TWIGA CEMENT GIVES 1200CEMENT BAGS AND TSHS.100MILLION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF WAZO PRISONS STAFF HOUSES

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mbaraka Abdulwakil (R) receiving a dummy cheque for Tsh 100 million from Twiga Cement Managing Director, Alfonso Rodriguez donated by Twiga Cement for the construction of Wazo Hill Prisons warden officials houses. Looking on is Commissioner General of Prisons, John Minja. Twiga Cement were also hands over a 1200 bags of cement for the same initiative. A brief occasion was held at Wazo Hill in the outskirt of Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Commissioner General of Prisons, John Minja (L) receiving a dummy cheque for Tsh 100 million from Twiga Cement Managing Director, Alfonso Rodriguez donated by Twiga Cement for the construction of Wazo Hill Prisons warden officials houses. Looking on is Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mbaraka Abdulwakil. Twiga Cement were also hands over a 1200 bags of cement for the same initiative. A brief occasion was held at Wazo Hill in the outskirt of  Dar es Salaam yesterday.

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Blood Centres Hit Collection Target By 97 Percent

NATIONAL Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in collaboration with Tanzania Red Cross has collected about 97 per cent of the targeted blood units in the three-month period from July to September this year.

The NBTS's Public Relations Officer, Mr Rajab Mwenda, told journalists on Thursday in Dar es Salaam that a total of 40,974 units of bottles were collected from the three months' estimated units which were about 42,500.

He said that eight per cent of the collected blood came from the satellite centres including Morogoro which contributed about 1,158 units of blood, Dodoma 818, Mnazi Mmoja 490, Kigoma 93 and Lindi 323.

"In the quarter of July-September this year, 32 per cent of the total collected bottles used to make Packed Red blood cell, platelets and plasma, the goal was pillars 40% of blood to be collected," said the officer.

According to him, NTBS also collaborated with other stakeholders such as Blooming and Engender health care where they managed to launch the new satellite blood centre in the Kigoma centre which will be able to collect 5,000 units of blood per year.

He added that NBTS is faced by numerous challenges including high demand for blood compared to its acquisition and budget deficit that causes the failure on implementing the planned strategies, it has been said.

"The average annual demands for blood is about 45,000 units, but we managed to collect 160,000 units per year, this is caused by shortage of fund", he clarified adding that some of the challenges are brought by dishonest employees who tend to sell blood despite its free distribution.

Mr Mwenda furthermore pointed out the strategies that they have been made in order to meet their goals at the end of this year.

The strategies includes continued cooperation with religious institutions in providing education and encouraging believers to share their blood voluntarily, conducting a campaign of encouraging the majority to donate blood during the World HIV/Aids day which takes place on December 1 as well as enhancing the public private partnership in the whole process of blood donation.

"There are concerted efforts that we are making in order to ensure the availability of blood for the entire year, some of them is promoting collaboration with regional administration who could facilitate the availability of the required funds to the local satellite blood centres," he said.

He also called upon the public to participate in the blood donation exercise which started from November and expected to end in January 2015 due to the fact that it is a period where students are in their holidays hence increases the blood units' demands.

By Deogratius Kamagi

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UNESCO and Samsung Electronics to Build a Digital Village in Loliondo

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Dar es Salaam and Samsung Electronics have signed an agreement to build a digital village in Ololosokwan, Loliondo.

The agreement was signed by the UNESCO Country Representative and Head of Office, Ms. Zulmira Rodrigues and the Director of Samsung Electronics in Tanzania, Mr. Mike Seo at UNESCO’s office in Dar es Salaam on the 6^th of November 2014.

The digital village to be built in Ololosokwan will comprise of an ICT enabled school with internet connection, a modern clinic with a telemedicine center and a solar energy generator to provide power to the village.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Dr. Moshi Kimizi, the Acting Executive Secretary of UNESCO National Commission, Ms. Leah Kihimbi from the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports, Dr. Eliya from the World Health Organization (WHO) office in Dar es Salaam and UNESCO Dar es Salaam staff members.

During the ceremony, Ms. Rodrigues commented that the project will enable UNESCO to start educational programs for Maasai youth, who normally do not have access to education due to their nomadic way of life. “Through the digital village the youth will be able to continue with their studies even when they are grazing their herds”, said Ms. Rodrigues.

