Category: The Citizen

Dar es Salaam. Stanbic Bank Tanzania has secured a Sh70 billion facility to expand lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those operating in sustainable agriculture and related value chains.

The financing was structured in two phases, comprising a Sh50 billion tranche secured and drawn in 2025 and a further Sh20 billion facility drawn in 2026. The funding is expected to deepen access to local-currency financing and support inclusive economic growth. The facility was arranged in partnership with Finance in Motion and the eco.

business Fund and will be channelled towards businesses involved in agriculture, processing, trade and other sectors that contribute to productivity, employment and long-term economic development. Speaking during the signing ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Stanbic Bank Tanzania Chief Financial and Value Officer Derick Lugamala said the facility reflects the bank’s commitment to supporting businesses with financing that enables growth while promoting responsible business practices.

“SMEs remain central to Tanzania’s economic future. They create jobs, support households, strengthen supply chains and drive local enterprise.

Through this facility, we are expanding access to financing that helps businesses invest, grow and become more resilient,” he said. Mr Lugamala said the partnership would support enterprises seeking not only capital but also more sustainable ways of doing business.

By providing financing in Tanzanian shillings, the facility is expected to reduce foreign exchange exposure for SMEs and provide greater certainty for long-term planning and investment. The transaction aligns with Stanbic Bank’s broader strategy of supporting sustainable development through financing that promotes climate resilience, financial inclusion and responsible business growth.

The facility also reflects growing confidence in the bank’s ability to deploy capital effectively within the SME sector and highlights the role of partnerships between local financial institutions and international impact investors in addressing financing gaps. For Finance in Motion and the eco.

business Fund, the partnership supports efforts to channel capital towards businesses and financial institutions that promote sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. Chairperson of the eco.

business Fund Board of Directors, Michael Evers, said the partnership demonstrates how targeted financing can support both economic growth and environmental sustainability. “We are pleased to continue working with Stanbic Bank Tanzania to expand access to finance for businesses operating in sustainable agriculture and agricultural value chains.

These sectors are vital to local economies, and the right financing can help improve productivity, strengthen supply chains and support more sustainable production practices,” he said. He added that the facility would give more Tanzanian businesses an opportunity to grow while protecting natural resources, supporting communities and building long-term resilience.

Stanbic Bank Head of Business and Commercial Banking, Fredrick Max, said the lender would continue working with partners who share its commitment to Tanzania’s economic development. “Our focus is to provide solutions that meet the needs of our clients and support the development of the economy.

This facility enables us to serve more SMEs, support more sectors and contribute to a stronger business environment,” he said. As Tanzania pursues inclusive growth, SMEs are expected to remain a key driver of employment, innovation and value creation, with access to affordable financing seen as critical to unlocking their full potential.

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By Elvis Ndunguru East Africa, led by Kenya, is emerging as a powerful trade hub driven by infrastructure investment, regional integration and expanding intra-African trade. As a gateway for natural resources, it boasts rare earths, gold, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and other commodities the world needs.

Trade finance is the key to unlocking cross-border flows, supporting SMEs and enabling regional value chains, opening up economic benefits for the region. As East African trade accelerates, better Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies have a stronger bearing on the Tanzanian mainland and Zanzibar, attracting capital movement.

As stronger regional demand reshapes trade patterns, increased urbanization and population growth are driving intra-African trade in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), construction materials, and processed goods. Improving macro-stability boosts invest ability as better fiscal and monetary management emerge.

But global flows demand dependence on solid infra structure. As corridor-led infrastructure unlocks trade flows, investments in establishing ports, rail, and roads enable trade in new ways.

For example, the Port of Mombasa and the Standard Gauge Railway are reducing transit times and connecting important inland markets like Uganda and Rwanda. Regional integration is being driven particularly under the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), resulting in lowered tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Between South Tanzania and North Kenya, strategically placed ports improve both inter- and intra-continental trade flow. To bolster regional connectivity, Tanzania will spend Sh12 trillion on port expansions.

