The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar has assured the international travellers and relevant stakeholders that the semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar remain open for business and there have been no cases of the Marburg virus in the region.
“We are ready to welcome travelers from around the world. As we head towards the ‘Green Season’, the Zanzibar archipelago has yet to record a single case of the Marburg virus first detected in March 2023, in the north-west Kagera region of mainland Tanzania,” said a statement.
Since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, the archipelago has seen an influx of visitors from the United States of America and the Middle East as well as those from its core European markets. It is anticipated this trend will continue in the coming months and throughout summer.
While the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended travelers avoid contact with sick individuals and monitor any potential symptoms, it has not advised against travelling to Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Furthermore, it is important to understand that the Islands of Zanzibar are located in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, separated by at least 1,588kms of ocean and land between the islands and the Kagera region on the mainland. As such, it poses no risk of infection, it said.
“While the United Republic of Tanzania and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar are monitoring the situation closely, there is absolutely no cause for alarm,” said Tourism Minister Simai M Said.
“Given that Covid-19 is still fresh in our minds, we understand that people are cautious when learning of new infections. However, such fears are often unfounded, such is the case now. Tanzania is adhering to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and people have no reason to worry.
“Members of the international business community and those visiting our beautiful region and islands can rest assured that it is very much business as usual, and their health is in no way at risk from this virus. In the next few weeks Tanzania should be free from the virus.”
Findings by the United Republic of Tanzania’s Ministry of Health in collaboration with WHO show that as of the 4th of April 2023, the total number of remaining Marburg virus cases in the Kagera region was three, of which only two remain in isolation after one person was discharged on the 5th of April 2023.
“This is further evidence that the spread of the virus has been halted. As we prepare to welcome our annual influx of visitors from the Northern Hemisphere and the Middle East, they can be safe in the knowledge that the virus is contained and presents no threat to them or the citizens of Zanzibar,” comments Said.
Meanwhile, The United Republic of Tanzania has deployed rapid response teams for the purposes of contact tracing and monitoring risk communication activities, measures that are proving highly successful with limiting the spread of the virus in the Kagera region.
Zanzibar is set for a bumper tourist season, with the country already welcoming 65,430 international visitors in February – an increase of 39.2% on the 46,995 visitors recorded in February 2022.
Excerpts of an interview with Tourism Minister:
In terms of revenue generation and job creation, how is the tourism industry fairing, post-pandemic? Tourism still remains the main contributing sector to Zanzibar’s economy, contributing 29.2% and over 80% Foreign Earning. Zanzibar has fully recovered quicker than expected and we have surpassed 538, 000 visitors of pre-covid to over 540,000 post Covid. We have seen an increase in visitors for February 2023 by 39% compared to February last year. Increase of investments by has also translated to job creations numbers. . For instance, Emerald Zanzibar a new hotel project opened this year, recruiting over 300 staff of which 90% are locals.
What measures have been put in place to contain the spread of MVD and ensure safety of travelers? The situation has been contained by both Governments, by immediately deploying a first response team to Kagera Region, which is more than 1000km away from Zanzibar and Mainland Dar es Salaam. All patients were treated according to WHO guidelines. From the 8 who have been infected, only 2 under observation.
With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, how has the Zanzibar built resilience for its tourism industry? During the Covid 19 pandemic, Zanzibar has created Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all tourism operators to ensure they are adhering to international health and safety standards.
Market Dependency on our traditional markets and products was also a lesson learnt and our promotional strategy was to maintain the existing traditional markets Western Europe and diversify targeting new emerging markets and products such as Eastern Europe and GCC countries.
Various financial programs in partnership with developing partners to support the tourism value chain were also introduced. And off course, us not closing our borders during the pandemic also meant that we did not have to start from the beginning but rather to strengthen existing efforts and introducing health and safety measures in accordance to WHO requirements. A national Covid-19 vaccine campaign was launched which saw a large number of the population vaccinated.