The Director of Samsung Electronics in Tanzania said that, among other benefits from the digital village, villagers in Loliondo will have access to cheaper and cleaner power from the solar energy generators. He said that, , Africa has been a leader in in this programme of establishing digital villages. African leadership in digital villages is  demonstrating to the rest of the world how technology can be used to bring positive changes and development to local people living in rural areas.

Ms. Leah Kihimbi who represented the Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports said that, through the digital village it will be possible to implement education programs while preserving the culture among the Maasai people who live in Loliondo.

The digital villages in Loliondo will be the fourth in Africa. It is expected that, through the cooperation between UNESCO and Samsung Electronics, another digital village is proposed to be built in Zanzibar in 2015.

For more information about the digital village project in Loliondo please contact Al-Amin Yusupha.yusuph@unesco.org

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Vodacom, Partners Vow Support to Farmers

THOUSANDS of smallholder farmers are to receive support to improve their incomes through Information and Communications Technology (ICT), through a service sponsored by Vodacom and its several partners launched known as Kilimo Klub.

Kilimo Klub is the partnership of Vodacom Tanzania, Olam International, Connected Farmers Alliance and Techno Serve aimed at improving farmers' productivity.

"Farmers are now having at their fingertips access to M-Pesa and are empowered financially through the use of M-Pawa which provides access to the safest and most convenient banking services."It gives them access to savings and loans facilities.

Kilimo Klub also affords its users a special cost-effective tariff targeted atenabling farmers to connect with each other and their whole supply chain.

"Farmers can communicate at very low rates from this tariff starting at as little as 400/- a day, " Vodacom said in a statement issued in Dar es Salaam.

In line with this year's resolution by the UN General Assembly that 2014 is the 'International Year of Family Farming', Vodacom Tanzania Limited continues to empower and recognize the contribution of smallholder farmer.

Vodacom Tanzania Head of Brand and Communications, Mr Kelvin Twissa, said, "Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance human development -- from providing access to education and health information to helping boost productivity in the agricultural sector."

"In this case, mobile services are being used to enhance farmers' lives and transform business performance across the agricultural value chain."

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ICTR closes business after spending Sh3.4tr

The mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) ends in December, with the court having spent Sh3.4 trillion ($2 billion) to try about 50 genocide cases, or roughly $100 million annually.

But while others, especially within the United Nations, view ICTR as a success story, there are critics who see the tribunal as a wasted opportunity, citing the billions of dollars used to finance its operations in the past two decades.

Some fugitives, including the prime suspect, Mr Felician Kabuga, who has a $5 million (Sh8.5 billion) bounty on his head, are still at large. Mr Kabuga’s whereabouts are still unknown, although unconfirmed reports say he is hiding in Kenya.

As the court winds up, its critics are questioning whether the hefty budget justifies the number of cases prosecuted.

Since it started trials in 1996/97, the ICTR has convicted 61 people – of whom seven are still on appeal – and acquitted 14 others, of whom only six have found host countries. Some trials have been relocated to Kigali from Arusha. The ICTR was established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 to try people accused of organising the Rwandan Genocide and violating international law in Rwanda between  January 1 and December 31, 1994.  It was officially headquartered in Arusha in 1995.

During an interview with editors from various countries earlier this year, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said: “Is the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which has used over $2 billion this far and convicted only 52 cases in 20 years supposed to be what meets international standards? I just get confused about this.”

President Kagame, who is credited with ending 100 days of genocide at the age of 37, but dismissed as a dictator by his detractors, further said: “You cannot be having hundreds of thousands of people with responsibility and you try only 50 something in 20 years at such a cost and then you are telling me justice has been seen to be done…But Gacaca has processed close to if not over one million cases and allowed people to settle back in their rural areas to live with each other.”

According to the ICTR’s Completion Strategy, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1503, all first-instance cases were to have completed trial by the end of 2008—this date was later extended to the end of 2009—and all work was to have been completed by 2010.

But that did not happen and the United Nations Security Council called upon the tribunal to finish its work by December 31, 2014 to prepare for its closure and transfer of its responsibilities to the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals which began functioning on July 1, 2012.

To Arusha city, the closure of the ICTR will be a big blow to its economy.

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Climate Change Conference Kicks Off in Dar es Salaam

Some of the world’s leading experts on Climate Change have joined the country’s decision makers and opinion leaders gathered today in Tanzania’s business capital to participate in a major two-day conference to deliberate on climate resilient economic growth.