Meanwhile, the $1.4 billion TAZARA (Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority) Railway rehabilitation is underway. Kenya is investing in rail, and a new fuel pipeline is being established from Uganda to Tanzania.

The Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway is indeed positioned to complement and strategically link with the Lobito Corridor, even though they originate in different parts of the continent. The strategic connection lies in creating a transcontinental logistics network for DRC: goods, especially critical minerals like copper and cobalt, can move more efficiently across Africa, either east to Indian Ocean markets or west to Atlantic routes.

This reduces reliance on single export routes, improves resilience, and enhances intra-African trade under frameworks like the African Continental Free Trade Area. These developments give life to new trade flows, like transporting fuel from Uganda to the Middle East, or moving copper from Congo to China.

In the SADC and EAC regions, comprising over half a billion people, the demand for goods and services, including fuel, is significant. Regional agreements must be fostered to harmonize customs, tariffs, regulations, and the movement of goods, people and services.

Frameworks like the EAC Customs Union and AfCFTA have reduced tariffs, but the system is often plagued by border delays and inconsistent enforcement, which dilute the impact of trade. If banks with trade finance capabilities, including institutions like Absa with a growing pan-African footprint, support infrastructure development, this will boost connectivity, lower transport costs, and improve trade opportunities.

Currently, it’s cheaper to move goods from China to Dar es Salaam than to transport them from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza, a region within Tanzania. Trade finance is most impactful in sectors with predictable cross-border demand on agriculture, energy, and FMCG.

Structured trade finance and supply chain finance help large corporates extend terms to suppliers, indirectly supporting SME participation. The East African economy is largely driven by SMEs.

In Tanzania, 96% of our economy depends on SMEs, but they lack funding to support themselves. The majority are trade based, with imports from the Middle East, China, India, and others, and exports like minerals or agricommodities to other parts of the world.

While banks can help support SMEs, the locals must also support them to benefit the local market. Besides raising capital, risk perception and informality are constraints to their success.

Better credit data with digital identities and scalable guarantee schemes backed by Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) help to mitigate risk. While simplified, digital trade finance products are now available, these are still limited.

Anchor-led eco-systems with stronger linkage to large corporates is manifesting in the mining, FMCG, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. DFIs as key stakeholders can work alongside financial institutions to help enhance trade routes.

While it might be difficult for them to be on the ground, they can collaborate with the banks in certain markets within the continent to extend their reach. To help digitization, we must empower fintechs to enable much stronger platforms.

In Tanzania, SME customers work together to collaborate on small platforms, to submit bulk orders to China. There’s strength in numbers.

Banks have capabilities to support trade flows and payment via digitization in areas like Ethiopia and the DRC. While some markets like DRC are high-risk, our competitors are growing there.

Last year, a regional bank made 30% of their profit in Congo, for example. We can find safe ways to play in those markets, selecting the sectors we can perform in.

Banks with a Pan-African presence, which operates across key trade corridors, must bring a true corridor strategy to build sector-specific solutions like agri-value chains across multiple countries; use digital platforms to serve mid-market clients, not just large corporates; partner with DFIs to expand risk appetite in frontier markets; and position themselves as a trade enabler, not just financiers, by integrating advisory, foreign exchange, and working capital solutions. The real differentiator will be the ability to intermediate not just capital, but meaningful connectivity, helping to link clients across markets, currencies, and the supply chain.

This article reflects the personal opinions of Elvis Ndunguru, Managing Executive, Corporate and Investment Banking, NBC, Tanzania .

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Davido has added another landmark achievement to his growing list of global accolades, becoming the first African artist to contribute to FIFA World Cup soundtrack projects in two consecutive tournaments. Davido first made history in 2022 when he featured on ‘Hayya Hayya (Better Together)’, one of the official songs of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, alongside Trinidad Cardona and AISHA.