With an increasingly competitive landscape and increasing travel destinations, how is Zanzibar positioning itself to remain a destination of choice? Rebranding efforts are underway which will highlight our unique characteristics such as cultural heritage in addition to the exotic white sandy beaches, to use technology to advance existing tourism products and services. Invest in our human capital to meet the needs of the industry and ensure that tourism is benefiting all stakeholders, particularly the communities.
Zanzibar being composed of 2 main islands and over 50 islets, means that our resources are limited and it is essential to promote sustainable green tourism practices, empower local communities by promoting locally made products. In the past two years Zanzibar has won a number of international accolades including the first preferred beach destination in Africa. A number of unique 5 star hotels have also won prestigious awards and this further highlights the uniqueness of Zanzibar as a destination.
The travel and tourism industry has bounced back, but with the current global economic pressures and shocks, will this trend continue? Yes indeed. Tourism accounts for one out of every 11 jobs globally although jobs were lost during the pandemic, the opening of new investments and projects will translate to job creation. Since the bouncing back from the pandemic of Covid-19, the current global performance of the sector is looking positive and expected to grow.
Particularly now that we have all learnt from the pandemic, necessary changes are definitely necessary to ensure its growth. Now health and safety measures have become a priority for all visitors. Governments worldwide have adopted many changes. As you have seen with Zanzibar we have surpassed pre-covid numbers.
A study by The World Travel and Tourism Council that looked at the impact of tourism had in 2022 found that ‘Travel & Tourism GDP is set to grow on average by 5.8% annually between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy (2.7% per year).
Their research showed that Travel & Tourism GDP could return to 2019 levels by the end of 2023. What is more, the sector is expected to create nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade.’ Therefore the trend is set to continue and growth is on the horizon.
What are your revenue projections for the tourism industry in 2023 and what will drive its growth? Post Covid-19 has also showed the increase need of visitors to travel after lockdowns, others are looking to work remotely while tucked away on an exotic island like Zanzibar. We have seen an increase in demand for these type of nomad travelers. In addition to the positive indicators from various researches as well as the performance of our own tourism sector in Zanzibar, growth will be driven by the investment interests as well as the diversification of our current products.
We have opened up Pemba for investment and with the current infrastructure projects that have already taken off, such as the construction of an international airport in Pemba and over. Generally we are looking to welcome over 850,000 tourists by 2025, with tourism earnings estimated to increase by an approximate average of between 10-20 percent per annum, this is an estimation based on previous and current performances as well as new projects which are in the pipeline. – TradeArabia News Service
This satellite photo by Planet Labs PBC shows fires burning near a hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, April 16, 2023.
KHARTOUM, SUDAN —
A doctor’s group in Sudan reported early Monday that the death toll for civilians caught up in the fighting between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary force has grown to at least 97, with 365 injured, according to a Reuters report. Other reports say as many as 600 people have been injured.
The fighting erupted Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the council, Reuters reported.
The U.N. had announced a three-hour cease-fire late Sunday afternoon between the two groups, yet residents told media that heavy explosions and continued gunfire, as well as airstrikes pounding RSF targets, could be heard Sunday night.
Early Sunday, heavy gunfire could be heard in downtown Khartoum, around Sudan’s military headquarters and the presidential palace.
Both the military and the RSF have claimed control of these strategic locations.
“This looks like fighting to the finish,” Saliman Baldo, director of Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker, an anti-corruption campaign, told VOA’s James Butty.
Baldo said he does not think any attempt at mediation would work because it appears both generals have branded each other as criminals and could be prepared to fight it out.
Dozens Killed in Sudan Amid Fighting Between Army, Paramilitary Forces
The U.S. and British foreign ministers have called for an “immediate cessation of violence” in Sudan and urged the opposing parties to return to talks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart James Cleverly made their statement the sidelines of the G-7 talks.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the fighting between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary force that has killed three U.N. workers for the World Food Program.
Guterres “strongly condemns the deaths and injuries of civilians, including the death of three staff members of the World Food Program in North Darfur, with a further two seriously injured,” the U.N. chief's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement, adding: “Those responsible should be brought to justice without delay.”
The statement said, “United Nations and other humanitarian premises have also been hit by projectiles and looted in several locations in Darfur.”
