ABDUL HUSSEIN: November 2012

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Dawasa moves to help water-short areas

The likely causes of disappointments and family discomforts in many families of Dar s Salaam are traffic jams, escalating costs of food and the chronic shortages of water.
Inadequate water has worsened sanitary conditions making homes and the entire city unkempt while women and girls spend much of their time searching for water which has made residents uncomfortable.
Areas such as Keko Magurumbasi, Mburahati, Kimara particularly in Maramba mawili, King’ongo and Kilungule are missing this precious liquid. Many a time the situation is attributed to inadequate water sourced from Lower and Upper Ruvu River …

Dar es Salaam a sprawling city with a population of 5.5 million, needs at least 450,000 cubic meters of water per day. It however gets almost 300,000 cubic meters per day, according to the available statistics.

With such a high demand while failing to satisfy the supply of water, President Jakaya Kikwete in May 2010 challenged and directed the city water authorities to respond to the water crisis by implementing mid-term programmes to help clients in the water crisis prone areas.

The president’s orders has enabled clients of Magurumbasi, Mburahati, Chang’ombe and Kimara to gain access to water services following the recent development where the City Water and Sewerages Authority (DAWASA) has constructed 27 boreholes in the water crisis prone settlements.

In this boreholes project more than 100,000 residents will be able to get reliable water supply. Early this month women and children living in those communities sighed with relief when the Minister for Water Professor Jumanne Maghembe inaugurated the boreholes with piped water.

According to the city water authority Chief Executive Officer, Archado Mutalemwa, the deep wells are expected to produce more that 350,000 litres of water daily to serve various users including, communities, business persons and students in primary and secondary schools.

DAWASA has been undertaking drilling of boreholes and installation of community owned and operated piped water within the areas, but this time around the DAWASA Chief warns that it’s the community and the organization that shouldered the burden of investment and management of the water.

Mutalemwa says although the authority has put up both infrastructure and inputs such as the pumps, power meters, reservoir tanks and the distribution pipelines, its the role of the communities to generally take care of the physical infrastructures and realized the funds that are needed to sustain the boreholes.

And additionally to report whenever there is deterioration of assets or vandalism.

Thus, the communities will sell the waters at 50/- price per 20 liters bucket to clients and the revenues will be kept in a special bank account aiming at sustain the water infrastructure , the supplies and facilitates future expansions.

In several water points communities told Professor Maghembe, that they have formed water management committees that are responsible for selling of the utility as well as managing the infrastructure like water meters and the accounts as they felt that they are the sufferers of the water service crisis and the insufficient provision of the high valued commodity.

In the recent trends on community investments in social amenities particularly water, hospitals are made more participatory in order to sensitize the beneficiaries to value and protect the assets and the services. Such model was adopted by DAWASA to ensure that users care for the boreholes.

In Kimara –Marambamawili the thirsting community express their dissatisfactions to Minister Maghembe when they knew up that their area has been without piped water for decades, challenging the recent borehole project that it has failed them as well. They complained bitterly that the drilled boreholes do not have fresh water.

"We are glad that you here in Marambamawili, we hope that we are going to have our own drilled borehole working from today” , says Remmy Lutumo, the area chairperson, pointing at the newly drilled borehole.

According to Lutumo there are 12,350 people living in Msigani Ward covering Maramba mawili whom many draw water from a swamp around the area.

"You are going to have fresh water in Maramba…. We will install desalination machines to remove the salt compounds from the water as we are looking for permanent solutions to this problem,” the minister said.

The CEO assured the residents that the authorities are looking for contractors to map out and make technical designs and drawings for water distribution system to the newly developed areas of the fast growing city.

He said the new scheme will be constructed to ensure efficient water delivery system able to supply water to as many clients as possible in a systematic and planned manner, instead of the past trend where individuals were left to` fend for their selves.’

Following such an argent need for water in the city, the Minister ordered DAWASA to install water desalination machines in Kimara areas to clean the community borehole water and make it more easily accessible to the people in order to improve sanitary conditions

International Day of the Girl Child Challenges: Citizens to promote opportunities in tanzania

On behalf of the American people, I am proud to celebrate the first-ever International Day of the Girl Child with Tanzanians.
The day was established to recognise girls’ rights and galvanise global commitments to end gender stereotypes, discrimination, violence and economic disparities that disproportionately affect girls.
This day gives us all - girl, boy, man, woman - a unique opportunity to consider how we can work together to ensure that all young people have equal opportunities to contribute to their societies, and to build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their countries.
As I have said to every audience in every corner of Tanzania I have had the honor to visit during my almost three years of service as US Ambassador to Tanzania, one of the United States' top priorities is to promote the empowerment and advancement of Tanzanian women and girls.
The fact is that gender equality and investing in women and girls are central to our US foreign policy priorities of promoting prosperity, peace and security.
Evidence shows that countries will only reach their greatest potential economically, socially, and politically when women and girls participate equally in all aspects of society in education and health care; when they are protected from discrimination and other harmful activities such as early marriage and gender-based violence.
That is why Secretary Clinton and the Obama Administration have made advancing the status of women and girls a key diplomatic priority for the United States.
In too many communities, the United States included, girls do not have the same opportunities to reach their full potential: Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women.
Thirty-nine million girls worldwide are not in school. Too many girls and women still receive inadequate health care and nutrition. In certain regions, girls are fed last and denied medical care simply because they are girls.
An estimated 10 million girls are married every year before they reach the age of 18, and about 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year, which is linked to maternal mortality, curtailed education, and limited economic opportunity.
There are no cultural or social traditions that justify these troubling trends that undermine the development of nations. Investing in girls benefits entire families, communities, and nations. The data show that when girls are educated, countries are more prosperous.
Providing girls with an extra year of schooling beyond the average increases their wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school increases wages by 15 to 25 percent.
Girls who are in school are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, have lower rates of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and enjoy greater equality at home and in society, and their future children are more likely to survive and be educated themselves.
Those who seek to promote development must bear in mind the fact that when girls thrive, nations thrive.
Some of the world's most respected economists (The World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report) have found that the most competitive and prosperous countries are those where gender gap is closest to being closed in a range of areas - including access to education, health, economic participation, and political participation.
Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other agencies, the American people have worked to ensure that girls in the developing world have opportunities to make the most of their lives and contribute to their communities. Between 2009 and 2011, the United States helped 84 million girls to go to school around the world.
We are working to strengthen students’ reading skills, to train teachers to be more gender-sensitive in the classroom, to develop textbooks that demonstrate gender equality and to provide training that will equip them for 21st Century jobs.
From Malawi to Yemen to Tajikistan, our Safe Schools program is working with teachers, administrators, students and parents to make school environments free from gender-based violence and safer for girls.
We are working with local community organizations to persuade families not to force their daughters into child marriage. And we are supporting efforts worldwide to prevent and address gender based-violence.
Here in Tanzania, I am proud to report that part of our $750 million USD (1 trillion Tanzanian shillings) in annual assistance is targeted at providing Tanzanian women with enhanced access to economic opportunities through expansion of this nation's agricultural sector and to promote entrepreneurship.
Feed the Future, launched by Secretary Clinton during her visit to Tanzania in June 2011, is an example of that commitment.
We are also implementing in partnership with Tanzanians programs through USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enhance health care services for women, including maternal care to reduce infant mortality, combat malaria, and HIV/Aids through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
However, more must be done, especially at local levels. I have always underscored that programs have more meaning when initiated by Tanzanians for Tanzanians.
This meets President Obama's vision for Africans to find solutions and lead efforts to resolve Africa's challenges. As such, I urge every Tanzanian, especially men, to actively work in their communities to promote the rights of women and girls.
These efforts and commitments by all citizens should ensure every Tanzanian girl has access to opportunities to meet her highest God-given potential.
This Day of the Girl gives us all an opportunity to pause to discuss these important issues - and some of the ways we can work together to overcome the barriers that might keep girls and boys from achieving their greatest potential.
As a proud father of three very successful women - two lawyers and a doctor - I want the same opportunities afforded to them for every Tanzanian girl.
They are the future and their hopes must be nurtured by all of us with the promise that they can dream big and achieve success through their personal efforts.
Let us dedi