The track became one of the defining anthems of the tournament, introducing his music to millions of football fans around the world. Four years later, he returns to the FIFA World Cup music stage through ‘No Place Like Home’, a track from the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Album.

The song sees him collaborate with acclaimed electronic music group Major Lazer and Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, placing him among a star-studded line-up that includes Shakira, Burna Boy, Rema, Tyla, Stormzy, French Montana, Future and LISA. Davido is not the only African artist featured on the album.

Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Rema and Ayra Starr also make appearances on the project. Burna Boy joins Colombian icon Shakira on ‘Daidai’, while Rema features alongside LISA and Anitta on ‘Goals’.

South African Grammy Award winner Tyla collaborates with Future on ‘Game Time’, while Ayra Starr teams up with American rapper Latto on ‘Show Me’. Ghanaian singer Moliy appears on ‘Lighter’ alongside J Balvin and Carin Leon, highlighting the strong African presence across the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Album.

The latest milestone makes Davido the first African artiste to feature on FIFA World Cup soundtrack projects in two successive tournaments, further cementing his status as one of the continent’s biggest musical exports. It also reflects the growing influence of Afrobeats and African music on the global stage.

The FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is expected to be the largest edition of the tournament in history, featuring 48 national teams and attracting a global audience of billions. .

Dar es Salaam. Poor-quality healthcare is causing more preventable deaths than many diseases themselves, health experts have warned, cautioning that expanding access to medical services without improving standards could undermine efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The warning was issued on Thursday during the 2026 Scientific Conference jointly organised by Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, and Aga Khan University (AKU), which brought together policymakers, researchers, clinicians and other stakeholders to discuss ways of improving healthcare quality in Tanzania. Held under the theme “Advancing Quality Healthcare in Tanzania: From Evidence to Excellence,” the two-day conference is examining patient safety, people-centred care, workforce development, digital health innovations and health systems strengthening.

Speaking during one of the sessions, healthcare quality specialist Dr Meshack Shemwela said quality care should be regarded as the foundation of healthcare delivery rather than an additional component of the system. “Studies have shown that more people die because of poor-quality healthcare than from diseases themselves.

This demonstrates why quality must be at the centre of healthcare delivery,” he said. Dr Shemwela noted that countries pursuing UHC must ensure that wider access to healthcare services is matched by improvements in service quality.

“Coverage alone is not enough if services are unsafe or ineffective. UHC without quality can become a disaster because people may access services that fail to improve their health outcomes,” he said.

He also criticised the tendency among some healthcare institutions to focus on accreditation and inspections while neglecting continuous quality improvement. “Many facilities perform well during assessments but struggle to maintain the same standards afterwards.

Quality should not be treated as an event or an examination; it must become part of an institution’s culture,” he said. According to him, maintaining consistent standards is essential for patient safety, institutional credibility and long-term sustainability.

Dr Shemwela further challenged the perception that quality healthcare is expensive, arguing that the cost of poor-quality care is far greater. “Patient harm, avoidable complications, prolonged hospital stays and preventable deaths impose significant social and economic costs.

Investing in quality ultimately saves lives and resources,” he said. Opening the conference, the Ministry of Health’s Director of Curative Services, Dr Hamad Nyembea, said healthcare systems should increasingly be judged by the outcomes they deliver rather than by access alone.

“Healthcare quality is no longer measured solely by the availability of services but by the impact those services have on people’s lives. Collaboration among government, academic institutions, healthcare providers and innovators is vital in building a resilient, patient-centred health system,” he said.

Dr Nyembea said improving the quality of care remains a priority as Tanzania continues to expand healthcare services and invest in health infrastructure. Aga Khan Health Services Tanzania Chief Executive Officer, Sisawo Konteh, said the conference seeks to promote practical solutions capable of transforming healthcare delivery across the country.

“We want research, innovation and ideas to translate into real solutions that improve patient outcomes and strengthen health systems. Our goal is to turn evidence into action,” he said.