Guterres reiterated a call for an immediate cease-fire between the warring groups, the U.N. statement said.
Syrian Families Stranded in Sudan’s Capital Amid Clashes
The World Food Program says it has suspended operations in the country after the deaths of its staff members.
The head of the Sudanese journalists’ syndicate, Abdulmuniem Abu Idris, told VOA via a messaging application that about 12 journalists, including four women, have been stranded in the Sudanese Kuwaiti business center since Saturday morning.
Abu Idris had earlier appealed to the warring parties to create a safe corridor for them to go to their families.
“I am calling on the two parties to create a safe passage for all the civilians inside the conflict areas, especially the journalists who have been stuck since yesterday,” he said.
ICRC: Fighting in Sudan Puts Civilians and Refugees at Risk
The Sudanese-Kuwaiti business center is located east of the presidential palace along the Nile River. It is a working office space for many media outlets.
Abu Idris says described the area as a “serious” confrontation zone between the military and the RSF.
He says those journalists and other civilians would be in need of basic items to survive.
“They don’t have food; they are not in a safe area because they are inside the area of the exchange fires. And we are calling on the Red Crescent to intervene and rescue the civilians and those journalists,” he said.
Reports say recent tensions between the army and the RSF stem from disagreements with how the RSF should be integrated in the army and who should oversee that process. It’s part of an effort to restore the country to civilian rule and end a political crisis sparked by a military coup in October 2021.
Sudan Transition Deal Delayed, Protesters March Against Talks
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council held an extraordinary meeting Sunday in Nairobi to discuss the situation in Sudan. Participants appealed to the Sudanese military and RSF leaders to de-escalate confrontation and restore stability.
Arab League countries also condemned the fighting in Sudan, calling for calm.
Egypt and South Sudan announced in a joint statement their intention to mediate between Sudan’s warring parties. By Michael Atit, VOA
In November 2021 at the Dubai Airshow, Tanzania placed an order for a Boeing 767-300 freighter, besides a 787-8 Dreamliner and two 737 MAXs. The freighter would be used to capitalise on Africa’s burgeoning cargo demand, Boeing and the Air Tanzania Company said.
“The 767 freighter will give Air Tanzania exceptional capability and flexibility to meet passenger and cargo demand within Africa and beyond,” said Air Tanzania chief executive Ladislaus Matindi.
And now, as national carrier prepares to receive Africa’s first B767-300F, a mix of excitement and anxiety is palpable in Dar es Salaam. Last month, plane spotters saw the aircraft conducting test flights at the Boeing Factory at Paine Field, Seattle. It was expected at the Julius Nyerere International Airport on March 31, but the delivery was delayed by “supplier issues”.
Immediate sacking
Boeing said “quality issues” forced it to rework the 767Fs and the delivery is expected this month.
But in Dar, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been fuming over the purchase of this plane, which was billed to turn Dar into a cargo hub in the region. The newest report of the Controller and Auditor-General (CAG) has uncovered massive overpricing, after an $86 million invoice was submitted to the government as the final instalment.
This is well over double the $37 million figure in the original purchase contract agreed with the plane manufacturer in Washington D.C.
Irked by the revelations amid a growing public outcry, on April 9, President Samia sacked John Nzulule, director-general of the Tanzania Government Flight Agency, which was charged with handling Air Tanzania’s plane purchases under the John Magufuli-initiated revival strategy.
Dissolved railways board
The President also dissolved the Tanzania Railways Corporation board, after the CAG findings showed that the public agency twice rejected tenders to purchase locomotives and passenger coaches for the new standard gauge railway (SGR) at the lowest bid price of $263.4 million, in favour of a $478 million offer, costing the government about $215 million more.
The rot in the two corporations is just an example of a web of corruption in the Tanzanian government and quasi-government institutions flagged by the CAG Charles Kichere.
The revelations in Mr Kichere’s audit for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, which was made public on April 7, put the spotlight on the President, who has been endeavouring to clean up the public sector and the country’s image as an investment destination in Africa, devoid of red tape and graft.
Campaign for re-election
They also potentially dent her campaign for re-election in the next cycle of polls.
