November 2024

11:02:00 PM

By Damas Makangale, Dar es Salaam

I came to know Dr Faustine Ndugulile in February 2018, when he was Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children during Dr John Magufuli’s presidency.

The soft-spoken gentleman was the guest of honour at the launch of a four-day African Medicines Quality Forum (AMQF) in Dar es Salaam, which brought together scientists, policy-makers and health stakeholders from 18 African countries.

Although I had worked in various media houses for almost 19 years, I had never held an interview with him. However, I was aware that he spent his childhood in Upanga just as I did, but due to different age groups, we never played together those days at Mawingu sea view, or near Etienne’s Hotel or Joy Club for young people by then.

The untimely demise of Dr. Ndugulile was received with shock by many Tanzanians as he was elected after competing with several other Africans for the post of the Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa.

Dr. Faustine Ndugulile, a lawmaker and WHO Regional Director - elected dies this week in India,

Indeed, Tanzania as a nation has lost a great son, who had just been elected to chair the WHO post which would have opened more job opportunists for the nation and for Tanzanians or even access green pastures.

During that AMQF forum, Dr. Ndugulile said drugs regulatory authorities in Africa should be committed to implementing and enforcing agreed quality control measures to enhance and foster qualities in drugs across the region.

The meeting, which was co-organised by the United States of Pharmacopeia Convention (USP), NEPAD Agency, and then Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), which was one most vital meeting launched by Dr. Ndugulile.

Dr. Ndugulile was a medical doctor specialised in public health and medical microbiology. He joined politics in 2010 and he had been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kigamboni Constituency in Dar Es Salaam, until he passed away. He was Vice-Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Services and Community Development and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on HIV/Aids and Substance Abuse.

He was Chairperson of Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Advisory Committee on HIV/Aids, Maternal and Child Health between 2015 and 2017. Between 2008 and 2016, Dr. Ndugulile was a member of the Governing Council of the International Aids Society, which is also based in Geneva. In addition, he was a member of Pan African Parliament (2015-2017), a member of the American Society of Microbiologists (ASM), Tanzania Public Health Association (TPHA), and Secretary-General and later Chairperson of the Tanzania Parliamentarians Aids Coalition (TAPAC).

Dr. Ndugulile also served as Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender and Elderly between 2017 and 2020.

With the establishment of a new Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in December 2020, he was appointed as its first Minister.

This Ministry is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the Digital Transformation in Tanzania. During his short stay in the new Ministry, Dr. Ndugulile supervised the development of a five-year Strategic Plan, Broadband and Cybersecurity strategies. He also championed innovation, promotion of starts-up and adoption of new ICT technologies.

A 55-year-old lawmaker and medical doctor, reportedly died on Wednesday morning in India at a hospital where he was admitted for an undisclosed illness.

Dr. Ndugulile was born on March 31, 1969. Rest in peace one of the brilliant politicians and medical doctors. Your legacy will not be forgotten in and outside the country.

…The author is a freelance journalist

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7:37:00 AM

BARRICK WELCOMES ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT’S DISMISSAL OF LITIGATION CONCERNING NORTH MARA GOLD MINE


Toronto, November 28, 2024 – Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) has welcomed the Ontario Superior Court’s dismissal of claims brought by Tanzanian residents alleging human rights abuses by members of the Tanzanian Police Force in the vicinity of the company’s North Mara gold mine.


The Court ruled that Ontario was not the appropriate forum to consider the claims.


Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow said the company has repeatedly refuted what it regards as baseless claims by a small number of activist NGOs alleging historical human rights abuses around its North Mara mine.


“We are proud of what we have achieved in Tanzania through our Twiga partnership with the country’s government.  Our mines’ revenue contribution is having a transformative effect on the country’s economy while our investment in the socio-economic development of our host communities, coupled with our holistic sustainability strategy, has improved the quality of their lives materially,” he said.