The conference features six thematic areas, including patient safety and quality improvement, people-centred care, health systems and workforce strengthening, digital health and innovation, continuity of care across the life course, and excellence in research and health professions education. Participants also attended specialised workshops focusing on emergency care, neonatal services, digital health, medical education, healthcare quality measurement and medication safety.

They also expressed optimism that recommendations emerging from the conference would support Tanzania’s efforts to improve healthcare quality and accelerate progress towards UHC. .

Dar es Salaam. The Serengeti Boys have emerged as one of Africa’s most exciting youth football stories after their impressive run at the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations (AFCON U-17), where they reached the final, qualified for the Fifa U-17 World Cup, and collected several individual awards.

Their performances have now attracted growing interest from foreign clubs, particularly in Europe. Midfielder Issa Chole was the standout player of the tournament, earning the Best Player of the Tournament award.

His consistency was evident from the group stages through to the final, where he controlled matches with maturity and confidence. Chole also won two Man of the Match awards, first against Mozambique and later in the semifinal against Egypt, making him the most decorated player in that category.

His ability to win possession, read danger, distribute the ball, and connect defense with attack made him the heartbeat of the Tanzanian midfield. Chole’s influence was especially important in high-pressure matches, including the semifinal against Egypt, where Tanzania held firm before winning 43 on penalties to secure a place in the final.

His calmness and leadership helped the team remain organized even under sustained pressure. Striker Athanas Adam also played a crucial role, finishing as the Top Scorer of the tournament with three goals.

He scored once in the 30 group stage victory over Mozambique and added two more in the quarterfinal against Algeria. His finishing ability gave Tanzania a reliable attacking edge in key moments.

Defensively and as a unit, Serengeti Boys were also recognized with the Fair Play award, having completed the tournament without receiving a red card and collecting only 14 yellow cards. This reflected their discipline, teamwork, and tactical organization throughout the competition.

Coach Elieneza Nsanganzelu was praised for building a balanced and disciplined team capable of competing against some of Africa’s strongest youth sides. Key contributions also came from goalkeeper Haji Abdullahi, captain Kassim Juma, and other squad members who helped maintain stability and structure across all matches.

Following their strong performances, several Serengeti Boys players have now attracted interest from foreign clubs, especially in Europe, where scouts are monitoring their development closely. The exposure gained from the tournament has placed Tanzanian youth football in the international spotlight, with growing expectations that some players could soon move abroad.

Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Paul Makonda confirmed that clubs have shown interest in signing the young talents but stressed that their development must be protected. He warned that any transfers must guarantee playing time, ensuring players are not left on the bench and risk losing their progress.

The government, working with the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), is also planning to send some players to France and Spain to gain further experience and improve their technical development before future international competitions. Makonda further credited the team’s success to long-term investment in youth football under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, as well as improvements in academy systems across the country.

He also praised the coaching staff for competing effectively against experienced international opponents. .

Dar es Salaam. Prominent swimming club Bluefins has selected 27 swimmers to represent the team at the Tanzania National Junior Championships scheduled to take place this weekend at the International School of Tanganyika (IST) swimming pool in Masaki, Dar es Salaam.

The team comprises swimmers aged between six and 12 years, reflecting the club’s continued commitment to nurturing young talent and providing opportunities for emerging athletes to compete at national level. According to Bluefins founder and head trainer, Rahim Alidina, preparations for the championship have been intensive, with the club ensuring its swimmers gain competitive exposure through participation in various local events.

“We have been preparing our young swimmers for this event, which also includes making them participate in various swim meets, including the FK Blue Marlins Swimming Gala last month, which was very useful in giving our young swimmers the necessary exposure to participate in official galas,” said Alidina. He noted that the experience gained from previous competitions has played a crucial role in building confidence among the swimmers ahead of the national championship.