Mr Kichere’s report unveils serious misuse and embezzlement of funds in flagship government projects dating from the era of Samia’s predecessor John Magufuli, but this time also implicating her own administration in no small measure.
Firebrand opposition leader Tundu Lissu of the Chadema party has put the estimated loss of public funds due to graft, mismanagement and negligence at Tsh2 trillion ($862 million).
Major projects such as the standard gauge railway, the Nyerere Hydropower Dam and the Air Tanzania revival programme have been flagged for serious impropriety while virtually all the key public utilities are under scrutiny for irregular expenditure.
The usual suspects
Backed by President Samia’s call for more transparency in government spending, the annual CAG audit for the first time included projects that were previously exempt from audit by the Magufuli administration. One is the Air Tanzania’s plane purchases.
Although CAG Kichere issued unqualified opinions indicating satisfactory financial reporting and record-keeping by 96 percent of the 1,045 government agencies audited in 2021/2022, his report details endemic financial irregularities and loss-making trends in most of them.
The spotlighted entities included the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation, Tanzania Electric Supply Company, Medical Stores Department, Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania National Parks Authority, Rural Energy Agency and the National Health Insurance Fund.
Pension funds National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Public Service Social Security Fund were found to be struggling with fast declining occupancy rates in their Dar es Salaam real estate investments, partly due to a steady exodus of big business clients to the administrative capital Dodoma.
Poor business decisions
A total of 45 public entities were cited for making losses for two consecutive years, 14 of them being commercial firms that are supposed to be reporting profits instead of losing money.
Top on the new list of shame is the national carrier, Air Tanzania, despite cutting its losses minimally from Tsh36.18 billion ($15.6 million) to Tsh35.2 billion ($15.17 million).
Tanzania Railways Corporation posted a much higher deficit — Tsh31.29 billion ($13.5 million) in 2022 — against Tsh22.8 billion ($9.83 million) in 2021.
The National Development Corporation cut its losses by over half, from Tsh26.3 billion ($11.33 million) in 2021 to Tsh11.9 billion ($5.13 million), but remained on the critical list.
State-owned TIB Development Bank recorded a Tsh838 million ($361,200) loss in 2022, against Tsh292.3 million ($125,990) in 2021, which was blamed on an increase in non-performing loans to 20.3 percent, well above the central bank’s 5 percent threshold. It is instructive to state that most of the bank’s clients are government institutions.
Among non-commercial firms, the NHIF led in the loss-making zone, with its losses shooting up almost twofold from Tsh109.7 billion ($47.28 million) to Tsh204.6 billion ($88.2 million) in just two years.
According to Mr Kichere, most of the listed non-commercial public entities suffered as a consequence of “having no access to government subsidies or alternative sources of income,” while those in the commercial category were guilty of “poor business decisions, poor supervision of investments, and poor financial management.”
The collusion
The report says that many government institutions have failed to meet their own performance targets in line with strategic plans, undermining their ability and capacity to compete with private sector rivals. Weaknesses were also detected in revenue collection and recording in 180 local government authorities, with more than Tsh91 billion ($39.22 million) going down the drain.
The audit also brought to light that government officials were colluding with some international private companies to perpetrate the graft and rot within government, as in the invoice matter involving aircraft maker Boeing.
Standard Chartered Bank has also been criticised over the conditions that it set for a $1.46 billion loan to facilitate the SGR project, which ultimately raised the cost by several million dollars.
Single-sourcing trap
According to the report, the bank named Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi as the only acceptable contractor for at least two phases of the project. The company was eventually awarded the construction job via a single-source tender arrangement, in spite of Tanzania’s procurement rules that stipulate competitive bidding for such contracts.
Under the Yapi Merkezi contract, the Tanzanian government is obliged to pay between $5.2 million and $5.5 million for each rail kilometre built over a 790-kilometre stretch, while other phases of the planned 1,800-km line, which were subjected to a competitive bidding process, are costing from $3.9 million to $4.6 million per kilometre.