Repositioning Tanzania for the gas economy

Intensive energy industries such as petrochemicals, cement factories, iron smelters, ammonia plants, methanol and other derivatives of natural gas need to be established to strengthen the local market beyond the power generation and domestic consumption

Tanzania has been exploring for oil and gas for the past 60 years since 1952. The first natural gas discovery was made in 1974 at Songo Songo Island and at Mnazi Bay in 1982.

The Songo Songo natural gas was commercialised in 2004 and that of Mnazi Bay in 2006. In 2010 exploration activities in the deep sea encountered commercial reserves for natural gas. To date Tanzania stands at 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Since 2004 when natural gas started to be produced commercially, Tanzania has enjoyed several benefits including, significant savings of foreign currency from importation of heavy fuel oil (HFO) both for power generation and industries.

Exploration for oil and gas is quite risky and requires huge capital in order to collect geo-scientific data and later carry out drilling of wells to confirm the resource. The drilling goes to depths at least 1,500 metres and some extent up to 5,000 metres below the surface.

In order to attract requisite investors, we have adopted a Production Sharing Agreement model that provides for foreign direct investments from multinational companies to risk their monies hoping to recover their investment and share profits with the State should discovery be made.

Otherwise the State has no obligation to compensate for the losses made.

Once natural gas is discovered and confirmed to be of commercial value, the following tasks have to be performed (i) development of facilities including flow lines, (ii) processing plants for gas purification; (iii) pipelines for gas transportation and distribution. This stage is equally capital intensive, particularly, when it is a deep sea discovery.

From gas discovery to first gas production requires about 5 to 10 years of continuous investment to develop the gas field and associated infrastructure. The investment varies with the amount to be recovered and the market to be served.

For the overseas market, you will definitely require investment in liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on top of the usual gas processing plant. For local or regional market, gas pipeline and associated equipment are required. For Tanzania, we need careful evaluation to balance between serving the domestic and foreign markets.
Natural gas discoveries in the deep sea of Tanzania are a result of serious determination by the Government and the national oil company, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and foreign private companies who provide capital, technology and skills.

One has to bear in mind that, unlike oil whose market is ready and robust worldwide, there is need to establish and confirm the natural gas market before making investment decisions. Mature and strong natural gas markets are not found locally or regionally, but in Europe, Asia and America.

At the same time, we wish to use our natural gas for domestic market to transform our economy to make Tanzania a medium income country. As I said, this requires a careful analysis to determine the proportions for the two markets vis-à-vis recovering the investment costs.
In reality, considering only the current size of the domestic market, investment in upstream and downstream altogether neither justify economics nor support mobilization of financing for the development of the discoveries.

In order to optimize benefits from natural gas, both export and local markets are to be considered strategically. LNG investment for that matter has to be done to support the export market. At the same time, the local market has to be developed aggressively so as to benefit from natural gas along the value chain.

Intensive energy industries such as petrochemicals, cement factories, iron smelters, ammonia plants, methanol and other derivatives of natural gas need to be established to strengthen the local market beyond the power generation and domestic consumption.

It is true that through revenues generated from the export the country will be able to develop other sectors including transport, heath and education. Maximization of the benefits will be attained through the optimization of the value chain which consists of upstream, midstream and downstream activities.

You may all be aware that Tanzania started using natural gas in 2004 which was mainly for power generation and in manufacturing industries. However, this situation will definitely change when manufacturing of fertilizers, petrochemicals and LNG production using natural gas from the deep sea. These industries will attract significant improve Tanzania’s balance of payments.

Challenges

Repositioning Tanzania for the Gas Economy, the Government has identified several key challenges which need to be addressed before production of natural gas from the deep sea commences.
The challenges include legal and institutional set up, human resources, local content, revenue management, natural gas infrastructure, transparency and accountability, environment, health and safety issues.
It is worth noting that, natural gas industry by itself cannot be able to transform the economy of Tanzania, unless complemented by other economic sectors.