“Majority of the swimmers did well in the last event and have managed to qualify for the National Junior Championships, where we expect them to continue to improve and create new personal bests,” he said. Bluefins will field a balanced squad consisting of 12 female swimmers and 15 male swimmers.

The club hopes the young athletes will use the event as a platform to showcase their progress and compete strongly against some of the best junior swimmers from across the country. The female swimmers selected for the championship are Sakina Abdulali, Naqiyah Aziz, Aaradhya Barmeda, Ummeabiha Esmail, Khairaat Lakhani, Kanzi Mussa, Amatullah Mustansir, Maahira Noorani, Debora Nouidui, Inaya Raheel, Anaya Shanghvi and Irhaa Raheel.

The male squad comprises Muhammad Mbaye, Cayden Barretto, Zayyanabbas Dhalla, Burhanuddin Fazleabbas, Lucca-Ejaaz Hasham, Adam Hassanali, Abbas Hemani, Saifuddin Jariwalla, Wathiq Mbaye, Qais Kanji, Rayyan Kassam, Hayderali Khimji, Dev Maru, Shabbir Murtaza and Yaseen Mbaye. The Tanzania National Junior Championships are expected to attract hundreds of young swimmers from clubs across Tanzania as well as participants from neighbouring countries.

The competition serves as one of the most important development events on the national swimming calendar, offering young athletes a chance to test their abilities, gain valuable experience and improve their rankings. Bluefins, the focus remains on development, learning and achieving personal milestones as the club continues to build the next generation of Tanzanian swimmers.

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Unguja. The Zanzibar Police Force, through the Criminal Investigation Department, has concluded its inquiry into the death of United States social media activist Ashley Jennae Robinson (31), stating that she died by suicide as a result of mental distress.

The incident occurred on April 8, 2026 at around 8:55 p.m.

at Zuri Hotel in North Unguja, where she had been staying with her fiance, Joseph McCann. She was later pronounced dead on April 9, 206 while receiving treatment at Ampolla Hospital in the West Urban Region.

In earlier preliminary findings, police had indicated that Robinson took her own life following a disagreement with her fiance, although social media reports at the time suggested she may have been killed by him. Following the conflicting accounts, police launched a full investigation, including detaining McCann for questioning as part of routine procedures.

Addressing journalists in Zanzibar on June 4, 2026 Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations, Zuberi Chembera, said it had been established beyond reasonable doubt that Robinson died by suicide linked to mental distress. “Through witness statements and analysis of communication devices belonging to the deceased and her fiance, we established that she had been experiencing mental distress.

SMS exchanges showed repeated complaints regarding her life circumstances,” he said. He added that the investigation, conducted in collaboration with other institutions, confirmed that no individual was implicated in the death.

Police reports indicate that Robinson checked into Zuri Hotel on April 6, 2026 with McCann and was accommodated in Villa 25. On the day of the incident, April 8, at around midday, a misunderstanding reportedly arose between the couple, leading to an unresolved dispute. Hotel management was informed and subsequently moved McCann to Villa 65 while efforts to resolve the situation continued.

According to police, at around 8:55 p.m.

, a hotel staff member conducting routine evening duties, including pest control and general room checks, reached Villa 25 and found the door closed and the room unlit. After knocking without response, the staff member used a master key to enter, switched on the lights and reportedly heard a sudden thud-like sound before discovering Robinson unresponsive, hanging inside the room.

Police said she was suspended from a clothing rail using a garment belt commonly provided for guests’ use in hotel rooms. The Zanzibar Police Force has urged parents and guardians to maintain close contact with young people to better understand their daily lives and support them in addressing personal challenges before they escalate.

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Dar es Salaam. The government is undertaking a detailed assessment of rising global fertiliser prices in a bid to identify measures to protect farmers from escalating input costs while maintaining stable supply across the country.

