Dar tourist arrivals grow to just over 1 million in 2016

TANZANIA’s tourist arrivals grew by 10.42 per cent to 1,020,816 between January and October last year, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) barometer. 
At global level, tourist arrivals grew by 3.9 per cent to reach more than a billion last year.
The UNWTO barometer shows that international arrivals from January to December last year reached 1.23 billion, 46 million more compared to 2015 figures. 
In Kenya, international tourist arrivals increased by 16.7 per cent to 877,602 compared to the previous year.
The report said that last year marked the seventh consecutive year of sustained growth following the 2009 global economic crisis. 
“Tourism has shown extraordinary strength and resilience in recent years despite many challenges, particularly those related to safety and security,’’ UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai said in a report.
“Yet international travel continues to grow strongly and contribute to job creation and the well-being of communities around the world,” Rifai added.
In Europe, international arrivals reached 620 million last year — 12 million more than in 2015 — while in the Americas arrivals rose by four per cent to 201 million, eight million more visitors compared to 2015.
In Africa, the arrivals jumped by eight per cent to 58 million tourists, while Asia and the Pacific had 301 million. 
The Middle East received 54 million global arrivals, a decrease of four per cent compared to 2015. UNWTO projects international arrivals worldwide to grow at 3 to 4 per cent this year.
According to statistics from the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), arrivals through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport jumped by 16.2 per cent to 782,013 last year, compared to 672,789 visitors in 2015. 
At Moi International Airport, arrivals grew by 22.2 per cent to 92,872 compared with 75,983 visitors in 2015. 
On the other hand, arrivals by cruise ships at Mombasa port declined by 17.7 per cent to 2,717, compared with 3,302 visitors in 2015.
In terms of share of arrivals during the period, the US emerged as Kenya’s top source tourists after overtaking the UK which for years has been the country’s leading market.

JPM receives six new diplomats

PRESIDENT John Magufuli yesterday received diplomatic credentials from six different resident ambassadors who will represent their countries in Tanzania
The ambassadors who presented their credentials at the State House in Dar es Salaam include Mohamed Ben Mansour Al Malek from the United Arab Emirates, Abdelilah Benryane of Morroco, Benson Keith Chali of Zambia, Lucas Domingo Hernandez Polledo of the Republic of Cuba, Mousa Farhang of Iran and Gervais Abayeho from Burundi.
President Magufuli welcomed the new ambassadors, assuring them of close cooperation and that Tanzania would continue to enhance economic cooperation with their countries for the benefit of all.
“I am aware that Saudi Arabia implements a number of construction projects in Tanzania. I would like to assure you that we will continue implementing such projects together,” he told Ambassador Mohamed Ben Mansour Al Malek.
“I am expecting Cubans to construct factories in Tanzania as we plan to stop importing medicines. The government spends a huge chunk of our foreign currency importing medicines from abroad,” The President told Ambassador Lucas Domingo Hernandez Polledo from Cuba.
The Ambassador of Morocco in the country, Abdelilah Benryane promised President Magufuli that his country would, apart from constructing a Mosque in Dodoma, also implement other projects.
Speaking to Zambian Ambassador, Benson Keith Chali the President said that his presence will speed up the process for improvement of the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) in order to enhance productivity.
President Magufuli assured the Ambassador of Burundi, Gervais Abayeho that Tanzania would continue to be a good friend to their country.
He said the bilateral relationship between the two countries would be cemented as Tanzania continues to be part of the conflict resolution committee through former President, Benjamin Mkapa.
The Ambassadors congratulated President Magufuli for his austerity measures in shaping the country’s economy, fight corruption, abuse of office and ensuring ethics amongst public servants.