Therefore, in order for Tanzania to unleash its growth potential a dedicated policy particularly for natural gas is a requisite. It is through this policy that institutions, legal and regulatory matters, roles of stakeholder and plans to develop the natural gas industry in Tanzania will be defined.
The natural gas policy supported by its respective instruments such as the Gas Act and Gas Master Plan will be able a mitigate the challenges.
In order to unleash its potential growth as a pole of East Africa’s growth, natural gas industry has to be linked with other sectors of the economy.

CONCLUSION

Let me conclude that, our guiding principle for Tanzania to unleash its potential is through every player in the gas industry to recognize that, natural gas resource belongs to the people of Tanzania, and must be managed in a way that benefits the entire Tanzanian society.

• George Simbachawene is the Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals. This article has been extracted from his speech he delivered to a round table dialogue organized by Agenda Participation 2000 for local media editors

When economic growth does not translate into less poverty

The government can not eradicate poverty but can support people to eradicate poverty. (File photo)

As the world marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty today, the recently released 2011 Poverty and Human Development Report indicates that the high level of economic growth recorded over the last decade has not translated to a significant decrease in the poverty rate.

Basing on key findings on the performance of Mkukuta I, the Tanzanian economy has grown by 7 percent per annum over the last ten years thus achieving the Mkukuta I target of an average annual growth of between 6 and 8 percent. However, this has not translated to significant decrease in poverty.

According to the report released by the Research and Poverty Analysis Working Group of the Mkukuta Monitoring System, economic growth can drive broad based and sustainable development and poverty reduction if productive assets and employment opportunities can be extended to income poor areas.

The report coordinated by Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) as the secretariat to the RAWG calls for a shift from a growth to an inclusive growth paradigm whereby investment is required to create opportunities for people in remote and resource–rich areas so that greater dividends can be realized from agriculture, tourism and trade.

Economic experts argue that poverty eradication must be internally and externally driven and that the poor must be well involved in the whole process of eradicating poverty. The poor should be the key players in the process.

An expert of Business Strategies and Economics, Dr. Elisante Gabriel says the right way to eradicate poverty is for the poor people themselves to recognize they are the basis in poverty eradication.

“Some leaders mislead people by telling them the government would eradicate poverty…this is wrong because the government is supposed to support the people to eradicate poverty,” says Dr. Gabriel who is also the Director of Youth Development in the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sport.

He says Tanzanians take poverty as an input instead of an output which affects poverty eradication efforts.

Dr. Gabriel says instead of just coming up with solutions to poverty, the important thing would be finding the root cause of poverty first. Instead of just giving out loans to the poor for example, the best way would be tackling the root cause of their poverty.

He gives an example of education, where many schools have been built but the quality of education provided is poor.

Today we have people completing primary education without mastering how to read and write. “This is a process which is caused by a combination of factors… we also have university graduates who are not employable,” he says.

Dr. Gabriel says focusing on entrepreneurship skills is not a proper way of eradicating poverty. What is important is having entrepreneurship spirit, because even those with entrepreneurship skills are still looking for employment.

He says in order to improve the economic situation of the country three things must be taken into account. These are value chain which requires adding value to services and products, cost chain which requires conducting Cost Benefit Analysis and supply chain specifically on movement of human capital and raw materials.

An Economist at the Institute of Finance Management John Kingu says macroeconomic growth must have a good link with micro level economy for its impact to be felt by poor people.

He says what is currently happening is the absence of a good link between macroeconomic growth and micro level economy which has resulted to the growth of the economy not having a significant impact in eradicating poverty.

Kingu cites the mining sector which he says if well managed could greatly contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.

“This sector is not owned by Tanzanians and so the profit is being expatriated… there is a need for the government to put more efforts in tax collection so as to subsidize the basic needs of the people,” says Kingu

The Poverty and Human Development report says the lack or shortage of food to sustain good health is a clear manifestation of extreme poverty thus food security at the household level is a fundamental goal in achieving sustainable poverty eradication and development.

With respect to national food security, Tanzania has been self-sufficient in food production since 2005 with a peak in 2007 of 112%. However, food shortages continue to be experienced in some regions. The most recent data by World Food Programme indicates that around 23% of all households in rural mainland Tanzania were food-insecure

Households with poor food consumption were most prevalent in Mtwara (20%), Manyara (17.6%) and Arusha (6.8%). The highest prevalence rates of households with border line food consumption were Dodoma (37.8 %), Morogoro (33.8%) and Manyara (42.9%)

Around three-quarters of the population depend on under-developed smallholder primary agricultural production for their livelihoods.

The PHDR says modest improvements have been noted with respect to smallholder participation in out-grower schemes, access to irrigation, and access to credit and diversification into non-farm activities.

The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), a large-scale, public-private partnership to develop the region’s agricultural potential and the Tanzania Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plan are promising developments in the sector. However, there is need to consolidate these initiatives and ensure that more benefits accrue to smallholder farmers and food-insecure households.

The report also suggests that an expanded road infrastructure has the potential to directly contribute to poverty reduction if , building and maintaining rural roads is given a priority as these are essential for market development and exploit labour-based technology, in particular, the employment of local communities in road construction and other public works.

It says a reliable power supply for producers and consumers underpins economic growth, facilitates productive employment and contributes to quality of life but the current power crisis has been a disincentive for investors.

On education the report says substantial progress has been made to increase access to education. The net enrolment rate (NER) in primary schools increased from 66% in 2001 to a peak of 97% in 2007 and 2008. Overall, gender parity in access to primary education has been achieved.

However, since 2008, the NER has steadily declined to 94% in 2011, a trend that must be turned around. In 2011, it is estimated that nearly half a million 7 to 13 year-olds did not enroll in school.

The transition rate from primary to secondary schools also rose dramatically from 12% in 2002 to 60% in 2006, but has since fallen to 45% in 2010. The NER in secondary schools has steadily increased from 6% in 2002 to 35% in 2011 – an impressive achievement – but the rate falls short of the MKUKUTA target of 50%.

The report however noted that the analysis of learning outcomes, paints a worrying picture of the quality of education received by Tanzanian children.

A large-scale national survey conducted in 2011 revealed alarmingly poor numeracy and literacy skills among primary-aged children.

The findings indicate an urgent need to improve the quality of tuition, which in turn, will depend on the increased and equitable deployment of qualified teachers and resources to all areas of the country.