Barrick enquiries

Investor and media relations

Kathy du Plessis

+44 20 7557 7738

Email: barrick@dpapr.com

Website: www.barrick.com  

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7:01:00 AM

 Household investment in clean and safe energy agenda given priority


Governmental and nongovernmental institutions and Barrick Gold Corporation have joined forces to mark 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The agenda was to prioritise household investment in clean and safe energy to reduce the sufferings of women who are the victims of gender-based violence.
Barick's part of the staff members

Those governmental and nongovernmental institutions included the Police Force, district councils, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Life Care Foundation (LCF), Jadra, Hope for Girls and Women (HGWT), Bowmans Tanzania Limited and Taifa Gas.

A team of executives from those institutions with various professions has already started through this activism providing legal and gender training and mobilisation of the use of clean and safe energy at family level and the distribution of gas cylinders in the districts of Tarime, Kahama and Msalala.
Asia Hussein (standing) chairperson of Geita Woman Miners Association (GEWOMA) addresses a meeting. Mgusu, Geita region.

The issue of clean cooking energy is a crucial agenda in the country and across the world and President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been the staunch promoter of this agenda in Africa since November 2022 and the government's goal is to ensure 80 per cent of Tanzanians use clean cooking energy by 2034.

Speaking on this year's celebration of activism against gender-based violence, Barrick Gold Corporation Communications Manager Georgia Mutagaywa said he was happy to see that this year they collaborated with the government and private institutions and companies to provide education about activism against gender-based violence to bring about positive change in society.

She said every stakeholder had a role to play in activism against gender-based violence and in reducing the stress of women struggling to look for firewood for cooking. He said the event provided women with an opportunity to get education about activism against gender-based violence and learn the use of clean and safe energy. "It is our responsibility to support the government to ensure we revolutionise this household gas subsector to eliminate environmental degradation caused by the use of charcoal and firewood which contributes to carbon dioxide emission which pollutes air and causes negative climate change effects.”

Stakeholders participating in the activism said they were happy to join their colleagues and use their professions to bring about positive change in society through the celebration of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in the country by reaching out to the grassroots.

Speaking during the launch of the celebration, Tarime District Commission Maj Edward Flowin Gowele hailed nongovernmental institutions and companies that had joined forces and participated in supporting the government's efforts in activism against gender-based violence in the country, including girls’ female genital mutilation (FGM) and Tarime District was notorious for it.

 
For his part, Community Policing Officer in Tarime Rorya Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jumanne Mkwama appealed to traditional elders to stop getting involved in cases of gender-based violence, instead he urged them to cooperate with government agencies to fight against human rights violations. He also congratulated all stakeholders for participating in activism against gender-based violence.

In 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, various stakeholders will collaborate to hold discussions and meetings to educate members of the community about the effects of gender-based violence, the importance of using clean energy, other topics and some gas cylinders and khanga with the message of activism against gender-based violence will be distributed to women.

 
Ends
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11:04:00 PM

 By Staff Writer, Dar es Salaam

AFRICAN Minerals Geoscience Centre (AMGC) eyes to establish a state-of-the-art small-medium scale gold refinery and Coltan processing and smelting plant and to foster socioeconomic development in the country and AMGC member states at large.
African Minerals Geoscience Centre , Director General, Ibrahim Shaddad

Speaking in an exclusive interview at the weekend with reporters in Dar es Salaam, AMGC Director General Ibrahim Shaddad said the AMGC, among other things, promoted collaboration with the private sector within the scope of its mandate to enhance Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“This is part of the efforts in ensuring the sustainability of the AMGC and easing its heavy dependency on the member states’ contribution which ultimately will pave the way for more African countries to join the AMGC to boost the growth of the value addition in the extractive industry in Africa,” he noted.

He said the two income generation projects were endorsed by the 37th Policy Organ Meeting held in AMGC under the chair ship of Tanzania and will be implemented by a separate commercial entity that adhere to all investment laws and regulations in Tanzania. This paradigm shift is based on 27th meeting of the governing council in Maputo, Mozambique, which was held earlier directed the AMGC to promote collaboration with the private sector for the robust growth of the mining sector in Africa that would curb unemployment and generate income for respective countries.