Despite the price pressures on the international market, authorities have assured farmers that fertiliser remains sufficiently available for the current agricultural season, following concerns that global developments could affect both prices and distribution. Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo gave the assurance yesterday during an inspection tour of fertiliser warehouses operated by major importers, where he reviewed stock levels and distribution systems ahead of the upcoming planting season.

He said the exercise is aimed at ensuring the supply chain remains stable while also determining appropriate interventions to cushion farmers from global price shocks. “Fertiliser is available and there is no need for panic.

We are examining the cost pressures and conducting a nationwide assessment of distribution to ensure the system is functioning effectively,” he said. Mr Chongolo added that the government is carrying out a comprehensive analysis of global fertiliser price increases to determine suitable policy responses that would ease the burden on farmers.

Global market data indicates that the price of urea, a key fertiliser used in agriculture, rose from US$509 per tonne in February this year to US$658 in May. The minister attributed the increase to higher fuel costs and disruptions in global supply chains, noting that fertiliser production and transport are heavily dependent on energy prices.

“Given global conditions, it is clear fertiliser prices are likely to rise further because fuel remains a key input in both production and distribution,” he said. He stressed that the government’s immediate priority is to guarantee availability across all regions, particularly ahead of the next planting season.

“We are prioritising availability. Farmers must have fertiliser when they need it.

Once that is secured, we can better address affordability,” he said. Mr Chongolo said authorities have intensified monitoring of imports and distribution channels to prevent regional shortages and ensure timely delivery to farmers.

He added that the government is considering a range of interventions, including cost-sharing mechanisms, improved supply chain coordination and enhanced price monitoring to protect farmers from excessive costs. A nationwide stock verification exercise involving importers, distributors and agro-dealers is currently under way to establish accurate data on fertiliser availability and distribution patterns.

The Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA) Director-General Joel Laurent said inspections of major warehouses show that stock levels remain stable, with significant volumes already distributed to various regions. He said current estimates indicate that the country has sufficient fertiliser in stock, supported by ongoing imports and distribution.

Mr Laurent added that importers are expected to bring in about 300,000 tonnes of fertiliser between July and September, further strengthening supply ahead of the planting season. He said TFRA has deployed teams across the country to verify stock levels held by both large-scale importers and smaller distributors to ensure accurate national supply data.

The government has also reiterated its long-term strategy to reduce dependence on imports by boosting domestic fertiliser production, with plans to produce about 400,000 tonnes locally out of the 1.5 million tonnes required annually.

Yara Tanzania Limited Head of Finance January Fabian said that despite global market challenges, fertiliser supply is expected to remain stable and sufficient to meet domestic demand. .

By Tage Biswalo Across East African Community (EAC) member states, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, education systems are undergoing profound transformation. New competency-based curricula, expanded access to schooling, and the growing influence of global knowledge economies are reshaping how young people learn and how teachers teach.

Yet amid these reforms, a critical question often goes unasked: whose knowledge counts in our classrooms? To respond to this question, let us look at Pluralism in education. It is recognising and valuing multiple ways of knowing, learning, and understanding the world.

It is not a luxury for East Africa. It is a necessity.

The limits of a single knowledge tradition For decades, education systems across the region have largely followed inherited colonial structures that privilege a narrow set of epistemologies, languages, and teaching traditions. Schools often emphasize standardized knowledge rooted primarily in Western academic frameworks while local knowledge systems, community histories, indigenous languages, and everyday forms of expertise remain marginal.

The result is a subtle but powerful disconnect. Many learners enter school with rich cultural knowledge grounded in community practices, local languages, and lived experience.

Yet the classroom frequently requires them to suspend or even abandon those forms of knowing in favour of distant curricular frameworks. When this happens, education risks becoming an exercise in assimilation rather than empowerment.

Why pluralism matters for East Africa’s future Pluralistic education does not reject global knowledge. Rather, it creates space for dialogue between global, national, and local knowledge systems.