In its 2022 report on operations in Tanzania, Standard Chartered Bank described its SGR loan as the “largest syndicated transaction in sub-Saharan Africa outside the oil and gas sector to date (which has) positively changed the accepted norms on how such deals are structured and how risks are managed effectively.”
Hydropower project
The Nyerere hydropower project in southern Tanzania was also flagged for delayed payment of Tsh327.9 billion ($141.33 million) in assorted levies to hasten its completion.
President Samia has instructed Chief Secretary Moses Kailua to supervise “legal action” against public officials implicated in the widespread financial accounting flaws spelt out in the audit.
Public expectations are that the President’s move marks the beginning of a bigger crackdown on government corruption under her government and more heads will roll.
Uncontrollable factors
But the president continues to face pressure to do much more towards curbing graft within her administration, with main opposition parties Chadema and ACT Wazalendo predictably using the CAG report’s findings as fresh fuel to further drum up public apathy towards Samia’s ruling CCM party.
ACT Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe described the report’s findings as “the same old story” of poor governance under CCM, quoting the report’s observation that only 36 percent of the 6,947 recommendations contained in the 2020/2021 audit were implemented.
Chadema secretary-general John Mnyika said the public outcry triggered by the report’s revelations was not likely to cool down as quickly as in previous years because of a soaring cost of living caused in part by some uncontrollable factors such as the Ukraine war, drought and the impact of Covid.
According to Mr Mnyika, ensuring financial discipline in governance should be “a top priority at this time of economic difficulties for everyone.”
“Adding up all the dirt mentioned by the Controller and Auditor-General this year, more than Tsh2 trillion have been lost,” Mr Lissu is quoted by the Citizen newspaper as saying. “This is happening in a country whose people are facing many problems.” - BOB KARASHANI, The EastAfrican
Entrance to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. PHOTO: KAA
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) on Monday, April 17, confirmed that it had temporarily closed the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) runway due to an aborted takeoff by a cargo plane.
In a statement, KAA affirmed that the cargo plane developed technical issues on Monday morning affecting all operations.
As a result, all incoming and outgoing flights were temporarily suspended.
"Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to resolve this situation as quickly and safely as possible," the statement read in part.
The Authority, as a result, advised all passengers to contact their respective airlines regarding the status of their flights.
"We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. We advise all passengers to contact their respective airlines for further information on the status of their flights," KAA stated.
According to a spot check by Kenyans.co.ke on FlightRadar24, the cargo plane was scheduled to depart Nairobi at 1:30 am and expected to arrive at Amsterdam on Monday morning, April 17, at 9:40 am.
The plane stalled at the end of the runway. This, in turn, led to flight delays for all incoming and outgoing flights.
The CS pointed out how the JKIA needed a new upgrade to combat inefficiencies and the breakdown of systems.
"Being a key port of entry for Kenya, it is critical that we work on a Public-Private Partnership model that will facilitate the expansion of JKIA to include a new terminal and a new runway to double the airport's capacity and move the list of the best airports in the world," Murkomen stated on Thursday, April 13.
The CS affirmed that the upgrade would subsequently enhance trade and tourism between Kenya and other nations.
"With the terminal comes the increased capacity to handle more planes and passengers hundreds of jobs for Kenyans, a boost in tourism, increased trade and investment and enhance regional integration," he added. By Brian Kimani, Kenyans.co.ke
Militia also burn and loot 150 houses, shops, UN radio reports citing military sources
KAMPALA, Uganda
At least 48 people were killed in militia attacks in Democratic Republic of Congo’s easter Ituri province, UN radio in the country said on Saturday.
The radio said that a series of attacks were carried out by the Cooperative for Development of the Congo (CODECO). More than 150 houses and shops were also burned and looted, it added.
According to Innocent Matukadala, a regional administrator, the attack and killings first took place in the towns of Kilo Etat, Matete and Itendy before spreading to other villages.
Two local health facilities were also reportedly looted and ransacked by the militiamen.
Quoting military sources, UN radio said that the DR Congo army “neutralized” 14 attackers and injured four others during the fighting.
Civilians suffer regular attacks orchestrated by the Allied Democratic Forces rebels and the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) among other militias. Anadolu Agency
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