The significant decline in students passing Form Four examinations further points to the need to address educational quality.

Religious intolerance threatens Tanzania`s peace

Our nation has always been synonymous with peace, we are known to co-exist harmoniously as a people. Very rarely will you hear of civil unrest be it either tribal, or religious. The recent turn of events in the country over the past couple of months are starting to put us on the radar as a country in troubled waters. What is most disturbing is that they are getting more violent with each incident.

What is the basis for the conflict in our nation? Are we to end up like some of our neighboring countries forever at war, displaced with stagnant economies, tremendous psychological trauma, malnutrition, and rising death tolls? Have you seen how our fellow African refugees are treated?

How soon we forget a couple of months ago African refugees were chased out of their homes, and settlements in Israel. Stoned and beaten by angry citizens they were put in camps to be flown back to their war torn countries. Talk less of the misplaced thousands coming out of Somalia and South Sudan. Though strife may surround us we should not want to join the race. The violence in Tanzania has to be curbed.

Our stable political and economic conditions have stimulated an extensive range of international interests into the country. Tanzania is experiencing an increase in economic growth and opportunities. We ranked in the top 10 countries on the continent for this year’s Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance - 2012 IIAG.

Tanzania scored highest in the Safety & Rule of Law and Participation and Human Rights categories. Earlier this year the World Bank forecasted “following three years of a high rate of economic growth, Tanzania’s economy is forecast to grow by approximately six percent in 2012.”

Our forecasts are promising, stakeholders are pouring in, our spending power is on the increase, how is it that we are trying to shoot ourselves in the foot? No prospective investor wants to invest in a country that is laden with internal issues. If we cannot maintain peace it does not matter what riches our country holds - minerals or otherwise; we will lose out on potential growth opportunities both individually and as a nation.

Here is a novel idea - we might be heading in the wrong direction with this lack of tolerance amongst ourselves. If there is a message we are supposed to derive from these sporadic sparks of violence could someone spell it out, because most of us are totally in the dark.

Our country is blessed with a mixture of people and we are all called Tanzanians. We have a very rich culture which adds to our beauty as a nation. Religiously, tribally, ethnically we are so diverse but we are one.

The general consensus is that our energy as a country should be focused on our developmental challenges such as: health, education, gender equality, agricultural revolution, corruption, poverty, unemployment and extremely poor infrastructure to name but a few. Though we seem to have a long way to go in development, we are taking the necessary strides towards that avenue. Needless to say we will be heading absolutely nowhere if we let this state of intolerance continue to lay a foundation in our society.

The constitution and the right to education

Currently a special Constitution Review committee is making round across the country to collect citizen’s opinions which will be used to suggest appropriate amendments or review of the current constitution, to enable it obtain a national consensus status which focus on addressing emerging socio-economic and political issues in our country and worldwide…

The Constitution is mainly termed as the “mother law” as it provides a framework in which all laws, acts and legislations of the land are drawn and revolve from it.

Therefore, the Constitution incorporates a wide range of issues and rights which a specific society deem un compromised, such as right to life, right to freedom of speech, right to affiliations (political and social), right to start a family, right to health services as well as right to quality education just to mention a few.

Among many basic right to citizens, education is among the most important rights which the Constitution need to stipulate clearly.

The ability to produce and use knowledge has become a major factor in development. In fact, this ability is critical to a nation’s comparative advantage. Information and Knowledge based economy is a kind of economy based solely on the production, distribution and the use of information and knowledge. In short, it means that the most important thing in the coming economy model will be knowledge and skills, not the material products.

The current literacy situation in Tanzania is shocking. By the mid-1880s, Tanzania was one of the countries with the highest literacy rates in Africa, reaching 98 percent.

Tanzania has experienced a 20 per cent drop in literacy rate for the past 30 years, a situation that is deeply worrying education stakeholders in the country. In the 1980s Tanzania had a literacy rate of over 90percent but recent studies as compiled by a UN agency showed that this had dropped to 72 percent (UNESCO, 2012)

The current literacy rate of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life is 72.9 (UNESCO, 2009). Children at age 13 complete primary education without adequate reading and writing skills, e.g. about 5,200 children who had been selected to join secondary education in 2012 were found they could not read or write (MoEVT, 2012).

Research findings about reading situation in primary education in Tanzania, from a national survey with children who had completed standard 7 (Uwezo, 2010) show low performance especially in reading and writing skills as follows:

(a) One in five primary school leavers cannot read standard 2 level Kiswahili;

(b) Only 3 in 10 standard 3 pupils can read basic Kiswahili story;

(d) Only 3 in 10 standard 3 pupils can do basic Mathematics;

(e) Only 50 percent of the children involved in the study could read the words correctly;

(f) About 30 percent of them did not write any of the words in the test instrument correctly;

(g) About 45 percent of the children identified less than four out of ten sounds in the test instrument.

With such levels of illiteracy, the poverty levels of people will continue to increase, as literacy is a tool in fighting against poverty. These illiteracy levels have increased due to poor education programmes and lack of right-based emphasis from the “mother law”.

Article 11 in the current constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), provide information on education. It stipulates that “every citizen has a right to acquire education”.

Simple translation of this section is that the government has shunned away from the responsibility of providing education to its citizens. As education is very crucial in socio-economic development, the government cannot shun away from such a responsibility taking into consideration that majority of its citizens are living below poverty line, such that they do not have adequate resources to afford household needs.

In order to do away with building social classes this section need to be amended as it does not show clearly that the government has the major responsibility of ensuring that its citizens obtain quality education.

The Constitution should clearly stipulate that “the government has a responsibility of providing quality education to every citizen”, basic on the current socio-economic and political situation, whereby the government is giving more opportunities for the market to run most of social and economic activities including education, many citizens do not have economic means or ability to access education. This denies them their basic right.

Right to education can also be given more weight in the Constitution by providing it under human rights as we know that currently most of jobs demand a certain level of skills and knowledge. It is inevitable fact that Literacy is a vital ingredient in the fight against poverty. Reading, writing and numeracy skills are increasingly required for even the simplest jobs.

Being under human rights, it will give citizens power to demand for quality education and hold responsible those who violate this right. We have observed many sudden changes in our education curriculum which affected performance of our children and general quality of education.