Mr. Shaddad added that the AMGC had been pursuing joint ventures that could provide high technology facilities enhancing its Pan-African capacity and minerals services that would generate significant incomes to enable it to be self-sufficient, reduce financial dependency on member states.

He said the AMGC was established in 1977 in Dodoma, Tanzania, as one of the sub-regional centers for the development of the mining sector named as Eastern and Southern African Minerals Resources Development Centre (ESAMRDC), which later changed its name into the Southern and Eastern African Mineral Centre (SEAMIC).
“I have personal approached some African countries also to join the AMGC as of now we have Ethiopia, Tanzania as host country, Kenya, Mozambique, the Comoros, Uganda, Sudan, and Angola, but there are efforts going on to invite more African countries to join the AMGC to promote public awareness on the potential of the mining sector’s contribution to the socioeconomic development of the continent,” he stressed.

He went on to say that in 1991 the AMGC moved its operations to an extensive new site in Dar es Salaam with a mission to promote socioeconomic and environmentally friendly responsible mining sector development in Africa to meet the new demand of the mining sector in Africa.

Mr. Shaddad, who is a Sudanese diplomat and a renowned geologist, said since he joined the AMGC in 2015 he had made the AMGC a well-recognized continental institute, enhanced its analytical infrastructures, increase the salaries of its members of staff, change the AMGC’s image to be a more decent institute and make the working environment more presentable to reflect the Pan-Africanism.

“Under my management the AMGC has provided free of charge training opportunities for 336 young Tanzanians. A considerable number of them were taken as apprentices (86 internships) since they were fresh graduates from different universities and high learning institutions in Tanzania,” he said.

He noted that there were ongoing efforts to rehabilitate ceramic working equipment with the Chinese Embassy in Dar es Salaam to make it more vibrant and robust to intensify the department for the better of the AMGC, Tanzania and the continent at large.

Formerly, AMGC was known as Southern and Eastern African Mineral Centre (SEAMIC) established in 1977 through the efforts of the founding fathers of Tanzania and Ethiopia, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Haile Selassie respectively. The two leaders were staunch supporters of the liberation struggle of African countries.

It principally conducts regional geological surveys and provides mineral exploration and consulting services for programmes of its founding member countries, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania and later was joined by Uganda, Angola and the Comoros. Kenya became a member in 2006 and Sudan in 2010.

In 2007, a ministerial meeting in Maputo decided that membership was open to all African states. To reflect this expansion scope, the name of the facility changed to AMGC from July 2015.

In 1991 AMGC moved its operations to a new site in Dar es Salaam with a mission to promote socioeconomic and environmentally responsible mineral sector development in Africa. To meet new demand for mineral sector stakeholders AMGC diversified its services to provide a high-tech, modern minerals analytical laboratory services and geo-information data processing activities, complemented with the provision of short-term specialized training.
 
Ends.
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6:05:00 AM

The Climate-Smart Research Project at the Chemistry Department, College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS), University of Dar es Salaam, is pleased to announce one PhD and two MSc Scholarships opportunities funded by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH).

This prestigious scholarship program supports the project titled "Climate-Smart Livestock and Sustainable Farming in Tanzania: Leveraging Geopolymer and Biochar Innovations for Climate Resilience." 


This project explores innovative chemistry applications in the areas of climate resilience and sustainable agriculture, aiming to make impactful contributions to climate-smart livestock and farming practices in Tanzania.

 Click here for more details...

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11:08:00 PM


● Vows to continue supporting Tanzania’s health sector through ‘Rafiki wa Amana’ initiative

By Staff Writer, Dar es Salaam,

Bank of Africa Tanzania (BOA) has reiterated that it will continue supporting the government in the sectors of health, education and environment as part of its efforts to boost the country’s socioeconomic development.


  Bank of Africa Tanzania, Head of Marketing and Communication, Ms Nandi Mwiyombella (right) hands over a dummy of cheque to Amana Referral Hospital, Medical Officer in charge, Dr. Bryceson L. Kiwelu (centre) as the bank’s contribution to “Rafiki wa Amana Initiative” that aims to rehabilitate, extent and equips mother and child wing at the hospital the event took place yesterday in Dar es Salaam,

Speaking to journalists during the handover ceremony of a Sh10-million dummy cheque to Amana Regional Referral Hospital to support ‘Rafiki wa Amana’ initiative in Dar es Salaam yesterday, BOA Head of Marketing and Communications Nandi Mwiyombella on behalf of Managing Director Esther Maruma said the bank did that because it was part of the community.

