East Africa: Tanzania, Kenya Ports Move to Cut Congestion

Dar es Salaam — The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) are weighing a partnership that will address congestion at their principal ports, as well as to foster clearing of cargos and speed up the East African region's economies.

After protracted complaints from the business community, the Port of Mombasa has set out to reclaim its appeal and regain its position as the gateway to East Africa with the joint venture.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam last week, the Kenya High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr. Mutinda Mutiso said that the two ports are in keen at collaborating to end congestion at the two East African ports as far as the regional integration is concerned.

"Just when most importers were increasingly opting to use the Dar port due to inefficiencies and congestion at the Mombasa Port, it's high time for the two ports to have keen collaboration because even Dar port is experiencing the same problem," Mutiso said.

Mutiso stressed that the new terminal of Juba port will be put up to cater for the projected container increase in excess of 960,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (Teus) by 2015.

"The need for the construction and the improvements of East African ports cannot be over emphasized," Mutiso said, adding that the Kenyan Authority would ensure the development of the regional Port of Lamu to meet the growing demand for port services.

The Managing Director of the Kenya Port Authority, Mr. Gichiri Ndua said that the business community was upbeat that the new terminal of Lamu will enhance efficiency for businesses operating in the country.

Apart from Kenya, the port also serves Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new terminal will have a capacity of 1.2 million Teus per year and will have three berths that measure 230, 320 and 350 metres.

Over the last 12 years, traffic through the Port of Mombasa had increased by 7.4% per annum, rising from 9 million tonnes in 2000 to 20 million tons last year.
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Tanzania: 'Arusha Protocol' Enables UDSM to Produce Gas, Oil Experts

Newly discovered gas reserves in the Indian Ocean shores may be causing uproar in Mtwara but a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Arusha will enable the University of Dar-Es-Salaam to start working on special programs to churn out experts in the field of gas and oil.

Last weekend UDSM management inked a special 'Trinity Memorandum of Understanding,' to be known as the 'Arusha Protocol' with the Augustino Neto University of Angola and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which will assist the country's leading academic brain trust to groom and produce highly qualified experts on oil exploration and gas resources management.

The three institutions that met at the Mount Meru Hotel have agreed to operate on a platform called the Angolan, Norwegian, and Tanzanian Higher Education Initiative (ANTHEI), aimed at promoting academic and cultural ties between the parties in areas of education, academic, research and administrative in the disciplines of natural sciences, engineering and related areas.

Under the 'Arusha protocol' the universities will be exchanging students pursuing studies in areas of petroleum engineering and petroleum geosciences.

The agreement was signed by Prof Makenya Maboko on behalf of UDSM, Prof Doutor Orlando-da-Mata of University of Augustino Neto signed on behalf of Angola and Norway was sealed by Prof Torbjorn Digernes, rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The event was also witnessed by the Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania, Ingunn Klepsvik

Speaking soon after the signing ceremony, senior official from ministry of Energy and Minerals, Mr Adam Zuberi said the new deal plays an imperative role to Tanzania's gas and oil industry, which is in high demand of local experts.

He said despite the fact that Tanzania's government has started working with local universities to train more experts in the new industry, the new deal will take the East African country into the next level.

An engineer with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Cooperation (TPDC), Eng Modestus Lumato, lauded Norway for its long support to countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania.

He said Norway, one of the highly developed countries in oil and gas, has been working with Tanzania for years.
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Govt patrol team to curb illegal deep sea fishing

Adam Malima

The government is set to come up with a well-trained and equipped patrol team to curb illegal fishing in the country’s deep sea.

Deputy Minister of Livestock Development and Fisheries, Adam Malima revealed this in Dodoma yesterday when responding to a supplementary question by Abia Muhama Nyabakari (Special Seats, CCM), who wanted to know government strategies to curb illegal fishing in the Tanzania’s deep sea.

The MP said Tanzania is estimated to have been loosing over US$ 220 million due to illegal fishing in the deep sea.

In his response, the minister explained that the government is fully aware of the challenge and has taken measures to address the vice.

“We are coming up with a comprehensive defense mechanism in the area, which plays an imperative role to the country’s socio-economic development,” the minister stated, without revealing the time frame for the patrol team to start its operation.

Malima said fighting illegal fishing in the deep sea is a very hectic task as perpetuators use sophisticated technologies.

“That is why we resorted to come up with new mechanism to address this challenge,” the minister stated.

