Shilling stabilizes around 2,190/-

THE Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has said their strategy to stabilize the shilling against major currencies paid off.
The shilling at the moment wobbling between 2,180/- and 2,200/- against the US dollars quoted by commercial banks which was still good for exporting business.
BoT Governor Prof Benno Ndulu said the shilling was stable since the beginning of this year, a good trend for import and export traders. “You can see now the shilling is stable,” Prof Ndulu told ‘Daily News’ recently.

He added: “the level is good as it support exports business…if it goes down (to say 1,500/) will hurt exports.” The current level between shilling and dollar favours’ exports since the country goods and services are sold at discount as few dollars get many shillings.

The BoT data show that the shilling has depreciated by 1.35 per in the last six and half months to 2,179/72 as of yesterday. CRDB bank said yesterday that the shilling continued to gain against the greenback closing at 2181/91.

“We expect the shilling to remain strong following an increase in the demand for the local currency as corporates meet month end obligations,” the bank said on it daily market report.

Another bank, NMB, said the shilling gained slightly on Tuesday against the dollar amidst moderate demand from SMEs and other importers. “Market has experienced good support from agriculture inflows, liquidity tightness and less demand from the larger importers,” NMB said.

Since the beginning of this month the shilling enjoyed good days’ trend after appreciating against British pound and somewhat maintaining levels with the US dollar.

The local currency, appreciated against pound sterling some 70/- to 2,878/34 in the last three weeks. It also maintained its levels against the greenback after slightly dropping by almost 30 cents to 2,190/19 per one dollar.

Bus-train collision left one dead in Dar es Salaam

ONE person died while 43 others were injured Tuesday night after a city-commuter UDA bus collided with a train at Kamata railway crossing.

The UDA bus driver, Majuto Hamis, ignored a stopping signal by Tanzania Railway Limited (TRL) worker, warning that the locomotive was about to cross the road at 21:30 hours.

The accident, according to TRL Police unit, left one, Mr Omar Abdallah, dead while three others sustained life threatening injuries and are admitted at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).

The bus driver, Mr Hamis, was among those who sustained serious injuries and is under police guard at his ward.

Two in Dar court over 14bn/- fraud

TWO prominent businessmen, Samwel Shanshasen Lema, and Mohamed Mustafa Yusufali, appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday charged with 223 counts of conspiracy, forgery, money laundering, evading tax and occasioning loss of over 14bn/-.

They were not allowed to enter any plea to the charges before Principal Resident Magistrate Wilbard Mashauri because they have been charged under the Economic and Organised Crime Control Act, which falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

The two were committed to remand custody until July 28, when the prosecution will respond to the request by the defence team, led by advocates Alex Mgongolwa, Hudson Ndusyepo and Nehemia Nkonko, who are challenging the validity of the charge of money laundering.

In the case, both accused persons are facing one count of conspiracy to defraud, 181 counts of forging tax invoices for two different companies, one count of money laundering and one charge relating to occasioning of loss to a specified authority.

Lema, an Arusha based tycoon, separately faces 38 counts of forging value added tax (VAT) returns and one count of tax evasion. This case is the second for Yusufali, popularly known as ‘Mzee wa Milioni 7 kwa Dakika’, to face before the same court.

The first case involves tax evasion to the tune of 15bn/-. During the court session, the prosecution team comprised Senior State Attorney Mutalemwa Kishenyi and State Attorneys Jacqueline Nyantori and Diana Rukondo and a prosecutor from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) Leonard Swai.

The prosecution told the court that the accused persons and other persons not in court conspired to defraud the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) of 14,052,011,435.69 between January 1, 2012 and December 3, 2014 within the cities of Arusha and Dar es Salaam.

It is alleged that on diverse dates in Dar es Salaam, the two accused persons made false tax invoices bearing different numbers and dates, purporting to show that Northern Engineering and Elerai Construction Co. Limited purchased commodities from various companies worth billions of shillings.

The prosecution alleged further that on different dates in the city, with intent to defraud, Lema made several VAT returns for different months, purportedly showing that Northern Engineering Works Limited during such months purchased commodities worth billions of shillings, while it was false. Lema is also charged with evading tax amounting to 14,052,011,435.69 between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015 -- in Dar es Salaam.

Being director responsible for management affairs of his companies, Northern Engineering Works Limited and Elerai Construction Co. Limited, which are registered VAT payers, with a view to fraudulently evade tax, he allegedly submitted to the Commissioner of TRA false returns.

All the accused persons were charged with an offence of money laundering allegedly committed between February 1, 2012 and February 25, 2013 within the cities of Arusha and Dar es Salaam.

They are alleged to have directly engaged themselves in a transaction of 420m/-, which, according to the prosecution, was proceed of predicate offences by depositing the amount in a bank account by the name Igba Jeferali Jafferjee at I and M Bank (T) Limited and subsequently withdrawing the same in cash.

The prosecution told the court that at the time of depositing and withdrawing of the money, the accused persons knew or ought to have known that the said sum was proceeds of predicate offences, which are forgery and tax evasion.

It is alleged further that between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2015, in the city, by reason of their wilful acts, Lema and Yusufali submitted to the Commissioner General of TRA false value added tax returns, hence the government to suffer a pecuniary loss of 14,052,011,435.69.

Immediately after the prosecution had read over the charges to the accused persons, Advocate Mgongolwa, on behalf of the defence team, rose up and requested the court to strike out the money laundering charge “because it was incurably defective’’.

“The defect goes straight to the particulars of the offence. Those particulars of the offence are fatal and cannot be cured under the law. Money laundering offence must contain four elements like Illicit source Placement, layering and integration,” Mr Mgongolwa argued.

Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, money laundering is defined as engagement of person(s), direct or indirectly in conversion, transfer, concealment, disguising, use or acquisition of money or property known to be of illicit origin and in which such engagement intends to avoid legal consequence.

From such definition, he submitted, one could rightly say that for there to be an offence of money laundering, there must be intention on the part of the accused person to avoid the legal consequences of such action -- hence, the intention forms a basic element in particulars of the offence.

According to the advocates, looking at the count, the particulars of the offence were insufficient to meet test required under section 3 which defines the offence of money laundering and constituent acts provided for under section 12 (a) (b) (c) and (d) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Fresh directives for Dodoma

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THE Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has directed the Dodoma Regional Commissioner’s Office and Capital Development Authority (CDA) to submit to him within two weeks a preliminary proposal on how they will execute the programme of the government to shift from Dar es Salaam to the new capitaldesignate – Dodoma.

In addition to that, the government will table a bill expressing its intention to move the capital to Dodoma at the next parliamentary session in September.

Mr Majaliwa issued the directive yesterday when he met with various societal leaders in Dodoma to clarify the announcement made by President John Magufuli on the renewed intention of the government to shift from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma at the CCM Special National Congress,which was held in the new capital-designate last week.

He assured his audience that President Magufuli’s directive on the government’s transfer to Dodoma was real and true and that everyone should get prepared. The Premier observed that Dodoma had enough facilities and infrastructure that will enable smooth implementation of the exercise for which the government has made a firm commitment.

He mentioned existing facilities and services such as buildings, roads, water and electricity, saying they provided a solid foundation for the absorption of staff to be involved in the capital shift.

Mr Majaliwa tasked CDA and Dodoma Municipal Council to prepare architectural and planning designs for new settlements and government offices as well as commercial and residential areas to accommodate all groups.

The Premier cautioned the two authorities to take every precaution to avoid mistakes done by other cities like Dar es Salaam, Mwanza and Arusha whereby executives failed to make proper city plans and caused congestion.

Meanwhile, the private sector here, including entrepreneurial groups, hotels and guest house owners submitted to the prime minister a request for tax holidays for people and firms who would like to invest in Dodoma.

Presenting the request on behalf of others, Mr Haruna Chavuma noted that such relief/waiver will speed up the rate of investment in Dodoma and change the general outlook of the designated capital city.

He also asked the government to take it up with financial institutions, including banks, to offer reasonable interest to people who will seek financial support, including loans.

Dodoma Regional Commissioner Jordan Rugimbana assured Mr Majaliwa that he has heard all the directives issued by the prime minister and that he is ready to work for them and ready to submit a preliminary proposal within 10 days -- four days before the deadline.

In another development, CDA has asked for 12 months to fully complete the job. The state-run authority said the 20- year National Capital Master Plan endorsed in 2010 provided enough breathing space for the investors, business community, international and government agencies to set up their businesses in the semi-arid region.

CDA Director General, Mr Paskasi Muragili, told the ‘Daily News’ over the phone from Dodoma yesterday that “the authority is well prepared and it will only need one year to fully complete the pending task.” The task, according to the DG, includes distribution of social services, water, electricity and roads to meet the demands.

“Relocation of the capital city is not atypical,” he said, adding: “In our case the plans started in 1973.” Shortly after President Magufuli and Mr Majaliwa officially declared their intention to relocate to Dodoma, there has been a fresh demand and rush among the public and private sector to look for plots in the Capital City District.

Without going deep into detail, Mr Muragili said many government agencies had knocked at his door in the quest for land to establish their offices. However, CDA is happy that over 85 per cent of the Capital City District is surveyed and mapped.

The initiative by the authority has also been well lauded by analysts who went on to note that Dar es Salaam is nowhere in fully implementing the city’s master plan. As part of plans to decongest the new capital city designate, the authority had identified Hombolo, Mpunguzi and Nala as expected satellite towns.

The towns will be able to offer similar social services; banking service, hotels, schools, hospitals, transports and markets available in the city centre. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) figures show there were 2.084 million people in Dodoma as of 2012 -- lower than the 4.364 million people in Dar es Salaam.

Critics said the government should meanwhile speed up the construction of infrastructures, especially airport and railway to foster the region’s growth. Speaking at the CCM National Congress, President Magufuli said he will relocate his office to Dodoma before the end of his five-year term of office.

CHADEMA plans national rallies, police warns them!

CHADEMA, the main opposition party, has declared a nationwide public rallies coming September 1, to denounce what they term government violation of principles of good governance.

However, the Police Force has maintained that their stance on public meetings remains unchanged. Police had already drawn a line on any rally in the country by banning all political parties meetings, warning that whoever caught defying the directive would be squarely dealt with.

Despite the previous ban, CHADEMA National Chairman, Mr Freeman Mbowe, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam today that they were prepared for the event.

"The party's lawyers should also meet to review events that have occurred so far in order to take possible legal action against the government," he said when briefing journalists on deliberations reached by party's national executive committee which met last weekend.

Ahead of the planned rallies, Mr Mbowe said the party starts internal meetings to discuss the state of politics in the country.

In a swift response on Mbowe’s remarks, Commissioner of Police for Training and Operations, Mr Nsato Mssanzya, said he was less concerned with the recent declaration by CHADEMA, insisting that country’s laws must be respected.

“It must be understood that the directive previously made regarding public rallies is the one I am concerned about, if they (CHADEMA) met and reached into such agreement regarding the same issue then it is their problem and none of my business,” he told ‘Daily News’ in a telephone interview.

Mr Mssanzya further said both of them (police and the party) operate under certain laid rules and regulations set by the law in which if anyone violates any of them the law will take its course.

He cited an example of what happened once the party tried to block the ruling CCM from holding its general congress in Dodoma. He noted that the same measures applied to tackle that situation was a good example and no need to comment on their new plan.