“At Bank of Africa Tanzania, we understand that a healthy community is the foundation of a prosperous society. This goes hand in hand with the sustainability agenda of the bank in promoting a better society in the regions it operates.”

Ms Mwiyombella said it was a privilege to them to support Amana Regional Referral Hospital and contribute to the betterment of health services for mothers and children.

She emphasised the bank’s commitment to support the health sector in Tanzania and enhance community welfare through meaningful contributions.

“Bank of Africa Tanzania and Amana Regional Referral Hospital have a long-standing relationship of cooperation in various strategic areas that pave the way for the bank to support ‘Rafiki wa Amana’ initiative,” she said.

Ms Mwiyombella added that the initiative was focusing on raising funds for the rehabilitation, extension, and equipping the mother and child wing at the hospital, which served as a critical healthcare facility in the region.

She stressed support for the government's goal of ensuring that every Tanzanian gets better health services. “The management of the bank is committed to continuing cooperation with the health sector in campaigns and projects aimed at improving the well-being of citizens,” she said.

She noted that their goal was to see that every Tanzanian accessed better health services, including mothers and children “as doing so is to save tomorrow’s nation.”

For his part, Dr Bryceson Kiwelu, Medical Officer in-charge of Amana Referral Hospital, expressed his gratitude for the bank's continued partnership and considerable contributions over the years.

He said the hospital was established in 1954, it had almost 70 years in providing health services and had almost 32 ear, nose, eye and orthopaedics specialists.  

“We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support from Bank of Africa Tanzania. Their generosity greatly encourages us to expand and equip our facilities, ensuring better healthcare for mothers and children in the country,” Dr Kiwelu said.

Bank of Africa Tanzania, Head of Marketing and Communication, Ms Nandi Mwiyombella speaks to invited guests and journalists during the handing over ceremony of the bank’s contribution to the “Rafiki wa Amana Initiative program” on her left Head of Retail Banking, Ms Mwamvua Majeshi , on her right is Medical Officer in charge of Amana Referral Hospital, Dr. Bryceson L. Kiwelu and far left is Dr Barakaeli Maliaki Kiluyo , Gynecologist , the event took place yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

He went on to say that the hospital faced various challenges including infrastructure due to the fact that it was constructed 70 years ago, although the government equipped the hospital with CT scan, digital X-ray and other modern equipment.

Head of Retail Banking Mwamvua Majeshi highlighted some of the bank’s products and services such as house financing, personal loans, equity release and children’s account services that aimed at uplifting Tanzanians out of poverty.

The ‘Rafiki wa Amana’ initiative is a testament to collective effort needed to enhance healthcare infrastructure, making it accessible and effective for those who need it most. Bank of Africa Tanzania’s contribution is part of its broader corporate social responsibility efforts aimed at promoting health, education, and social well-being within the communities it serves.

About BOA Bank (T) Limited

Bank of Africa – Tanzania is a private commercial bank operating in Tanzania, serving corporate, SMEs and retail customers. It began operations in Tanzania in June 2007 after acquiring Eurafrican Bank which had been operating in Tanzania since September 1995. Bank of Africa – Tanzania is part of the Bank of Africa Group that began its operations in Mali in 1982.

BANK OF Africa Group is a multinational Pan-African banking group operating in 18 African countries, including West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and has representative offices in Paris, Spain, London, the UK and China. Since 2010, Bank of Africa has become a majority owned subsidiary of BMCE Bank, which is the 3rd largest banking group in Morocco, and is present in 31 countries and 4 continents.

Currently, Bank of Africa-Tanzania has a network of 18rRetail branches, including 9 in Dar es Salaam and 9 in Arusha, Mwanza, Zanzibar and in all other major cities

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