Category: The Citizen

Dar es Salaam. American R and B star Trey Songz has urged Tanzanian youths to believe in their dreams, saying self-confidence, creativity and perseverance are key to turning ambitions into reality.

The singer delivered the message while speaking to university students participating in CRDB Bank’s iMbeju entrepreneurship programme, encouraging young people not to allow other people’s opinions to define what they can achieve.

‘Don’t sleep on your dreams. When you dream about something, it is something special to you. It may not be special to the people you tell because they cannot see what you see,’ he said.

Trey Songz, whose musical journey began when he was around 11 or 12 before he started recording at 15, recalled being mocked in his hometown after telling people he wanted to become a singer.

‘I tried to sing whenever I got the opportunity. I was laughed at and told I would not make it. I wondered, what if I had listened to those people?’ he said. He challenged young creatives to embrace new ideas and use their imagination to explore possibilities beyond what they have already seen.

His manager and business partner, Ro Williams, also encouraged creatives to understand the value of owning their work.

‘Talent fades, but ownership lasts,’ Williams said.

Beyond his engagement with young entrepreneurs, Trey Songz visited the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), where he met children receiving treatment for heart conditions.

Accompanied by CRDB Foundation Director Tully Esther Mwambapa, he learned that the children are among beneficiaries of a programme supported through the CRDB Marathon to facilitate treatment for children with heart problems.

During the visit, the singer called on influential people to support their communities, stressing that giving back does not always have to involve money.

‘When you cannot give money, give your presence. And when you cannot give your presence, give your ideas,’ he said.

Trey Songz is in Tanzania for the first time as a special guest at the CRDB International Marathon 2026 and headliner for Imbeju Sauti Moja concert on Friday, August 14.

CRDB Bank Foundation Managing Director Tully Esther Mwambapa (centre) poses with American R and B star Trey Songz (right) and Tanzania’s top Bongo Flava artist Diamond Platnumz shortly after his arrival in Tanzania ahead of today’s Imbeju Sauti Moja Concert.

Eight countries are expected to participate in the 21st East African Community (EAC) Trade Fair in Mwanza, with organisers projecting more than 600 exhibitors from Tanzania and abroad.

The 10-day exhibition will be held from August 28 to September 6, 2026, at Furahisha Grounds in Ilemela District.

Speaking to journalists at his office in Mwanza on August 14, 2026, Tanzania National Chamber of Commerce (TNCC) Mwanza Regional Chairman Gabriel Kenene said five of the participating countries would come from Africa, while three would be from outside the continent. The African participants are Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Egypt, while India, China and Singapore will represent countries outside Africa.

Mr Kenene said the exhibition would give businesses an opportunity to expand their markets, establish links with major distributors and learn modern approaches to packaging and marketing products for domestic and international markets.

‘Exhibitors at the fair are expected to find new markets, meet major distributors and learn modern ways of packaging and marketing their products for domestic and foreign markets,’ he said.

He said more than 600 exhibitors had been invited, including 500 from Tanzania and 100 from other countries.

This year’s fair will be held under the theme ‘Peace and Security as a Catalyst for Trade and Investment’, which Mr Kenene said underscored the importance of stability in promoting economic growth and attracting investment within and beyond East Africa.

He urged Mwanza residents and other members of the public to turn up in large numbers to explore innovations, learn about new products and make purchases.

Mr Kenene said organisers had worked with the regional security committee and regional authorities to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors throughout the event.

‘We have prepared well with the security committee and regional leadership to ensure everyone who attends the exhibition remains safe and returns home safely. There will be no entrance fee,’ he said.

Mwanza resident Joyce Makweba said the fair would provide an opportunity for traders to showcase their products while giving residents access to a wide range of goods in one location.

‘Such exhibitions help us get the products we need without any inconvenience. You go to one place and find everything you need,’ she said.

Another resident, Emmanuel Lwamwasha, said the exhibition would help stimulate economic activity in Mwanza and the Lake Zone, urging businesses to take advantage of the opportunities it would create.

As Tanzania joins the world in marking International Youth Day, attention is turning to one of the country’s greatest assets, its young population, and the need to create an environment where young people can acquire the skills, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures and contribute meaningfully to national development.

At the centre of this effort is BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania, which has been implementing a range of initiatives aimed at strengthening youth empowerment, economic inclusion, climate resilience and participation in decision-making since 2006.

The organisation’s approach is aligned with Tanzania’s long-term development ambitions, including the Tanzania Development Vision 2050 and the National Youth Development Policy, 2024.

For David Mbumila, AIM Programme Manager at BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania, meaningful youth development requires more than providing financial support.

It requires creating an environment where young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women, can build confidence, develop practical skills, access economic opportunities and have a voice in decisions affecting their lives.

Starting with social empowerment

A key component of BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania’s work is the Accelerating Impact for Young Women (AIM) programme, a partnership between the MasterCard Foundation and BRAC International, which focuses on adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).

In Tanzania, AIM Programme is equipping over 400,000 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), with education support age-appropriate entrepreneurship, employability, and life-skills training, as well as the tools to start and scale their own businesses.

The programme operates across seven African countries until 2033: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Kenya – and applies BRAC’s globally-recognised, evidence-based approaches using microfinance, ultra-poor graduation, youth empowerment, agriculture and skills development to improve lives and livelihoods.

Through AIM clubs, participants undergo a six-month curriculum designed to strengthen confidence, agency, aspirations and social skills.

The programme addresses issues that can significantly influence young women’s ability to make informed decisions about their lives, including sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, gender equality and personal development.