President John Magufuli on separate events has added his voice on political rallies saying that time for politicking was over until 2020.

Kinana unveils top CCM position ‘exit plan’

SECRETARY General of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Abdulrahaman Kinana yesterday unveiled his plan to quit the party’s top executive job at the general congress to give chance to energetic youth to lead East Africa’s oldest political party.

Speaking here shortly after inspecting the party’s main conference centre, a place set to accommodate nearly 4,000 party members for the general congress, Mr Kinana said it was the right time for him to go. “I have served this post for three and half years.

I was requested by the party elders to join the top post in the party leadership structure,” Mr Kinana told reporters. He revealed that he did not like being CCM top administrator but had conceded to the requests by retired leaders and party officials. “It is not a position I preferred.

I was summoned by leaders and asked to lead the party, I agreed because they are people I highly respected,” he noted. Mr Kinana who has previously served the party in various position and member for the central committee for the past 25 years, affirmed that he has learnt a number of challenges some of which quite disappointing.

According to Mr Kinana, a good politician is the one who understands the best time to join and/or quit the part. He said he had agreed with elders to help the outgoing party Chairman, Mr Jakaya Kikwete, to strengthen the party as well as screen candidates for the presidential, legislative and councillorship posts.

“The elections are over. I hope I should now go and rest since I have fulfilled what I was assigned to do,” he said in Dodoma, noting that he will talk to the incoming party National Chairman, Mr John Magufuli, regarding the post.

“I have not been asked by Mr Magufuli whether he wants me to stay, but that will mean the two of us should discuss as it happened in 2012.” The Secretary General maintains a clear level of argument “as the party will not tolerate and put a smile onto treacherous.”

He said the party has been strict against betrayers from the district, regional to the national level. The just recent action was in Shinyanga where 123 members were held accountable.

He pointed out that the party’s dwindling communication to its members at the grassroots had seriously damaged the party’s image. “But another challenge was to reinforce unity and solidarity within the party,” he said, acknowledging in his three years as the party leader, he witnessed disunity and disputes that clearly affected the party.

“I worked with other leaders and we managed to return discipline, unity and solidarity within the party,” he said. Mr Kinana visited all districts, provinces and regions--travelling over 192,000km and holding 3,700 political meetings across the country.

He said there areas in which he argued with his leaders and government officials that “They were too dangerous for me to go ... but I said I have and I must get there.” The secretary said he had to risk his life, ferrying in dilapidated fishing boats just to reach at areas that the top government and party leaders had never reached.

“I remember the former president, Mr Kikwete and Kyela district commissioner also warned me against the use of fish-boats,” he recalled.

Delay by the government to pay farmers, land conflicts, lack of agro inputs and delays to disburse development funds in district councils from the central bank were among the issues he encountered in his nearly four-year tenure.

Four PMO employees charged for stealing

FOUR officials from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday charged for stealing several items valued over 100m/- meant for disaster management.

Before Principal Resident Magistrate Respicious Mwijage, the accused persons were Hamed Yusuph,( 48), Halima Mwanjiro (33), both supplies officers and Martin Tyeah (31) and Mwaija Kimata, (55), all assistant supplies officers. They denied the charges and were released on bail upon meeting the set bail conditions.

The conditions demanded each of them securing one reliable surety, employed in any government institution or registered institution. Such surety, according to the magistrate, was required to sign a bond of 25m/-.

The case was adjourned to August 22 for mention as investigations into the matter, according to the prosecution led by Inspector of Police Jackson Chidunda, have not been completed. It is alleged that the accused persons committed the offence between April and September 2014 at Keko area near Medical Store Department (MSD) warehouse in Temeke District, Dar es Salaam.

The prosecution told the court that being employees of PMO, the accused persons stole 5,074 iron sheets, 200 cooking sets, 348 blankets and 300 sleeping mats, all valued at 100,164,000/-, the property of their employer, which came into their possession by virtual of their employment.

Meanwhile, a Chinese, Senxin Van, yesterday escaped a jail term of three years having managed to pay a fine of 500,000/- for violating immigration laws. Before the same court, Principal Resident Magistrate, Huruma Shaidi, convicted Van of failure to comply with conditions specified in his resident permit on his own plea of guilty.

An Immigration Department prosecutor, Novatus Mlay, had told the court that being a citizen of China, Van was found on July 12, this year at Tenglong Investment Limited in Kinondoni District working as a doctor. According to the prosecution, the Chinese’s working permit allowed him only to work as director in the Tong Xing Foot Wear Company Limited.

Before being sentenced, the Chinese had pleaded for light sentence because he has a family that depend on him and that being the director of the company, the business he was supervising would collapse if given a custodian punishment

BoT official allays fears about liquidity squeeze

CASH squeeze in circulation should be nothing to worry much about as it is part of measures undertaken to control the economy, a senior Central Bank official has said.

Mr Paul Maganga, the Domestic Market Associate Director with the Central Bank told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday that scarcity of money currently being experienced was part of a tight monetary policy taken to help in monitoring and control money in the circulation.

He said the recent government directive for ministries, local governments and public corporations to transfer their money to the Central Bank was among the measures which had contributed to the scarcity of money in the circulation.

About 500bn/- is the sum of money thought to have been held by the public corporations, ministries and local governments in commercial banks. The directive on the other hand has helped the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) to monitor and control money in circulation, he said.

Instead the public entities should maintain an operational account at their preferred commercial bank with a minimum of balance to cater for their monthly operational expenses as per their monthly cash flow projections.

Mr Maganga said also that the tight liquidity in the circulation is contributed by most corporate engaged in paying annual taxes last month, thus cutting spending of funds that could have been directed to investments. Similarly, the present situation of dry money in the market is explained by the less government expenditure for both recurrent and development.