Discovery of natural gas lowers power production,consumer costs

THE discovery of natural gas in the country has led to a decline of electricity prices by 33.26 per cent since 2014 to 2016, Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals Dr Medard Kalemani has revealed. 
Dr Kalemani made the remarks yesterday in Parliament in Dodoma when responding to a question from Special Seat MP Maida Hamad Abdallah who wanted to know the benefits obtained from the discovery natural gas in the country.
“The biggest advantage which the country has gained from the discovery and use of natural gas in electricity production is that it has made the production cheaper compared to fuel. 
Electricity production using natural gas increased from 2,714.25 million units in 2014 to 4196.4 million units in 2016, an increase of 54.61 per cent,” explained Dr Kalemani.
The deputy minister explained further that the discovery of natural gas has seen electricity production cost going down from an average of 188.56/- per unit in 2014 to an average of 125.85/- per unit in 2016.
Detailing more on the benefits gained from the use of natural gas, Energy and Minerals Minister Prof Sospeter Muhongo said some households in Mikocheni in Dar es Salaam Region , including the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) have seen their monthly spending on natural gas for cooking not exceeding 25,000/- 
According to him, until now a total of 37 industries are using energy derived from natural gas, which is cost-effective compared with the cost of other sources of energy.
In addition, he said that his ministry has received funding of USD150 million(over Sh330 billion) from African Development Bank (AfDB) for supplying the gas in regions of Dar es Salaam, Mtwara and Lindi.
Prof Muhongo said that soon after the supply commences, pipes will be laid in Kinyerezi suburb ready to supply the gas in the city and other regions such as Morogoro, Mbeya and Iringa.
He assured the public that the gas which is being used now is more safe and do not explode like the previous ones.
TPDC began to study to explore oil and natural gas in early 1950, involving research in areas of the deep sea, lakes and land. Natural gas discovered in the deep sea is 47.08TCF and in land are 10.17 TCF. The total initial gas in place now stands at 57.25 TCF.

Tulia: The legislators also called for a proper official research to find out the real facts about the famous

The legislators also called for a proper official research to find out the real facts about the famous 1905-1907 rebellion and whether it was indeed led by Chief Kinjekitile Ngwale, as has been frequently reported.

They said it was important to start the legal proceedings against German authorities as soon as possible in order to ensure that Tanzania’s former colonial master pays befitting compensation like what happened with similar rebellion wars in other parts of Africa.

Inter Burundi Dialogue scheduled for next week

FORMER President Benjamin William Mkapa, in his capacity as the Facilitator of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue has announced the commencement of the formal dialogue after completion of the consultative talks. 
The session is schedule for 16th – 18th February 2017, at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC). 
The convening of the session follows rigorous consultations the Facilitator made with various stakeholders within and outside Burundi, after which he identified an Eight-point Agenda raised by all stakeholders and agreed to be the main sticking points which he reported to the Summit in September 2016.
This Eight-point Agenda, which will form the thrust of the dialogue and subsequent negations, in no particular order of importance, includes: Security and commitment to end all forms of violence; Commitment to the Rule of Law and an end to impunity; Status of the implementation of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement; Strengthening of Democratic Culture and Opening up of Political Space; Social and Humanitarian Issues.
Others are, Implementation of the EAC Summit Decision of July 6th, 2015 on the Formation of the Government of National Unity; Impact of the Crisis on the Economy; and the Relationship between Burundi, its Neighbours and other International Partners.
In this initial phase of the dialogue which is by and large a political process, the Facilitator will invite some of the political parties and important political actors to whom he will introduce the unpacked Eight-point Agenda to determine areas of convergence and divergence.
Other stakeholders like the civil society organisations, religious groups, as well as women and youth will be invited in later sessions for a similar purpose.
It is the expectation of the Facilitator that, in the initial dialogue, inputs from participant will draw up an outline of the would-be agreement to be continuously refined until when it fully agreed upon by all stakeholders and can be signed as a final agreement hopefully in June, 2017 as he envisaged.