Most of these changes were a result of just a bunch of people who did not feel obliged to consult the stakeholders (citizens) whether they approve such changes or not. The new constitution should clearly stipulate that such changes in the education system should be agreed by citizens through a national forum on education changes.

Many countries worldwide have articles in their constitutions which deal with education matters. For example, the Constitution of Ireland has a number of articles that are relevant to the law on education. Article 42 of the Constitution deals with education. Other articles also have a bearing on education law, in particular the articles dealing with the family and religion (Articles 41 and 44).

It is my hope that citizens will continue to debate on this and reach a consensus on how should education issues appear in the new constitution.

The writer, Masozi Nyirenda is a Specialist in Education Management, Economic of Education and Policy Studies. He is reached through: +255754304181 or masozi.nyirenda@gmail.com

What Mwalimu believed, and the Tanzania he wanted

Thirteen years today, the Nation Tanzania still sobs and remembers the death of Mwalimu Nyerere -- a great Leader, Teacher, and Father of a Nation.

It is fitting and, indeed, a great honour to reflect on what Mwalimu believed and wanted for Tanzania.

In a nutshell, Mwalimu believed in three pillars of human development: Human Equality and Justice; the policy of Socialism and, the third, Self-Reliance as a logical course of action. He dreamed of a peaceful and just Tanzania in which all citizens were equal and have the same rights to live and enjoy life - the gift from God the Almighty.

The first of these three pillars -- human development -- is beautifully outlined in the TANU Creed of 1962, which in turn offers a nine-belief code that embodies the hopes and desires of Mwalimu to his people. Mwalimu’s life as a national leader was clearly demonstrated throughout his tenure in office and private affairs by strict adherence to the Creed. On this Nyerere Day, we briefly revisit the Creed as it was clearly drawn in the Arusha Declaration of 1967.

The Creed stated:

(1) That all human beings are equal;

(2) That every individual has a right to dignity and respect;

(3) That every citizen is an integral part of the nation and has the right to take an equal part in Government at local, regional and national level;

(4) That every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, of movement, of religious belief and of association within the context of the law;

(5) That every individual has the right to receive from society protection of his life and of property held according to law; (6) That every individual has the right to receive a just return for his labour;

The last three elements of the Creed were:

(7) That all citizens together possess all the natural resources of the country in trust for their descendants;

(8) That in order to ensure economic justice the state must have effective control over the principal means of production; and

(9) That it is the responsibility of the state to intervene actively in the economic life of the nation so as to ensure the well-being of all citizens, and so as to prevent the exploitation of one person by another or one group by another, and so as to prevent the accumulation of wealth to an extent which is inconsistent with the existence of a classless society…..

As outlined in the Creed Mwalimu lived the code because he openly opposed treating others less favorably for whatever reason -- be it political, financial power, religion, tribe of race. For every citizen, he sought equal access to education, health, wealth as well as the right to live in freedom in this country.

In many ways, Mwalimu sought to demonstrate that human equality and justice could only be achieved under a socialist mode of economic production, upon which he embarked on building the economy of this nation – with a resolve to fight to eliminate the exploitation of man by man, or a group of people exploiting others.

He was honest in drawing up the Policy in the Arusha Declaration of 1967, which stated, inter alia: “…A truly. Socialist State is one in which all people are workers and in which neither capitalism nor feudalism exists. It does not have two classes of people, a lower class composed of people who work for their living, and an upper class of people who live on the work of others. In a really socialist country no person exploits another; everyone who is physically able to work does so; every worker obtains a just return for the labour he performs; and the incomes derived from different types of work are not grossly divergent...”.

It continues: “…In a socialist country, the only people who live on the work of others, and who have the right to be dependent upon their fellows, are small children, people who are too old to support themselves, the crippled, and those whom the state at any one time cannot provide with an opportunity to work for their living…”.

In fact, Mwalimu believed that Socialism was a way of life and a socialist society was to be built by a people who believed in and practiced this way of life. He often said people must learn to live according to the socialism principles of sharing and loving one another. So successful implementation of socialist objectives depended very much upon the leaders, because socialism as a belief was to be promoted to grow by leaders that must accept it and show the way – by example.

Self-Reliance, the Third Pillar and possibly the most elusive, was based on Mwalimu’s belief that, like him, the people would (a strong wish) accept and live the tenets of Self-Reliance as a development strategy. In propounding this development strategy he saw a Nation at war, and TANU was involved to lead the people in this war. A war that was to end when people of Tanzania were trained and accepted to work hard to create wealth, and stop the dream of adoring MONEY as a weapon of bringing development.

Mwalimu Nyerere was worried because Africa, and Tanzania in particular, would ultimately become slaves in their countries if they embraced money, arguing that it was the former colonial masters – the rich nations -- that held enormous financial resources. Mwalimu was opposed to dependence on foreign aid.

The Arusha Declaration beautifully outlines this belief: “…TANU is involved in a war against poverty and oppression in our country; the struggle is aimed at moving the people of Tanzania (and the people of Africa as a whole) from a state of poverty to a State of prosperity.

We have been oppressed a great deal, we have been exploited a great deal and we have been disregarded a great deal. It is our weakness that has led to our being oppressed, exploited and disregarded. Now we want a revolution – a revolution which brings an end to our weakness, so that we are never again exploited, oppressed, or humiliated…”…”

It continues to explain: “…A poor man does not use Money as a weapon. But it is obvious that in the past we have chosen the wrong weapon for our struggle, because we chose money as our weapon.

We are trying to overcome our economic weakness by using the weapons or the economically strong – weapons which in fact we do not possess. By our thoughts, words and actions it appears as if we have come to the conclusion that without money we cannot bring about the revolution we are aiming at. It is as if we have said, ‘Money is the basis of development. Without money there can be no development…”.

Mwalimu envisioned that the proper conditions of human development were (1) Hard work and (2) Intelligence. Mwalimu expounded that everybody wanted development but not all understood and accepted the basic conditions for development. He directed his leaders in government to go the villages to talk to the people, and to encourage them to work hard.