According to CRDB’s Financial Market Highlights liquidity was tight in the market on Monday as interbank volume fell by 67 per cent to 18bn/-, while borrowing rates were up by 50 basis points to a weighted average of 14.22 per cent and a high of 16 per cent. Liquidity is expected to remain tight in the market with borrowing rates holding up at current high levels.

Dar aware and ready for any terrorist threat, says Mahiga

FOREIGN Affairs, East African, Regional and International Cooperation Minister, Dr Augustine Mahiga, said yesterday that while Tanzania was aware of the terrorist threat in the region, its defence and security forces will always be attentive to any unusual movement in its midst.

He further said that terrorism in the Horn of Africa and the East African region were among the major issues that were discussed at the 27th African Union (AU) Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. The minister said that to this effect, African leaders have agreed to allocate a special fund to fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa and East Africa region.

According to Dr Mahiga, African leaders expressed their concern on the increase of terrorist acts in the region and agreed to take measures, including allocating funds to boost military operations against the menace.

Dr Mahiga agreed that reports from reliable sources indicate that some Tanzanian youth were among Al-Shabaab fighters who have been arrested or killed by Somalia government and AU troops. He said the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Mr Smail Chergui, told him recently that Tanzanian youth were in the list of killed or arrested Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia. “I met Mr Chergui recently.

He told me that some Tanzanian youth are fighting in Somalia. He confided with me that whenever they arrest Al-Shaabab fighters, they always find Tanzania nationals among them,” Dr Mahiga told reporters.

Dr Mahiga said the AU peace and Security commission advised him to take measures that could help to stop youth from joining terrorist groups and protect the country and innocent civilians from being attacked. “We are very grateful to our security forces; they are doing a very good job.

So far, Tanzania is safe. We expect such a situation to prevail,” he said. On Burundi peace talks, Dr Mahiga said the facilitator, former President Benjamin Mkapa, is continuing with preparations for next month’s meeting.

“Former President Mkapa will continue with the talks next month. They are continuing with the selection of groups and people who are supposed to attend the talks,” he said.

However, Dr Mahiga said the Burundi government has announced a challenging condition, which forbids any person who participated in the May, 2015 attemp coup against President Pierre Nkurunzinza from being part of the peace talks.

“This is a very challenging condition. Our aim is to end conflict in Burundi - and we believe Mr Mkapa will manage to bring positive changes,” he affirmed. On the Southern Sudan conflict, Dr Mahiga said African leaders have agreed to deploy regional troops to the troubling country after recent fighting between rival forces.

Soldiers for the African Union (AU) force are to come from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. However, Dr Mahiga said one of South Sudan government officials told African leaders that his country was not ready for AU troops and that they (South Sudanese) will end their differences on their own.

“I am glad the AU has decided to intervene by sending AU troops. So far there are 12,000 UN troops down there.

However, the two rival forces are still fighting and killing civilians. Therefore, the AU has made a right decision to send troops,” he said. Moreover, Dr Mahiga added that African leaders have agreed to continue pushing for two permanent membership positions in the UN Security Council and veto power.

Zanzibar Govt dismisses claims of bankruptcy

Zanzibar — Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed, has dismissed claims that Zanzibar government is now bankrupt, stressing that revenue collection is good.

"Just ignore social media rumours from the opposition that the government is broke and that it survives by borrowing money from businesspeople. In fact, we have been on track in revenue collection," he told reporters at his office yesterday. He said in the past three months revenue collection has been good, reflecting control of unnecessary expenditure as directed by President Ali Mohamed Shein. Briefing reporters here about tax collection and refuting claims on bankruptcy, the minister said the government has focused at meeting basic needs for the people and paying up debts.

"We are determined to beat the target of collecting more than 800bn/- before Dr Shein ends his term. Our target for April/June was to collect 117.66bn/-. We managed to collect 117.04bn/- (99.5 per cent)," he said. He said that the biggest ever collection was in June when 49.51bn/- was collected to surpassing the traditional monthly collection of 45bn/-. Tax collection has jumped by 42.7 per cent from 82.45bn/- to 117.66bn/- in three months, the minister said.

The Zanzibar Ministry of Finance has been working closely with the Union finance ministry to ensure that reforms made on tax collected in the Mainland do not affect the people of Zanzibar.
By Issa Yussuf, The Daily News via AllAfrica

Msc Scholarships - Health of Aquatic Resources: Trahesa Norhed Norad Project 2014 – 2018

Background 

In Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) there is a documented knowledge gap at higher education institutions related to fish health and environmental stressors. This includes lack of understanding of aetiologies, diagnostics and prophylaxis of fish diseases. Lack of knowledge hampers the economic development of aquaculture and fisheries industries in the region, precludes evidencebased policies and decision-making from governments and also has societal implication for the development of aquatic resources-dependent communities. There is also a need to build competence in fish and environmental health to monitor and protect wild freshwater and marine fish populations which are essential for food security and food safety in the region. Furthermore, the quality of fish products and the level of man-made chemical pollutants and biotoxins have implications to human health, sustainable utilization of resources and environmental conservation. Capacity building in these fields is required to ensure an expanded, qualified workforce in institutions with solid research capabilities that can educate and train competent resource persons who will meet tomorrow’s development challenges related to production of quality high-value protein in the aquatic environment. 

Project Goal and Intended Outcome 

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Makerere University (MU), University of Nairobi (UoN), University of Zambia (UNZA) and the University of Dar es Salaam’s - Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) in Zanzibar is undertaking a collaborative research project entitled “Capacity Building for Training and Research in Aquatic and Environmental Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (TRAHESA)”. The project is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) under the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Building in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED). The goal of the project is to strengthen education and research capacity in aquatic and environmental health in Eastern and Southern Africa. The project intends to achieve the above through training of human resources at both masters and PhD levels while generating the information to fill the knowledge gap. 