MPs: Germany must be made to pay Majimaji war damages

MEMBERS of parliament sitting in Dodoma yesterday tasked the government to file a legal suit against the Federal Republic of Germany in pursuit of compensation for more than 30,000 people who were killed during the Majimaji war in southern Tanzania more than a century ago 
The legislators also called for a proper official research to find out the real facts about the famous 1905-1907 rebellion and whether it was indeed led by Chief Kinjekitile Ngwale, as has been frequently reported.
They said it was important to start the legal proceedings against German authorities as soon as possible in order to ensure that Tanzania’s former colonial master pays befitting compensation like what happened with similar rebellion wars in other parts of Africa.
The MP for Kilwa North, Vedasto Ngombale (CUF), noted that Kenya for example has managed to secure adequate compensation for victims of the 1952-1960 Mau Mau uprising, which was basically a revolt against British rule. 
The British government in June 2013 agreed to compensate more than 5,000 Kenyans said to have been tortured and abused by colonial army soldiers during the insurgency. Ngombale queried whether the government was ready to press German authorities to do likewise for the sake of Majimaji war victims.
Kigoma Urban MP Zitto Kabwe (ACT-Wazalendo) wondered why the government itself hasn’t ever properly acknowledged Majimaji heroes and victims, including those whose farms were destroyed by German soldiers in the Mahenge-Morogoro area.
“Even the Namibian government paid compensation to its people who were killed by Germans at Nama-Herero...how about us?” Zitto said.
Special Seats MP Riziki Said Lulida (CUF) queried whether the government was prepared to make correction to the official history version of the Majimaji war after the research findings, since it is widely believed that the rebellion began at Nandele-Kipatimo, Kilwa Kivinje and not Songea in Ruvuma Region.
In his response, Defence and National Service Minister Hussein Mwinyi said the ministry will consult with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation to see how such litigation against Germany as a country can be initiated.
According to Mwinyi, a proper investigation and research will be conducted to first determine which Majimaji victims’ families deserve to be compensated, and delegations will be sent to Kenya and Namibia to draw lessons on how the compensation exercises were done there.
“We will learn from the Mau Mau experience…inquiries will also be made in Mahenge to see the possibilities of paying the said victims,” the minister when responding to the MPs’ queries.
On the matter of where exactly the Majimaji rebellion began, Mwinyi said that will depend on the research findings. 
The war was reportedly triggered by a German colonial policy designed to force the indigenous population to grow cotton for export. 
According to reports, each village was charged with producing a quota of cotton, and the village headmen were put in charge of overseeing the production, which set them against the rest of the population.
A drought that threatened the region provided the spark that triggered open rebellion against the Germans in July 1905. The insurgents are said to have turned to magic to drive out the German colonisers and used it as a unifying force in the rebellion. 
Supposed rebellion leader Kinjekitile Ngwale, also known as Bokero, developed a belief that the local people had been called upon to eliminate the Germans.
According to German anthropologists, he gave his followers war medicine that would turn German bullets into water. This 'medicine' was in fact water mixed with castor oil and millet seeds. Hence the name 'Majimaji war' was born.

PM tells envoys to lead the way in wooing foreign investment

AMBASSADORS representing Tanzania abroad have been tasked to seek investors in the manufacturing sector so as to help the country attain its industrialisation dream. 
According to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, the government’s plan is to lay a foundation for an industrial-based national economy, with the role of envoys being to identify foreign funding sources for purposes of implementation.
Majaliwa made the remarks yesterday when he held talks with several ambassadors who are set to take up representative positions in various countries.
They are Dr Emanuel Nchimbi who has been assigned to Brazil, Elizabeth Kiondo (Turkey), George Madafa (Italy), James Msekela (Switzerland), Samuel Shelukindo (France), Paul Mella (DRC), and Mbelwa Kairuki (China).
The PM told the envoys: “The government needs people to come and invest in industries that add value to our products before they are sold outside the country, and your task now is to ensure we get the best investors.”
He also called on them to ensure they sell Tanzania and its attractions so that more tourists visit the country.
Speaking on behalf of the other envoys, ambassador Mella said they will represent the country as directed and entrusted by the president.
The PM’s call echoes that of the local private sector which also recently pointed out that the country’s envoys in foreign countries have a key catalyst role to play for the government’s industrialisation dream to come true.
At a meeting with the newly appointed ambassadors last week, the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) called on them to help solicit trade opportunities especially in the areas of agriculture, technology and development of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).
TPSF officials said the envoys should seek to capitalise on economic diplomacy, and work on the premise that an industrialised economy cannot be built by the government alone without close collaboration with the private sector which is key to mobilizing resources.