Responding to the basic question on the number of tonnes of ornamental fish fished in Lake Tanganyika since companies started exporting the fish species; the minister stated that between 2009 and 2012, more than 223,000 ornamental fish were fished in the Africa’s deepest lake.

He stated that ornamental fish in Lake Tanganyika has created 44 employment opportunities for communities living along the Africa’s deepest lake.

“Most people are employed in fishing, packaging, and transporting the ornamental fish,” Malima said.

He said most of them are employed in five companies exporting ornamental fish from the lake. The companies include; Tanganyika Sunshine, Nunu Mwamba, Tanzania Cichlids, Nyavita and Rift Valley.

“Most of these companies have been licensed and they are paying 40,000/- to 60,000/- per lorry ferrying ornamental fish. They also pay some money for their licenses and part of the money collected are disbursed to responsible regions including Rukwa,” he said.

He also revealed that Muzi villagers in Kasanga ward have managed to build a dispensary following the support issued by Nunu Mwamba Company, which gave them 50kgs of cement.

Lake Tanganyika is a home to a wide-range of ornamental fish species, including trophies, petrochromis, simochromis, Lamprologus, Neolamprologus, Xenotilapia, Tanganicodus, Julidochromis, Paracyprichromis, spathodus, altolamprologus, Variabilichromis and Cyphotilapia frontosa.

Source the Guardians

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Tanzania: Four Suspected Poachers Killed in Serengeti

Serengeti — FOUR suspected poachers have been shot dead by game rangers in Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) allegedly after killing elephants, police reported on Sunday.
Police in Simiyu region confirmed that four people were last week gunned down by rangers at Mlima ngoma area inside the world famous park and about 100 kilometres away from the villages located near the park.
"Bodies of the deceased that have not been identified are still preserved in Bariadi district hospital", Simiyu Regional Police Commander (RPC) Assistant Commissioner of Police)ACP) Salum Msangi said.
SENAPA rangers recovered a sub machine gun (SMG), 367 rounds of ammunitions, as well as traditional weapons that included knives and machetes after some shootings."They also found an elephant killed by poachers at the scene and they were in the process of removing tusks", the regional police chief said.
The rangers were prompted to open fire into the scene after they heard unknown people firing into them from the area."After hearing sounds of bullets the rangers followed up and started firing into the scene where they killed the four poachers ",RPC Msangi explained.
It was until Sunday not clear whether there were poacher who escaped from the scene, according to the RPC.Rampant killings of elephants by poachers looking mainly for tusks has become a major concern in the country's conservation sector in the recent months.
SENAPA is said to be one of the country's national parks which has been badly hit by ivory tusks poachers.It is estimated that an average of 1,500 herbivorous wild animals are killed by poachers in the park every year despite on-going efforts made by the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) to curb the vice via the authority's anti-poaching department.
Apart from elephants, other mostly targeted animals are, black rhinos, zebras and wildebeests. Two black rhinos imported from South Africa and received by President Jakaya Kikwete a few years ago have also been possibly killed by poachers while on the watch of the park rangers.
The country's second largest park covering 14, 763 square kilometres has over 200 armed rangers
mainly tasked to fight poaching and other illegal activities in the park. source allAfrica.com

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Four die in Masasi riots, as CHADEMA cautions JK

 Some of the burnt buildings of a primary court and other houses following clashes between riot police and  angry wananchi in Mtwara municipality yesterday

Four people were killed yesterday in the chaos that erupted in Masasi district, Mtwara region pitting ‘bodaboda’ drivers and police.

Commissioner of Police Paul Chagonja, the head of Operations and Training of the Police Force, confirmed the incident but could not give details.

According to the commissioner, twelve people were injured including a police officer. Earlier on it was reported that one police officer was killed during the violence.

Reports issued by the Ndanda regional hospital’s chief medical officer Dr Crispin Sapuli said the injured are Hosea Kibona (a policeman), Mohamed Abilai, Amami Ali, Athumani Maelezo, Zaruki Mussa, Mohamed Mshamu, Nassoro Mohamed, Yona Mareme and Feti William.

Others are William Matiponi, Jerome Frank and Maisha Hussein who sustained a bullet injury in the neck.

However, the chief medical officer said they received four injured people and the body of one dead person.

Commissioner Chagonja said the chaos erupted when rioting groups of young people clashed with law enforcers.

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