Call for Applications 

We are pleased to announce a call for applications for 10 MSc scholarships within the field of health of aquatic resources. The aim of the scholarships is to support training of local scholars at Masters degree level. Selected MSc candidates will register as full time students at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania where they will undertake the course work for one year before returning to their home countries for research under the supervision of the partner Universities implementing the TRAHESA project.

The distribution of positions is as follows:

• Tanzania Sokoine University of Agriculture, in Tanzania (2-positions) Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam in Zanzibar, (2-positions)
• Uganda Makerere University in Uganda (2-positions) 
• Kenya University of Nairobi in Kenya (2-positions) 
• Zambia University of Zambia (2-positions)

Eligibility 

i. Holders of Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Medicine (BVM), Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Fish Health and Safety related fields or other equivalent degree in relevant fields in natural and environmental sciences. 

ii. Having admission or evidence of submitted application documents for admission to pursue MSc in “Health of Aquatic Resources" at SUA in 2016/17 Academic year. 

iii. Highly motivated individuals to develop a scientific career and capability to complete MSc studies within the prescribed time frame (2 years). iv. Interested in undertaking research in health of aquatic resources. 

v. Not already enrolled in a sponsored MSc programme. 

vi. Willingness to work in a team and a strong ambition to accomplish the research goals of the project.

vii. Good academic records /transcripts. viii. Excellent communication skills.

ix. Good command of spoken and written English. 

x. Perspectives on future use of MSc skills for teaching, research and extension; as well as for self employment under the Private sector. 

xi. Full time availability from October 2016 for a period of 2 years. 

How to apply 

Potential candidates are hereby invited to submit an application letter, curriculum vitae, academic transcripts and certificates, 2 names of academic referees whereby at least one of them being the immediate work supervisors, and a one page concept note. The concept note should contain an outline of the rationale for the proposed study, objectives, methodological approach and expected outputs. Applications MUST reach focal persons in the respective Institutions and Countries by 21st August 2016. Successful applicants will be notified by 31st August 2016. 

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply. The positions are only available to applicants from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Zambia for the respective positions in the partner universities in those countries. 

Applications should be submitted to focal persons in respective institutions whose contact details are shown below: 

1. Prof. Robinson Mdegela; E-mail: rmdegela2012@gmail.com / mdegela@suanet.ac.tz for 2 positions at Sokoine University of Agriculture. 
2. Prof. Denis Byarugaba; E-mail: dkb@covab.mak.ac.ug for 2 positions at Makerere University.
3. Prof. Paul Mbuthia; E-mail: pgmbuthia@uonbi.ac.ke for 2 positions at University of Nairobi. 
4. Dr. Aviti Mmochi; E-mail: mmochi@ims.udsm.ac.tz / mmochi2003@yahoo.co.uk for 2 positions at the Institute of Marine Sciences. 
5. Dr. Kaampwe Muzandu: E-mail: kmuzandu@unza.zm for 2 positions at University of Zambia. 

All applications MUST be copied to the Project Coordinator in the South; Prof. Robinson Mdegela; Email: rmdegela2012@gmail.com and the Coordinator in the North; Prof. Stephen Mutoloki; stephen.mutoloki@nmbu.no 

Responsibilities 

The MSc fellows’ tasks will be to study and report on their selected research questions within the context of this project by methods depending on the area of research. The interconnected substudies will require intensive interaction with the programme leader, research collaborators, supervisors, and other MSc and PhD students in the programme. The progress of the MSc fellows’ work will be evaluated annually or as will be deemed necessary by the Supervisors and/ or Project Coordinators. It is expected that each of the MSc fellows will publish at least one paper from his/her research work in international peer reviewed journals. 

Financial matters 

The fellowship will cover tuition fees, a monthly stipend and research costs based on successful deliverables. 

Further Contacts 

More information on the project can be obtained from: 

Professor Robinson Mdegela 

TRAHESA Project Coordinator 

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health 

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 

Sokoine University of Agriculture 

P. O. Box 3021, Morogoro, Tanzania 

Tel: +255 754 371 628 

Email: rmdegela2012@gmail.com

HoFundMe: Help fix water wells for children

Shallow water sources for a nearby school
My wife is currently in Tanzania, Morogoro in remote village.
Morogoro is about 7 hours from Dar es Salam. The villages are another additional 3 hours from Morogoro town. She is currently working with communities that had cholera outbreak, one of them is still under quarantine. The villages she is currently working with lacks clean and safe water sources.

Women have to walk 30 minutes to collect water from a stream, shown in the picture. The stream is shared with livestocks and was also a source for cholera outbreak in one of the villages.
There are three communities that desperately need help (population:9000).

The first community, she is asking for help to repair one of the boreholes and to install a water pump.
The second community, a borehole was installed and was not finished. She is looking for funds to install a water pump as well.
For the third community they need at least one water well. Raised funds will first be used to repair and install water pumps.
Please donate at: gofundme.com/2fjuepgs

TCAA intervenes in local chopper manufacturing

IN what appears to be a swift intervention to questionable local aircraft manufacturing, Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) plans dispatching experts to the production areas of the alleged aeronautical products.

TCAA Director General Hamza Johari told the ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the expert team is scheduled to leave next week for upcountry regions where individuals and organisations claim to have developed capacity to manufacture aircrafts.

Just on Monday evening, the aviation industry regulatory body directed the aircraft manufacturers, currently in the process of testing their aircraft contrary to Aviation Regulations and Safety Implementing Standards, to suspend their activities.