 Under President Kikwete’s leadership, Tanzania has been playing a leading role globally in defining the regional climate change agenda, and the country has recently consolidated its position with the 2013 adoption of the National Climate Change Strategy and the Zanzibar Climate Change Strategy in addition to other key interventions such as the 2014 Agriculture Climate Resilience Plan.

Coming on the heels of the New York Climate Summit in September and just prior to the next round of global climate negotiations, which will be held in Lima this December, the goal of the Dar es Salaam conference is to fast-track action on climate change here at home at all levels of society. The conference has attracted more than 140 participants including key decision makers, thought leaders, and innovators from around the world who will discuss and propose practical actions on what needs to be done to position Tanzania’s policies, plans, and investments towards an inclusive, resilient growth trajectory.

“This conference is a great opportunity for dialogue on how Tanzania’s development pathway can flourish despite the changing climate,” says Philippe Dongier, the World Bank Country Director for Tanzania. “It is tempting to imagine that we are located remotely from the climate change phenomenon but this is erroneous. Climate change will affect all Tanzanians – be they in the growing urban areas, where populations are expected to triple by 2030, and climate-related flooding is expected to increase; along the coast, where changing wind and temperature patterns are leading to erosion and marine impacts; or in agricultural areas where rising temperatures will affect crop survival and livelihoods.”

The poverty rate in Tanzania is currently estimated at about 28% of the population with the majority of the poor living in rural areas where they are entirely dependent on climate-dependent natural resources.  As an example, agriculture, a dominant sector of the economy, generates 25% of GDP and 24% of exports and is the mainstay of 75 – 80% of livelihoods in the country – including the majority of the poor, who are largely smallholder farmers dependent on rainfed agriculture. Climate change is expected to result in changing weather patterns, which could have important impacts on this rainfed agriculture: rainfall decreases of 10% have been correlated with a 2% decrease in national GDP,[1] and temperature rise of 2°C could reduce maize yields by 13% and rice by over 7%.

“Tanzania has begun to take important actions in addressing the risks associated with climate change. We are proud to be working with the Vice President’s Office Division of Environment and the UK Department for International Development in supporting this important conference, which highlights the work being done in the country and areas for future action,” said Ann Jeannette Glauber, World Bank Senior Environmental Specialist.

The conference was opened by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Gharib Bilal, the Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, with closing remarks by PM Pinda and will feature several special guest speakers.  

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Why chronic diseases top list of major killers in TZ

Priority should be given to developing and implementing preventive interventions based on an action plan for the NCD strategy, bearing in mind interventions that have been shown to be effective

Despite a wide range of policies and strategies, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain the leading causes of death in Tanzania.

Also known as chronic diseases, NCDs are medical conditions that are not infectious and cannot be transmitted among people. They generally progress slowly and most patients suffering from them can expect to be on drugs for a long time. They include heart attacks and stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases such as obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma, and diabetes.

NCDs are driven by forces that include ageing, rapid unplanned urbanisation and the globalisation of unhealthy lifestyles.

According to the World Health Organisation, the major underlying risk factors for these diseases are tobacco use, unhealthy diets (high consumption of sugar, salt, saturate fats and trans fatty acids), physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol,hence the reference to them as lifestyle diseases.

NCDs account for 124,930 (31 per cent) of the 403,000 deaths that occur in the country annually. According to the latest WHO non-communicable disease country profiles, global mortality due to NCDs continues to rise. The report says 38 million people die each year of NCDs. People aged between 30 and 70 comprise nearly half of those who die of these diseases in developing countries. But deaths caused by NCDs can be prevented if governments implement simple measures that reduce risk factors and enable their health systems to respond appropriately and on time. In 2009, the ministry of Health and Social Welfare launched the National Strategy for Non-Communicable Diseases, which was based on the WHO strategy framework and Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activities. It is now drafting an implementation plan. Still, it appears that little is being done to curb the disease burden.

When survey questions were sent to health authorities in Tanzania and the other East African countries, they could not provide the necessary information on their commitment to curb the diseases. This means that no country in the bloc has an operational NCD department in the ministry of health or its equivalent.

Tanzania also did not respond to questions as to whether there is a multi-sectorial national policy, strategy or action plan that integrates NCDs and shared risk factors. It also did not respond to queries on whether there is strategy/plan to reduce harmful use of alcohol.