Mwalimu Nyerere understood well that hard work and intelligence needed four essential requirements, and he outlined them in the Arusha Declaration. These were: Land; People; Good Policies; and Good Leadership – and was dead set against, and vividly opposed to MONEY as a basic requirement for development.

In Mwalimu Nyerere’s vision Land; People; Good Policies; and Good Leadership were the most precious seeds for a nation to develop. All his life Mwalimu Nyerere worked hard to implement his political innovations to achieve, keep and maintain a prosperous free Tanzania.

As Mwalimu struggled to achieve his dreams and vision, the rich nations, too, struggled to pull Africa and Tanzania in particular into a global trap that would guide poor nations to dance the song of dependence -- lubricated by the drum sounds of money and the harp of external aid in form of gifts, loans and foreign direct investment. A globalization itch was also under construction where the world soon became a village and poor or rich were made to compete and play the same dance as if there were all equals in development progression.

In this new world economic order, unequal economic partnerships, alien western democratization and technology became weapons for neo-colonial domination in which resources from Africa continued to find their way to the centre – to the rich and rulers of the world.

After 24 years of hard work Mwalimu was overwhelmed by the global wind of political change. Exhausted but not discouraged, he raised his hands up in surrender to the capitalists and stepped aside to allow the imposing change to engulf Tanzania and indeed Africa.

He remained a socialist -- leaving his political innovations to be destroyed by his successor, because it was painful to continue and experience the pain of destroying his own visions, dreams and works. Today the ethics and principles propagated by Mwalimu have been pushed aside.

People adore money – and many seek money without having to work, let alone working hard; instead, they indulge in corruption in a desire to be rich. Leaders and citizens alike are trapped by the money evil spirit.

To date, Mwalimu remains a celebrated and illustrious statesman of our time, a visionary leader whose innovative thoughts will stand the test of time. The principles that glorify humanity and protect the weak – which Mwalimu believed and fought for -- will remain valid and, as a Nation, we continue to cherish our Great Leader and Father of our Nation.

Sisal board introduces mobile decorticators to revolutionise farming

Introduction of mobile decorticators is primarily aimed at liberating smallholder farmers in sisal fibre processing

Way back in the early 60s, the sisal industry was the best organised commercial agriculture in East Africa with Tanzania leading in terms of production, followed by Brazil.

In 1964, for example, Tanzania produced 240,000 tons of sisal fibre from an area of 487,000 hectares of sisal.

In effect, the industry was the largest single employer and the crop, the major foreign exchange earner for the economy.

Up to 1967, the industry was in private hands. But with the proclamation of the then famous Arusha Declaration, all major economic activities became under state control where over 50 percent of the industry was nationalized.

Most owners of such entities went in confused circles, not knowing what to do next. Along with the move, were houses, high-rise buildings whose value was estimated to cost 100,000/- and above.

The nationalized sisal estates were bestowed in government hands with a public parastatal –Tanzania Sisal Corporation (TSC) formed. Later in 1973, the entity became Tanzania Sisal Authority (TSA).

Only three companies – Amboni Limited, Ralli Estate and Karimjee Agriculture Limited were spared, contributing to the rest 50 percent of the country’s sisal production.

Suddenly, the industry experienced a worst ever decline in the 1970s and 1980s – with production levels pushed down from 230,000 tons in 1964 to 20,485 in 2000.

Among the reasons for the severe slump was neglect of agriculture as an integral part towards national development.

The other, according to agronomists, was the setting in of the synthetic fibre use by developed countries, ending market share of sisal in the world.

Faced with the competition, the product fetched very low prices, while costs of production remained the same-resulting in low profit margin.

With too much on its shoulders, the government decided to privatise the firm. After a bidding exercise, Katani Limited, a processing, marketing and provider of technical and extension services in sisal industry, came out the winner.

Katani Limited, a privately owned company, operates five factories. These are Magoma, Mwelya, Hale, Ngombezi and Magunga, all of them in Korogwe district.

The company has three subsidiary firms – Tanzania Cordage (TANCORD) at Ngomeni, Muheza district, Central workshop at Ngombezi and Hale-based Mkonge Energy Systems (MES) in Korogwe district.

All the five estates are rented to small-scale farmers under SISO System.

Under this arrangement, small-scale farmers, according to a contractual arrangement, are allocated farming plots ranging from 6 to 20 hectares where they grow sisal and sell sisal leaves to Katani Limited who are buyers of their products.

Considering the importance of sisal in the country’s development, the Tanzania Sisal Board (TSB) recently came up with a sisal crop development plan – a road map of the sisal industry – in order to revamp the crop.

Aimed at promoting small holder farming – a type of activity now cherished world wide to alleviate rural poverty and raise sustainability of sisal production, TSB has, in a bid to revolutionize sisal farming by smallholder farmers, introduced mobile decorticating.

The use of mobile decorticators is common in Brazil, the world’s largest sisal producer. In effect, Brazil depends on small-scale farming to maintain the global title in the sisal industry.

In this regard, the government, through TSB had approached the Tanzania Automotive Technology Centre (TATC) – a mechanization unit under the Ministry of Defence and National Service to provide decorticators for Tanzanian farmers.

Accordingly, the first unit – a machine weighing over 600 kgs, is presently on a ten-day trial operation at the Mlingano Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) , an autonomous institution owned by Tanzania Sisal Board, the only one in the world.

“This machine is one of many we intend to order from Nyumbu (TATC) in a bid to revolutionise sisal farming in the country,” said Hassan Kibarua, TSB Senior Planning and Research Officer at the trial operations site at ARI last week.

Kibarua said introduction of the mobile decorticators was primarily aimed at liberating small holder farmers from hardship they had been facing in having their products processed in factories owned by large scale farmers.

For example, he said, private decorticators buy sisal leaves from small scale farmers for a price ranging between 5,000/= and 10,000/-.

“The famers accept whatever price on offer from owners of private decorticators be cause they are in desperate need of money, not because the price is favourable to them”, asserted Kibarua.

He said, ideally, the price should be higher considering the local market price of sisal fibre, which presently stands at 1.8 m/- for under grade (ug) fibre - a quality of produce which accounts for 70 percent in the country.

Sisal farming is rapidly on the rise in the country – a situation brought about by the awareness of farmers who have lately been shifting from traditional crops like maize and others which have, all along, been drying up shortly after planting.