“They should understand that not any type of materials can make aircraft, lest they cause tragedy,” Mr Johari cautioned. In its public notice, TCAA reminded organisations and persons seeking to manufacture aeronautical products to comply with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations and obtain prior approval from TCAA Director General before commencement of the undertakings.

The regulator said Regulation 5 of the Civil Aviation (Airworthiness) Regulation, 2011 specifies that “the authority shall only accept application for production of aircraft or aircraft component if it is satisfied and the work to be undertaken conforms to specified design as approved by the State of Design.”

The notice said the country currently lacks the capacity to effectively oversee the design, manufacture or production of aeronautical products.

However, TCAA can through cooperation with foreign Civil Aviation Authorities -- European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) -- ensure that before the product is introduced in public, all the design processes, materials and applicable tests have been conducted to assure the suitability of the product.

The media were recently awash with reports that Arusha Technical College (ATC) has started building helicopters in a project that will see the first batch of the choppers taking into the sky sometimes in 2018.

The college stated that already, the prototype model, a two-seater aircraft is in its final stages of completion at its Mechanical and Engineering Department, which runs a fully-fledged factory, producing various forms of machinery, including a prototype motor vehicle and industrial engines. The man behind the ATC chopper project, Engineer Abdi Mjema, said the first locally made helicopters would be available to citizens at affordable prices.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Ms Maimuna Tarishi, who toured the project recently was seemingly thrilled by the development, curiously seeking to know when exactly the chopper would hit the skies.

The helicopter is currently 50 per cent complete and features the popular gasoline-powered VW flat engine on board. The news of ATC-manufactured chopper spread quickly, with foreign newspapers like the Observer of Zambia and Concord of Cameron, carrying the story.

However, ATC maintained yesterday that its helicopter project will follow all official procedures to become a serious undertaking. The college’s Communications Officer, Mr Gasto Leseiyo, admitted that the public polytechnic’s management had received TCAA notice on the matter.

“ATC is a government institution and in our chopper project we work closely with state organs,” he said, hinting that TCAA is one of the government institutions that the college will work closely with to realise the dream.

Mr Leseiyo said the management was working on official write-ups on their maiden helicopter prototype to deliver to TCAA as well as other government departments and security organs. “Of course, we cannot fly our aircraft without the TCAA permission,” he affirmed.

ATC Rector Richard Masika said that the Helicopter Project is now involving the technical expertise of the Retired Army officer, Engineer Brigadier General Stephen Makala Ndazi and that the maiden chopper has now been fitted with even more advanced engine. ATC plans to transform helicopter manufacturing into the serious future undertaking for the college and country in general.
-Via Daily News

Sports News: SIMBA SC vs YOUNG Africans SC clash on October 1

GIANTS Simba and Young Africans are expected to revive their exciting rivalry when they lock horns for the first time in the upcoming Premier League season on October 1, this year, at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) yesterday released the league’s fixtures which show that the country’s most fancied clubs, Simba and Yanga, will open up their campaign against Ndanda FC and African Lyon on August 20 and 28 respectively.

Defending champions, Young Africans will not be in action in the opening weekend due to their participation in the last eight of CAF Confederation Cup. The Mainland envoys are scheduled to visit TP Mazembe for the final group A match on August 23.

Yanga’s opening game was supposed to be against JKT Ruvu, but TFF apparently pushed it back to August 30 (the first match to be played in midweek), to give the Hans Van der Pluijm’s charges enough time to prepare for the continental assignment.

A total of seven games are on menu during the opening weekend, with last season’s runners-up Azam taking on African Lyon, who have won promotion back into the top flight league after three season in the lower division.

League debutant Mbao FC of Mwanza will make a short trip to Shinyanga for their first ever game in the elite league against Stand United at Kambarage Stadium, while Toto African will play host to Mwadui FC at CCM Kirumba in Mwanza.

Mtibwa Sugar, who have hired back coach Salum Mayanga following the departure of Mecky Mexime, are at home against Ruvu Shooting in the first weekend, at Manungu ground, while Majimaji and Tanzania Prisons will lock horns at Majimaji Stadium in Songea.

Meanwhile, Mexime’s new side Kagera Sugar will play host to Mbeya City at Kaitaba Stadium. The league’s fixtures show that Simba will play their opening seven matches at home ground.

The second match will see the Msimbazi Street Reds entertain JKT Ruvu before they take on army wardens Ruvu Shooting, who return to the top flight football after spending last season in the first division.

The next two matches will present a litmus test for Simba’s credential in the 2016/17 season as they host Mtibwa Sugar and Azam FC, followed up by another home fixture against Majimaji. After the Dar es Salaam derby against Yanga on match-day seven, Simba will be on road for the first time with a trip to Tanzania Prisons, with the fixture’s date to be announced.

By then, Yanga will have played three games away from home. After two opening games against African Lyon and JKT Ruvu, the reigning champions will travel to Mtwara to face hosts Ndanda FC, followed by a home game against Majimaji with their next fixture taking the holders to Shinyanga for two games against Mwadui and Stand United.

The league’s fixtures considered the Under-17 national team, Serengeti Boys CAF qualifying match against their South African compatriots salted for August and the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Taifa Stars and Nigeria due on September 2.

The league will take a weeklong break between October 3 and 11 to pave way for international friendlies. The first phase of the league will climax on November 6. The traditional curtain raiser to the new season, the Community Shield match, pitting league and Federation Cup champions Young Africans and league and runners-up Azam FC will be played on August 17.

380 students recalled to UDOM

HARDLY five per cent of the entire batch of about 8,000 students who were recently suspended from the University of Dodoma had the required qualifications to pursue the Special Diploma in Science Education at the public university.

The Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the 1,471 students, constituting about 19 per cent of the total number, lacked even the qualifications for the certificate course. Prof Ndalichako said the students have been disqualified, with the other 5,952 students relocated to other teaching colleges to continue with their studies.

The government introduced the special programme to address shortage of science teachers at primary and secondary education levels, admitting Form Four leavers with division three to pursue the course at the Dodoma-based university.

The admission procedures were however grossly flouted, with out of the 7,805 admitted, only 382 students proved to have the C and A in two science subjects, which were the minimum criteria for entry into the programme.

The minister directed the 382 qualified students to report at the university in October, 2016 to continue with their studies, demanding them to report with their original Form Four certificates for reassessment.

“We have asked them to bring with them their original certificates due to our preliminary assessment that has indicated some of them finished Form Four in 1988... this poses serious questions,” Professor Ndalichako explained The about 8,000 students were sent home last May, following a boycott by their lecturers.

The minister said the verification of academic certificates discovered that only 134 first year students possessed the required qualifications, with only 248 second year students meeting the requirements for the special programme.

The government, Prof Ndalichako said, will sustain the loans to the qualified students for the programme at UDOM while providing 600,000/- annual grants to transferred students to teaching colleges. “Students who have been transferred to teaching colleges are supposed to report in September, 2016,” she said.

Prof Ndalichako pointed out that a total of 4,586 students who were in first year pursuing a special Diploma in Secondary Education have been transferred to teaching colleges in Morogoro, Butimba, Mpwapwa, Songea and Tukuyu.

The other 1,337 students who were in second year for the special programme have been transferred to teaching colleges in Korogwe and Kasulu, she explained. Addressing the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) community, including the administration and students earlier last month, President John Magufuli said preliminary findings had shown that the majority of UDOM students who were admitted to pursue a special Diploma in Science (Education) did not possess required qualifications.

“This was in contrast with the recommendation by a don, Professor Kitila Mkumbo, that admission should not exceed 1,800 students,” the president observed. Unfortunately, he said, the university’s administration recruited more students, including those who attained Division Three and Four with a few ones among the Division One and Two achievers.

The president, who appeared to be irritated by the situation, told the gathering that the “university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Idris Kikula, was dragged to allow the floated enrolment. According to Dr Magufuli, the decision compromised enrolment of students selected to join 10 teaching training colleges countrywide as the institutions found themselves in student shortage.

It was earlier announced by Professor Joyce Ndalichako that the decision to suspend the students followed the lecturers’ boycott. While the decision by the government to send home students was described as appropriate under the circumstances, it was criticised by some opposition MPs.

Dr Magufuli announced explicitly that some of the expelled students were children of civil servants and government leaders, adding that fresh screening will be conducted to determine qualified students who will be admitted to other higher learning institutions.

“We have put on hold all higher education loans for UDOM pending thorough scrutiny of all the beneficiaries,” he said, lauding Prof Ndalichako for her commitment in improving the quality of education in the country.

Heartland Alliance is looking for a Regional Director - Sub-Saharan Africa

Organization: Heartland Alliance
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 19 Aug 2016
Job Classification: Regional Director, Sub-Saharan Africa

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Chicago, or Regional Office

Travel: 30-50%

ABOUT HEARTLAND ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL :

Heartland Alliance International (HAI) is the youngest and fastest growing part of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, which is a family of organizations that has been leading anti-poverty and social justice work in Chicago for more than 125 years. HAI is comprised of nearly a dozen country offices operating programs on a broad range of human rights issues globally. HAI is making significant investments in its programming and leadership in the fields of trauma-informed mental health care and access to justice for marginalized people. It is also an industry leader in access to high-quality and stigma-free health care.

REGIONAL DIRECTOR ROLE :

The incumbent will be responsible for leading the establishment and management of a Sub-Saharan Africa regional strategy to support growth. She or he will be responsible for managing a dedicated human rights team that is delivering high quality programs in existing country offices throughout the region, as well as growing new country offices, in line with HAI strategies and priorities. The new director must be extremely versatile, interested in inaugurating a regional strategy and working in a “start-up” environment, and prepared to aggressively pursue program development for the region. Collaborative, hard-working, and visionary, the candidate will have exceptional leadership skills and the ability to grow HAI’s portfolio in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

REGIONAL PROFILE:

HAI has country programs in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. The existing portfolio includes mental health services, HIV/AIDS prevention services, gender-based violence, access to justice, women’s rights and leadership, policy advocacy, access to equitable services for LGBT populations, among other technical areas.

JOB FUNCTIONS:

This is not an exhaustive list of duties. The need for flexibility is required and the incumbent is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee’s skills and capabilities whenever reasonably instructed.

Leadership and Management

• Lead the establishment and oversee the management of a Sub-Saharan Africa regional strategy in line with HAI’s global strategy
• Scan the operating environment for opportunities and threats, maintain an overview of legal, political, human rights and other relevant developments within the region
• Recruit and manage country directors, including those working remotely, ensure performance is managed and talent is nurtured; this requires coaching and mentoring
• Lead on promoting regional cohesion by engaging with all HAI country offices and affiliates in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and promoting adherence to globally agreed standards and priorities
• Ensure that the values, standards, priorities of HAI are instilled and adhered to; be able to support change management and promote organizational culture across varied country programs

Program Development

• Aggressively pursue program development and a growth strategy for the region consistent with the global strategic plan
• Enhance HAI’s profile and presence in the Sub-Saharan Africa region by developing cutting edge human rights programs that respond to development challenges, and by representing HAI before various forums and donors in the region
• Conduct the strategic positioning necessary to ensure growth; this includes visioning, donor mapping, cultivation of key relationships, proposal submission, and required follow-up

