Youngsters trained on life-dream attainment

Twenty young women from Mtwara and Iringa regions are attending a three-week seminar organized by the Tanzania Women of Achievements Awards to inspire and motivate them to realise their dreams. Speaking at the opening of the seminar yesterday in Dar es Salaam, president of the awards Irene Kiwia said her organisation had decided to organise the seminar after learning that most young women lack inspiration to achieve development. “We selected the two regions after noting that they are prone to challenges which can hinder them from realising their dreams,” she said. Kiwia said the girls - aged between 18 and 26 years – were selected after basing on their leadership qualities and on conviction that they could help in inspiring other young girls in their communities. “We selected the two regions because research from different organisations have shown that that young women from these regions are at risk of getting HIV and Aids, early pregnancy and other challenges which can make them fail to realise their dreams,” she said. Kiwia said the woman achievers would come from different backgrounds and they would play a role of monitoring other young girls’ progress for a minimum period of one year. “We have arranged women who have achieved big things in difference fields of life and each will have a young lady to inspire her and monitor her progress for a maximum period of one year,” she said. She further said as part of the seminar, the participating young women would visit the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children, which among others, deals with women affairs.The seminar has been sponsored by the United States Aid for Development (Usaid), informed Kiwia.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Kisarawe district spends over Tshs. 2 billion on development projects

Kisarawe district has spent over 2bn/- on various development projects until the end of March, this year, it has been learnt. District planning officer Mustapha Sabuni said recently that the projects were financed through funds amounting to 3.1bn/- approved by the district council in the 2010/11 financial year. He explained that the projects included primary and secondary education, healthcare, water, agriculture, livestock and cooperatives, a natural resources office building and an administration block. Sabuni said over 3bn/- was received by the end of the third quarter of the financial year 2010/11. A total of 13.3bn/- was approved to be spent by the district council during the financial year 2010/11. The district planning officer said 7,478,915,173/- was spent on salaries and 2,995,026,500/- on development projects. He said the district council internal revenue was 854,480,000/-. He explained that the district council received 5,367,736,926/20 (40 per cent of the annual estimated amount until March) this year. “The money includes 3,706,103,631/16 for salaries, 1,233,579,014/65 for development projects and 344,404,000/- for other charges,” he noted. He said the projects implemented in the 2010/11 year included construction of 10 houses for district council workers, construction of the Natural Resources office building and the construction of the district executive director's office building, OPD building at Chole health centre, a 105.3-km road and construction of eight classrooms at three secondary schools in the district. The district council has in 2011/12 a budget of 14,650,169,700/- from various sources including the government, donors and internal district sources.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Trade union roots for better conditions in mining firms

The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) has called on the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (Osha) to appoint an official to deal specifically with issues dealing with mining companies According to Tucta, the appointed person should ensure that mining companies operate in accordance with the labour laws Tucta mentioned the current Osha as a weak body, as it lacked qualified and competent staff to deal with current issues in the labour market. Tucta secretary general Nicholaus Mgaya made the remarks on Monday when he met a Corporate and Environment Unit team from the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC). His remarks came after the LHRC released a report on hazardous working conditions in mining firms such as the Geita Gold Mine (GGM). “Osha does not have capacity to deal with all issues in the workplace in the country. It is ineffective and so something should be done to avert the situation,” said Mgaya. Meanwhile, the Tucta secretary general has urged the government to make sure investors abide by labour laws. He was responding to this reporter who wanted to know whether the trade union was aware of any mining firms claiming that they only run their firms in accordance with their codes of conducts and nothing else. He said the situation might be attributed partly to government’s failure to give foreign investors a specified code of conduct which tallied with the country’s laws. According to Mgaya, 80 per cent of employees in both the private and public sector worked under harsh conditions with the remaining 20 per cent with better working conditions. “There are areas where people work because they have to. They work as if they are slaves,” said Mgaya. Besides the mining companies, he mentioned other areas in which workers worked under harsh conditions as courts of law, schools and hospitals, among others, saying some of the court buildings did not reflect the importance of the judiciary. “There are schools where teachers have no latrines and are forced to go to bushes to answer calls of nature while some government hospitals lack necessary facilities for its staff. We are very aware of it all,” said Mgaya. On May 1, this year, President Jakaya Kikwete vowed that no Tanzanian employee would be a slave in his or her own country. He said he was aware that there were some employers violating labour laws and instructed the Ministry of Labour, Youth Development and Employment to deal with them. “Labour officers should hold accountable those violating workers’ labour rights. We are aware of some labour officers who are siding with greedy employers. As much as we want to attract investors, we should not condone exploitation of our own people because doing so, is a sin,” said Kikwete. A survey conducted by the LHRC indicates that local mining labourers have no one to talk to because officials from the Ministry of Minerals and Energy and Osha embrace investors to the detriment of the local labourers. Worse still, their employers are claimed to bar them from forming trade unions, a tool which could have been helpful in fighting for their rights.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Maghufuli not budging on roadside billboards

Works Minister Dr. John Magufuli has called on local authorities responsible for issuing permits for commercial billboards to abide by the law by providing such permits for roads under their jurisdictions Magufuli made the remarks in Dar es Salaam yesterday at the opening of a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss a report on the tracking of fuel taxes organized by the Roads Fund Board He said that according to the Roads Act No 13 of 2007, a permit for installing anything, including commercial billboards, on road reserves must be issued by the responsible authority of the respective roads. He said Tanzania National Roads Agency was supposed to issue permits for installing commercial billboards on roads which it supervises Magufuli said according to statistics, Dar es Salaam alone has a total of 744 billboards within reserves of roads supervised by Tanroads, out of which 392 had their permits expired while 324 have no permits. He added that there were 31 billboards whose permits were yet to expire and the permits were issued by Ilala Municipal Council. 7 billboards had permits which expires in October this year, while permits for 24 billboards will expire in June 2012 and 10 billboards have allegedly forged permits. “This is proof that levies have been collected from illegal billboards. Meanwhile, the responsible authorities for roads under Tanroads have not earned any money in fiscal year 2008/2009,” Magufuli said. Chairman of the Dar es Commuter Bus Owners Association Sabri Mabruk said that his association has been contributing greatly to the Roads Fund Board through levies charged when they purchase fuels.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Professor Tolly Mbwette talks with his University students.

Come to know Professor Tolly Mbwette who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Open University of Tanzania. A man who changed the shape of the University which is now among the most respected universities in the world. Professor Tolly Mbwette is an engineer with Phd. Degree from England. He is being interviewed by the local TV media during a meeting with the OUT students at a temporary headquarter building in Kinondoni in Dar es Salaam recently. Among other things he boasts of is that, he is fond of talking to the University students a factor which he says is very rare to be done by any Vive-Chancellor of any university in the country and worldwide in particular.

Is it fair to trade at commuter bus stand?

Some petty traders have turned commuter bus stands as a market place, is it fair?. It is also shameful to see that, Petty traders like this fish mongers hawking fish at the commuter bus stand at Kipawa in Dar es Salaam with the authorities concerned looking at the matter without taking action.

It is too disturbing whenever it rains in the city of Dar es Salaam

This is what happens in the city of Dar es Salaam when it rains as captured recently at Buguruni traffic lights in Dar es Salaam. Commuter buses negotiates their way. The formation of water log in most parts especially along the main roads is a normal phenomenon. But civil engineers have to look at the problem to avert such bad situation as it deteriorates the good image of the city once used to be called the haven of peace. It’s shameful to see that the government does pay any attention to such things.