After losing development support from the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the past seven years, Tanzania has convinced Washington to review its earlier decision to suspend funding to key social and economic projects in the country.

The MCC Board has put Tanzania among African countries to get financial and institutional support after closing its offices in Dar es Salaam in 2016 in protest against the general election results in Zanzibar.

The MCC had invested $700 million in electricity production and supply to urban and rural areas between 2008 and 2013.

Read (from the Archives): Tanzania says "not surprised" by US aid cut

Other key projects were roads, water supply in rural areas, education and health services.

The US embassy in Dar es Salaam said this week that Tanzania had demonstrated renewed commitment to advancing critical reforms to strengthen democracy, protect human rights and fight corruption. 

The MCC Board has, therefore, decided to partner with Dodoma to focus on policy and institutional reforms aimed at reducing poverty and promoting economic growth.

Global poverty

Established in 2004, MCC is an independent US government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth through grants and assistance to countries that execute good governance, fight corruption and respect democratic rights. The reinstatement of the MCC funding comes a year after President Samia Suluhu Hassan met with the MCC Chief Executive Alice Albright in Washington DC on December 14, 2022.

President Samia has reversed some contentious measures that restricted democratic space, proclaiming a 4R philosophy—reforms, reconciliation, rebuilding and resilience, targeting to change the politics and economics in the country.

Read: Two years of Samia’s reforms in Tanzania

Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has visited the MCC in the US three times in the past two years, lobbying for the reinstatement of funding.

The MCC directors said shortly after the 2015 General Election that the government had ignored the concerns of the US and the international community over the voting in Zanzibar, which the opposition Civic United Front claimed to have won but Dodoma authorised a re-run-in favour of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi. By Apolinari Tairo, The East African

JERUSALEM

Israeli officials said Sunday that Egypt has proposed to both Tel Aviv and Hamas to move forward with a new agreement, involving the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

"The Egyptian proposal is expected to be discussed on Monday during the meeting of the war cabinet," Israeli news website Walla quoted an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying.

"The proposal is initial and fresh but important and positive," the official said, claiming that "Cairo has significant leverage over Hamas, which may help in the success of a proposal to release the Israeli hostages in Gaza."

Egypt, along with Qatar, helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other groups are still holding about 129 captives.

Hamas has repeatedly rejected any talks on exchange deal with Israel before a complete cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged enclave.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least more than 20,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring many others.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food, water and medicines. By Mohammad Sio, Anadolu Agency

The Home Office said it has “robust plans” for flights to Rwanda, following reports airlines have so far refused to sign contracts to take part in the flagship asylum policy. The Sunday Times reported that firms have so far declined to sign up over fears of damage to their reputations from taking part in the plan. 

According to the paper, ministers have since appointed an agent to source a commercial aircraft supplier willing to ferry migrants to the African nation if and when the scheme becomes operational. A failure to do so raises the prospect of the Ministry of Defence and the RAF stepping in.

Home Official officials insist that if and when the Rwanda legislation becomes law, there will be flights available. A Government spokesman said: “The Government is committed to doing whatever it takes to stop the boats and get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible.

“Rwanda is ready to welcome large numbers of people and we have robust plans in place for future flights following discussions with a range of companies.” The same paper also reported that Boscombe Down, north of Salisbury, is intended to be used as the airfield for flights. But it reported it still requires considerable investment to improve fencing and security.

Any further complications to the Rwanda scheme would prove a major headache for the Prime Minister, who is battling to see flights take off before the next general election – expected before January 2025. Mr Sunak moved a step forward this week in his efforts to revive the Rwanda scheme after the Supreme Court defeat.

He managed to see off threats of a backbench rebellion to comfortably pass his legislation in the Commons at second reading. By Nisha Mal, Nottinghamshire Live