Due to the rapid expansion of sisal farming, farmers have, at times, found themselves having no place to send their crops for processing, due to the fact that decorating facilities in the country are few .

Faced by such situation, farmers crops dry up, especially for those who can not afford to pay for transport costs to processing factories which may be kilometers away from their farming plots.

For those who can afford transport, they ultimately find that the profit margin is meagre ,given the prevailing prices on offer by large scale farmers.

Already, the National Microfinance Bank (NMB) has accepted a request by TSB to provide loans to small-scale farmers – either in groups or individually -to enable them purchase decorticators.

Under a tripartite agreement involving the bank, farmer and buyer of the product, a farmer is required to go to a district council where he belongs, to have his farm registered. After the initial process, TSB informs the bank, requesting the banking facility to consider the farmer’s application for a loan.

Accordingly, the contract is entered into with the farmer confirming that he would sell his product to the buyer of his choice. The buyer, on his part, should then agree to buy the product from the farmer, remitting installments of the loan given to the farmer to the bank.

After the contract agreement is signed, the bank releases the fund to the decorticator manufacturer (Nyumbu) who ultimately delivers the machine to the farmer

Trouble in paradise as radical Islam grows in Zanzibar

The rising tide of radical Islamism has sparked growing unrest on the idyllic islands of Zanzibar. Daniel Howden reports from Stone Town.

Workmen are raising the walls around the Assemblies of God Church on the outskirts of Zanzibar's Stone Town. Sweating in the heat and humidity, they have cemented row after row of concrete blocks to a height of some 10 feet. In May this year a violent mob stormed this compound and burned the 500-seater church inside. Six months on from the attack tell-tale licks of black smoke still darken the cross on its repaired walls.

Bishop Dickson Kaganga, who now has bars on the window of his office, says he and his fellow Christians are "living in fear". The Pentecostal priest, whose car was also torched in the assault, talks darkly of a rising tide of radicalism on the Indian Ocean archipelago once famed for its cosmopolitanism and religious tolerance.

After 16 years work as a missionary on the overwhelmingly Muslim archipelago, the bishop has little doubt who is to blame for the attacks that ruined his church and ransacked several others. He points to the rise of a group calling itself The Awakening, or Uamsho in the islands' native Swahili.

A religious charity which historically confined itself to propagating Islam but has recently entered the political realm with its own brand of faith-based populism. The group's loud calls for independence from Tanzania and anti-mainlander rhetoric have proven hugely popular. Mr Kaganga insists that they are "advocating chaos".

The church burnings coincided with the arrest of Uamsho's leader, the cleric Farid Hadi Ahmed, in connection with an illegal demonstration.

The following day witnessed some of the worst riots seen on Zanzibar.

The leadership of the group has denied any involvement in the attacks and no arrests have been made. Since then a pattern of arrests, riots and unrest has dogged the islands culminating the deaths of several protesters and one policeman earlier this month.

With its population of one million people split between the two main islands of Unguja and Pemba, Zanzibar is no stranger to political violence. Shortly after independence from Britain in 1963 the black African islanders, many of them descendants of slaves traded through the archipelago, overthrew the Arab Sultan of Zanzibar.

A year later its new leaders declared union with mainland Tanganyika creating Tanzania. The islands' history as an African entry point for Christian missionaries, a transit centre for the slave trade and a hub for Islamic scholars have all left their mark.

Little of this rich, turbulent history sits comfortably with Zanzibar's modern fame as a tropical tourist destination with a spiced history of cloves and slaves. Beyond the glamorously dilapidated streets of Stone Town and sun loungers of the beachfront hotels more than one-third of the population lives in grinding poverty. The large underclass, living in rural villages or the crumbling concrete apartment blocks built by Soviet-era allies in the 1960s, face problems which don't appear in holiday brochures.

Dadi Kombo Maalim, the chairperson of Zanzibar's youth forum says that unemployment among under-30s could be running as high as 80 per cent. Heroin addiction has been rising slowly since the 1980s and has now reached epidemic proportions. The popular scapegoat for all the islands' ills has been a half-century of union with the mainland, which is blamed for both the economic doldrums and the perceived creeping moral decay.

"Uamsho says that in the name of the union many corrupt things have been brought from the mainland," says Mr Maalim, who lists prostitution, drugs theft and alcohol. It has left many Zanzibaris feeling that Uamsho "speaks for them", he says.

Elections used to mean murderous clashes between the ruling CCM party and the opposition CUF stern critics of the union. But two years ago this came to an end with a unity government, which succeeded in ending party clashes but left a political vacuum now being filled by an Islamic movement.

"It's easy to recruit people in Zanzibar because of poverty," says Hothman Masoud, Zanzibar's Attorney General. "There are elements of Islamic radicalism here but they previously found it difficult to get more substantial support."

The government was taken "kind of by surprise" the lawyer says by Uamsho's entry into politics. Nevertheless, he denounces the leadership of The Awakening as "opportunists" interested in advancing their own status and wealth rather than the principled clerics they are depicted by their supporters as being.

Much of the political establishment on Zanzibar insist in private that wealthy outsiders from the Gulf states or Iran are suspected of backing Uamsho.

There are few obvious trappings of wealth at a meeting of Uamsho's leaders in a poorly-lit spice shop on the rougher side of the island's capital, Ng'ambo, which literally means the "other side" from touristy Stone Town. Bags of cloves sit alongside herbal cures for malaria and a DVD about the freemasons. A short-bearded young information secretary, Said Amour, laments 48 years of failure and says that "political parties have failed so we are now taking over".

Uamsho will not run candidates at elections but it will use "people power" to advance its agenda. That agenda includes a new code of conduct for the tourists who account for 80 per cent of foreign currency earnings. The group is open to foreign visitors but they must abide by local restrictions, he says, giving the example of Saudi Arabia, which has strict observance of standards of decency.

He proposes a dress code, draconian limitations on the consumption of alcohol and private hotel beaches to prevent Western visitors corrupting locals. Uamsho is not seeking a theocracy on Zanzibar, he insists, and will stick to non-violent tactics. But the spokesman warns that "wabara" – mainlanders will have to leave in large numbers as they are illegal immigrants.

