

In the highland areas of Rombo, Lushoto, and Korogwe districts and Kagera and Kigoma regions, the vuli harvest contributes 70 per cent of the cereal
harvests and 80 per cent of pulses.

In unimodal areas, msimu rains normally start in mid‐November and last until May.

According to the most recent Climate Outlook Forum for both the Southern Africa and East Africa regions, as well as the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) climatic outlook forecast, the September to December vuli rains will be normal to above normal due to the impact of the El Ni

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