The Citizen on Sunday spoke with the programme co-ordinator of NCDs in the ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr William Kafura, who said a number of initiatives are already in place. “Have those questions been sent to the ministry?” he asked.

Dr Kafura added, though, that some measures have been taken to reduce the disease burden and that the ministry of Health and Social Welfare has a special unit for non-communicable diseases. “We have several interventions,” he went on. “Maybe there was miscommunication.” Tanzania relies on the World Health Organisation for its data and does not have a population-based cancer registry. The country is in the process of developing “evidence-based national guidelines for the management of the major NCDs through the primary health care approach”.

Tanzania has the highest number of NCD deaths in East Africa. A total of 124,930 people die of NCDs here compared to 99,310 in Kenya, 95,310 in Uganda, 31,640 in Burundi and 28,080 in Rwanda. In the study “Non Communicable Diseases: A Call for Urgent Action”, Mary Mayige and others say that although Tanzania has made efforts to respond to the growing burden of NCDs, more must be done at country level to boost the capacity for prevention and control of such diseases.

Sound and explicit directions are essential in the move to streamline policies on tobacco and alcohol, nutrition and diet, food labelling and marketing and school health--all of which are either inadequate or completely lacking. “Priority should be given to developing and implementing preventive interventions based on an action plan for the NCD strategy, bearing in mind interventions that have been shown to be effective,” says the study.

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“Ageing well” must be a global priority

A major new Series on health and ageing, published in "The Lancet", warns that unless health systems find effective strategies to address the problems faced by an ageing world population, the growing burden of chronic disease will greatly affect the quality of life of older people. As people across the world live longer, soaring levels of chronic illness and diminished wellbeing are poised to become a major global public health challenge.

Effective health interventions increasing life expectancy

Worldwide, life expectancy of older people continues to rise. By 2020, for the first time in history, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than 5 years. By 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 841 million today. Eighty per cent of these older people will be living in low-income and middle-income countries.

The increase in longevity, especially in high-income countries (HICs), has been largely due to the decline in deaths from cardiovascular disease (stroke and ischaemic heart disease), mainly because of simple, cost-effective strategies to reduce tobacco use and high blood pressure, and improved coverage and effectiveness of health interventions.

Challenge of ageing healthily

However, although people are living longer, they are not necessarily healthier than before – nearly a quarter (23%) of the overall global burden of death and illness is in people aged over 60, and much of this burden is attributable to long-term illness caused by diseases such as cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disease, musculoskeletal diseases (such as arthritis and osteoporosis), and mental and neurological disorders.

This long-term burden of illness and diminished wellbeing affects patients, their families, health systems, and economies, and is forecast to accelerate. For example, latest estimates indicate that the number of people with dementia is expected to rise from 44 million now, to 135 million by 2050.

Deep and fundamental reforms of health and social care systems will be required,” says Dr John Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at the WHO, and co-leader of the Series with Dr Ties Boerma and Dr Somnath Chatterji, also from WHO. “But we must be careful that these reforms do not reinforce the inequities that drive much of the poor health and functional limitation we see in older age

“While some interventions will be universally applicable, it will be important that countries monitor the health and functioning of their ageing populations to understand health trends and design programmes that meet the specific needs identified”, adds Dr Ties Boerma, Director of the Department of Health Statistics and Informatics at WHO. “Cross-national surveys such as the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE), the Gallup World Poll, and other longitudinal cohorts studies of ageing in Brazil, China, India, and South Korea, are beginning to redress the balance and provide the evidence for policy, but much more remains to be done.”

Strategies must go beyond health sector

However, the responsibility for improving quality of life for the world’s older people goes far beyond the health sector, say the Series authors.

Strategies are needed that better prevent and manage chronic conditions by extending affordable health care to all older adults and take into consideration the physical and social environment. Examples include changing policies to encourage older adults to remain part of the workforce for longer (e.g., removing tax disincentives to work past retirement age), emphasising low-cost disease prevention and early detection rather than treatment (eg, reducing salt intake and increasing uptake of vaccines), making better use of technology (eg, mobile clinics for rural populations), and training health-care staff in the management of multiple chronic conditions.

According to Dr Chatterji, also from the Department of Health Statistics and Information Systems at WHO, “Collectively, we need to look beyond the costs commonly associated with ageing to think about the benefits that an older, healthier, happier, and more productive older population can bring to society as a whole.”

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