There are increasing signs that an unnerved government which has quietly banned many news outlets from covering Uamsho's activities, is preparing for a crackdown.

But support for the enigmatic Uamsho shows no signs of waning.

In the mosques supportive imams preach in favour of the "freedom fighters" of al-Shabaab, Islamic militants up the coast in Somalia. Uamsho's critics are telling lies designed to destroy its reputation, warns Mr Amour, who says the people will not allow that to happen. "Give a dog a bad name and then kill it," he repeats several times

Trouble in paradise as radical Islam grows in Zanzibar

The rising tide of radical Islamism has sparked growing unrest on the idyllic islands of Zanzibar. Daniel Howden reports from Stone Town.

The church burnings coincided with the arrest of Uamsho's leader, the cleric Farid Hadi Ahmed, in connection with an illegal demonstration.

The following day witnessed some of the worst riots seen on Zanzibar.

Much of the political establishment on Zanzibar insist in private that wealthy outsiders from the Gulf states or Iran are suspected of backing Uamsho.

There are increasing signs that an unnerved government which has quietly banned many news outlets from covering Uamsho's activities, is preparing for a crackdown.

But support for the enigmatic Uamsho shows no signs of waning.

Cecilia: How I lost my dear husband to witchcraft claims

Cecilia`s husband was torched in their house last year after villagers suspected he was a witch. (Photo: Sauli Gilliard)

It is five O’clock in the evening and Cecilia Haule, a resident of Ibani village in Ludewa is returning home from work. The mother of three had been labouring for almost ten hours at a maize farm to earn only 1,000/- at the end of the day.

Perhaps she could be saving some of this money for the rainy days if her husband had been alive. Unfortunately he is not and so as her family’s sole breadwinner, she spends all the money she earns to cater for her family’s needs.

With her hand to mouth earnings, Cecilia finds the burden of taking care of her family too heavy for her to carry. Two of her children are still in primary school and her eldest daughter dropped out of school when she was in standard six following a strange illness.

Cecilia’s husband, Lawrence Mkwera was killed by unidentified people in November last year after a long period of accusations that he was a witch. He was burnt in their house at midnight while he slept after the house was torched by unidentified people. Before he was killed, Cecilia and her husband used to work hard to make ends meet. Today Cecilia feels empty without him.

Cecilia and her children had to move in with Cecilia’s family after her husband’s death since their house was destroyed in the fire. Cecilia, famously known as Mama Sara, blames superstitious beliefs that dominate in her village, which sometimes lead to killings and harassment of innocent people. They also destroy their property just like it happened to her husband, Lawrence who was famously known in the village as ‘Mseminari’ meaning a Seminarian.

Despite the long time witchcraft accusations levelled against Mseminari, his wife never saw any indication that he was a witch.

“I heard the accusations but I had never witnessed anything to prove the allegations,” says Cecy.

The house raid

Explaining what transpired on the day her marital status changed to widowhood, Cecy says; “while we slept at midnight with our children Sara, Lawrence and Ester sleeping in the sitting room, my husband and I were awakened by shouts from our children in the sitting room who cried; ‘we are dying, we are dying.’

Cecilia and her husband quickly woke up. They heard a hard knock at the door. The children who were sleeping in the sitting room ran to hide in their parents’ bed room.

“My husband ran towards the door to open it but could not since there was heavy smoke coming in through the door. A fire had been set at the door,” Cecilia explains.

According to the single parent whose life today totally depends on casual labour, while all these was happening, she was looking for an alternative to get out of the house. She managed to make a hole in a wall in their bedroom and managed to escape with the children. Her husband did not make it as he chocked in the heavy smoke and got burnt in the inferno.

“Neighbours came to our rescue after they heard our cries for help. However, it was too late to save my husband and our property,” Cecy says.

After the burial of her husband, Cecilia had two main things on her mind. Where she would live with her children and how she would feed them.

She decided to go back to her parents’ home to stay with her mother who is now old and helpless. The village government helped her with her children’s school transfers. Sara, her eldest daughter was taken by her aunt residing in Njombe town.

Living in isolation

The witchcraft allegations not only led to Mseminari’s death but to stigma against his family.

Ester, Cecilia’s second born says it reached a point where children refused to play with any child from their family believing they were witches.

“They even stopped eating anything in our home because their parents believed if they did they might die. My friends used to tell me they loved me but that their parents said our family was not good because we were witches,’” says the standard five pupil sadly.

The village administration says the isolation of Mseminari and his family was manifested during the burial ceremony. Due to the witchcraft allegations, people didn’t participate well as they usually do in other burial activities.

Ludewa Mjini Village Executive Officer, Alfred Mgimba says some people in his village still believe in witchcraft. He singled out the death of Mseminari and the burden of caring for the children left behind as the effects of superstition beliefs.

Mgimba confirmed the news that surfaced the village alleging the deceased to have been involved in the superstition practices. But till his death, no one had come up with a vivid example to prove the allegations against Mseminari.

Ward Executive Officer for Ludewa town, Onesmo Haule says within a few months, two people including Mseminari had been killed for witchcraft claims.

Before Mseminari’s death, villagers claimed he was the one causing trouble in their area. “Foreseeing what might happen to Mseminari and others who were accused with him, the local government held a public meeting involving the police. The aim was to educate people on human rights and the impact of mob justice especially to those accused of witchcraft. Five police were involved,” he said adding that; “Despite the education we provided, a few days later Mseminari was murdered. It was irritating and terrible to watch his body because he was burnt beyond recognition.”

The Songambele head teacher, Ramon Lugome says some innocent people have been denied their right to live mercilessly. He said this is why some parts of Ludewa are underdeveloped because experts including teachers fear to be harmed and so shun the places.

Officials in Ludewa district say the suspects in Mseminari’s murder have been sentenced to jail for an undisclosed period.

National police statistics show that in the 2010/2011 period, 385 cases relating to brutal killings of innocent people were reported.

Last year’s Legal and Human Rights Centre Report shows that an estimated 600 elderly women were killed in 2011 due to the suspicion they were witches. This is an indication that not only men are at risk of such killings but women too.