Quality Assurance and Reporting

• Ensure compliance with globally developed quality assurance and assessment methodologies to ensure consistency, quality, and measure impact
• Ensure that the regional team reports with sufficient clarity and detail on the impact of their work, including to funders
• Ensure the timely delivery of work plans and reports
• Be accountable for all outputs from the regional team in line with globally agreed standards, including research, policy, and publication standards

Finance and Risk Management

• With support from the Finance Team and Chief Operating Officer, ensure regional compliance with relevant laws, policies and practices and ensure best practice, including good financial management and regular financial audits as required
• Assist the Country Directors in setting, monitoring, managing and reporting on budget and expenditure for the region
• Develop and fundraise for a regional presence and budget
• Accountable for duty of care of staff, including where necessary, development of internal security, health & safety and human resources polices and standards, supported by the Chief Operating Officer and the Heartland Alliance Business Services Team

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge and experience:

• A Master’s Degree (or equivalent education and years of experience) in international relations, social work, public health, development studies, political science or a related field;
• 5 years of management experience in key leadership roles with an international development/humanitarian relief/international human rights work, preferably in an INGO; experience must include strategic planning, program design, staff development, field assessments, evaluations, and developing M&E systems; experience with USAID and/or State Department funding; and experience developing, reviewing and tracking budgets and burn rates.
• Demonstrate a commitment to advancing human rights; demonstrate knowledge and experience of the human rights, development, and political context in the region

Language Skills:

• Exceptional writing and editing skills in English required
• Fluency in English and French required – Able to communicate with accuracy and fluency in order to participate fully and effectively on a wide range of issues and concepts, and tailor language to a variety of audiences.

Part two: Competencies

• External Representation - Effectively designates a portion of time to external representation. Prioritizes donor communications and maintains positive relationships with donors. Regularly develops partnerships and relationships with external organizations as relevant to position. Actively seeks out opportunities to present, network, or engage externally to represent HAI.
• Leadership - Leads by example and serves as a model for others. Creates an environment where people feel valued. Humble demeanor. See problems as opportunities and provides solutions through inspiring and empowering others. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of others to improve performance. Takes responsibility for oneself or one’s employee’s performance. Provides constructive feedback and develops team members. Integrity to do the right thing even when it’s difficult or not popular.
• Decision Making - Models and trains staff in decision making. Even in the most difficult situations, recognizes problems or opportunities and determines whether action is needed, assesses risks, takes charge of and ensures integration of feedback from a group when it is necessary to facilitate a decision, and makes decisions in a timely manner under ambiguous circumstances and when there exists considerable risk.
• Change Management - Initiates the change process and energizes it on an ongoing basis through facilitating groups or teams to problem-solve and think creatively to develop and implement new approaches or systems. Helps employees to develop a clear understanding of what they will need to do differently, as a result of changes in the organization. Implements or supports various change management activities (e.g., communications, education, team development, coaching). Establishes structures and processes to plan and manage the orderly implementation of change. Able to identify when change is needed and focus on why changes are beneficial or necessary to successfully implement change.
• Forward and Strategic Thinking - Leads strategic planning processes and unites team members to achieve goals within the strategic plan. Demonstrates long-term thinking, planning and decision-making to help the organization achieve its goals. Ability to generate unique insights to improve HAI's competitive advantage through clear understanding of HAI’s strengths and weaknesses compared to peers and competitors and knowledge of trends within the field. Able to engage, encourage collaboration, and effectively elicit a variety of perspectives on critical and complex issues to maximize engagement of all levels of staff in the strategic and other planning processes.
• Professionalism - Understands how they are perceived by others. Takes actions calculated to have a positive effect on others. Able to coach managers with vague concerns or complaints about a team member’s lack of professionalism, to clearly identify and articulate how the individual is not meeting expectations, as well as advise how to address that concern.
• Reliability -Shows commitment/ dedication and accountability not only in one’s work, projects, and goals, Takes responsibility for own mistakes; does not blame others.
• Teamwork and collaboration - Promotes and generates cooperation among one’s peers in leadership to achieve a collective outcome; fosters the development of a common vision and fully participates in creating a unified leadership team that get results. Able to leverage relationships across offices or HA partner companies to broaden managers’ knowledge and understanding of internal resources for collaboration and who the members of the team are.
• Integrity and Authenticity - Skilled at building trust, sincerely soliciting input with clear understanding of how input will be used, able to create and maintain a culture that enables staff to learn and grow from mistakes, and challenges others who are not acting with integrity. Maintains confidentiality regardless of pressure from others, admits mistakes and takes stands based on principles and values in spite of the potential for negative consequences.
• Cultural Humility and Interpersonal Awareness - Consistently open and approachable when resolving highly sensitive and complex issues; including with parties holding opposing viewpoints. Treats staff at all levels of the organization in accord with the 4R’s. Able to appropriately challenge others who are not demonstrating cultural humility.
• Resilience and Stress Tolerance - Able to not only recognize and mitigate personal stressors, but is skilled at coaching middle managers on how to anticipate increased stress in teams and implement systems to minimize the impact, and able to recognize and respond to changes in individual employee's stress levels.
• Service Orientation - Able to recognize need for assistance or guidance without being asked, able to guide managers or team leaders on reprioritization and/or short and long term strategies to address staffing or other resource needs. Recommends or makes connections between staff across departments and/or countries to foster knowledge sharing.
• Written Communication -Uses an appropriate, grammatically correct business writing style. Tailors written communications to effectively reach an audience. Able to make persuasive and compelling arguments.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Incumbent is required to travel internationally between 30%- 50%, sometimes to insecure, remote, and/or limited resource environments.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.

How to apply:

Please apply at Heartland Alliance's career center :

http://chk.tbe.taleo.net/chk01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=HEARTLANDALLIANCE&cws=1&rid=3647