In practical terms, this means: teaching science alongside indigenous ecological knowledge relevant to climate resilience, integrating local histories and community narratives into social studies curricula, recognising multilingual realities by valuing African languages alongside global languages and encouraging critical dialogue rather than memorisation of singular “correct” perspectives. For EAC countries facing complex development challenges, from climate change to urbanisation and technological transformation, solutions will not emerge from a single intellectual tradition.

Innovation often arises when different knowledge systems interact. Pluralistic classrooms cultivate precisely this capacity.

A foundation for social cohesion Pluralism also has a deeper civic purpose. The East African region is culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse.

Schools are one of the few institutions where young people from different backgrounds encounter each other regularly. An education system that acknowledges multiple perspectives prepares learners not only to tolerate difference but to engage with it constructively.

In societies where historical tensions sometimes surface along ethnic, linguistic, or political lines, pluralistic education becomes a quiet but powerful tool for social cohesion. Aligning with current education reforms Encouragingly, several EAC countries are already moving toward reforms that implicitly support pluralism.

The competency-based curricula introduced in Kenya and Tanzania emphasise critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills that thrive when learners engage multiple perspectives. However, curriculum reform alone is not enough.

Pluralism must also shape teacher education, assessment systems, and classroom practice. Teachers need preparation to facilitate dialogue across knowledge traditions.

Assessments must reward critical engagement rather than rote recall. And schools must build partnerships with communities whose knowledge has historically been excluded from formal education.

A call for educational imagination The future of East Africa’s education systems should not be framed as a choice between tradition and modernity. That binary is misleading.

The real challenge is how to bring diverse knowledge traditions into productive conversation. Pluralism offers a way forward.

By embracing pluralistic education, EAC countries can cultivate learners who are intellectually confident, culturally grounded, and globally engaged. Such learners will not merely consume knowledge produced elsewhere; they will contribute new ideas rooted in the rich intellectual traditions of the region itself.

In a rapidly changing world, that may be East Africa’s greatest educational advantage. Dr Tage Biswalo is an Assistant Professor specialising in Policy Studies at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, East Africa .

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania has been invited to host the fifth edition of the Africa Bee Expo in 2028, a major continental gathering expected to attract beekeepers, researchers, industry leaders and policymakers from nearly 50 countries.

The invitation was extended by Africa Bee Expo Chairman Fatah Ben Chouia during a meeting with Tanzania’s Ambassador to Algeria, Mobhare Matinyi, at the Tanzanian Embassy in Algiers on June 3, 2026. In a further endorsement of Tanzania’s growing stature in the beekeeping industry, the organisers also invited the country to serve as Guest of Honour at the fourth Africa Bee Expo, scheduled to take place in Algiers from September 3 to 6, 2026. Mr Ben Chouia encouraged Tanzanian government institutions, private sector stakeholders and beekeepers to participate in the exhibition, describing the country as one of Africa’s leading players in the sector. He said Tanzania’s strong performance in honey production and its expanding beekeeping industry made it a suitable host for the 2028 edition of the continental event.

Receiving the invitations, Tanzania’s Ambassador to Algeria, Mobhare Matinyi, thanked the organisers for recognising the country’s contribution to the development of the beekeeping industry. He said the government would give positive consideration to the proposals, noting that beekeeping remains an important source of employment and income for millions of Tanzanians.

“The beekeeping industry provides employment opportunities to more than two million Tanzanians and contributes significantly to the national economy,” said Ambassador Matinyi. The Africa Bee Expo brings together participants from across the continent and beyond, providing a platform for networking, business partnerships, knowledge-sharing and discussions on environmental conservation, value addition and innovation in bee products.

According to the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, Tanzania is Africa’s second-largest honey producer and ranks tenth globally. The country produces an estimated 31,000 tonnes of honey and 1,800 tonnes of beeswax annually.

The invitation is expected to strengthen Tanzania’s position as a key player in Africa’s apiculture industry and create new opportunities for investment, trade and technology exchange in the sector. .