Mentors provide guidance and create spaces where participants can discuss challenges, develop confidence and build stronger support networks.

Mbumila explains that this foundation is critical because economic empowerment is difficult to sustain when young women lack confidence, information and the ability to make independent decisions.

To date, the AIM programme has reached 91,122 adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania through its social empowerment clubs, creating a large network of young women equipped with knowledge and skills to make informed choices about their futures.

Marium is among the AIM programme participants from Dar es Salaam, she recalls facing challenges achieving her dream of becoming a tailor, ‘I simply decided not to give up, after receiving tailoring skills and a sewing machine from the programme, I turned what I had learned into a source of income.’

Marium now not only enjoys making creative pieces for her customers, but also trains two students. In her words, ‘I now have confidence, income independence and a chance to help others learn a skill.’

From confidence to economic independence

For BRAC, social empowerment is closely connected to economic independence. Through AIM, participants have been supported to establish 2,159 Community microfinance groups (CMGs), formerly known as VSLAs or VICOBA.

The groups provide members with an opportunity to save collectively and access small loans that can be invested in income-generating activities.

But Mbumila says the model goes beyond simply giving young people access to money. Participants receive financial literacy and management training to help them.

For BRAC, social empowerment is closely connected to economic independence. Through AIM, participants have been supported to establish 2,159 Community microfinance groups (CMGs), formerly known as VSLAs or VICOBA.

The groups provide members with an opportunity to save collectively and access small loans that can be invested in income-generating activities. But Mbumila says the model goes beyond simply giving young people access to money.

Participants receive financial literacy and management training to help them understand saving, borrowing, budgeting and business management.

Those ready to progress further can also be supported to access loans from BRAC Tanzania Finance Ltd, BRAC’s microfinance entity and the largest in Tanzania, and/or connect with other formal financial institutions.

This pathway can provide access to digital financial services, additional skills training and financial products that support business expansion.

The impact is significant. 66,372 young women have received financial literacy training, while 29,498 have benefited from livelihood training and asset transfers. The support covers different areas of economic activity, including agriculture, livestock and vocational enterprises.

Participants receive skills, startup support and market linkages designed to help them establish and grow sustainable livelihoods. An emerging area of opportunity is Early Childhood Development (ECD), where young women are trained to establish micro-enterprises providing childcare and play-based learning services.

Happiness is a micro-entrepreneur running a community-based ECD Centre inside a bustling Mwanza marketplace, serving 36 children. This is what youth action looks like, mothers relying on her to care for her children, while she runs her business.

The model creates a dual impact-opening income-generating opportunities for young women while improving access to quality early childhood services within communities.

Equipping young farmers for climate change

For young Tanzanians whose livelihoods depend on agriculture, empowerment must also include the ability to respond to climate change.

Through the Vijana Kilimo Biashara (VKB) project, supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), BRAC is helping young farmers adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), aiming to reach 15,000 smallholder farmers.

The project links young farmers with relevant institutions, including the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), enabling them to access seasonal weather forecasts and other climate information.

Lucy is a VKB project participant from Simiyu. At first, weather forecasting was not as important. She says, ‘I recall tuning to another station as soon as I heard the reporter, but gaining an understanding on how climate change is affecting my 12 acre sunflower and sorghum farm, I knew I had to make an informed decision moving forward.’

This information can help farmers make better decisions on planting dates, crop selection and pest management. The programme also promotes soil and water conservation and integrated pest management, helping young farmers improve agricultural productivity while protecting the natural resources upon which future livelihoods depend.

Jumanne Magese is the VKB Project Manager. In his words, Mr Jumanne highlights: ‘Climate resilience is increasingly becoming an essential part of youth economic empowerment, particularly in communities where agriculture remains a major source of employment and income.’

Giving young people a voice

Beyond economic opportunities, BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania is also working to ensure that young people have a voice in shaping the policies and decisions that affect them.

Through its Enabling Environment Strategy, the organisation equips youth with knowledge and skills in evidence-based advocacy, public policy and civic participation.

Young people participating in BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania programmes have been connected to national platforms, including Vijana Platforms established under the President’s Office – Youth Development.

They have also contributed to discussions surrounding the National Youth Development Policy, 2024, while providing recommendations relevant to the Tanzania Development Vision 2050.

At the local level, youth are encouraged to participate in community dialogues and District Council forums, giving them opportunities to engage directly with decision-makers and raise issues affecting their communities.

Mbumila says this approach reflects an important shift in youth development-from viewing young people simply as beneficiaries to recognising them as partners and agents of change.

International Youth Day: Celebrating achievement and opportunity

On 12th August, Tanzania commemorated International Youth Day, and BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania collaborated with local government authorities in Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Dodoma and Tabora regions to showcase the achievements of young people participating in its programmes.

BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania is in support of youth voice and action; during the Youth Day festivities, the AIM youth advocates presented their recommendations in areas of education and youth empowerment.

The festivities went along with exhibitions of youth-led businesses, health-checking camps, tree planting, government forums, sports activities and awareness initiatives. This was an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to display and promote their products, while young women with low literacy levels were exposed to digital skills and other learning opportunities.

For BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania, the activities provide an opportunity to celebrate achievements while drawing attention to the opportunities that can emerge when young people receive the right support. Through his work with the AIM programme, Mbumila sees youth empowerment as a process that requires sustained investment- not only in finance, but also in confidence, knowledge, skills, networks and leadership.

The experiences of young people participating in BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania programmes demonstrate that Tanzania’s youth possess enormous potential.

What is required is an enabling environment that allows that potential to translate into meaningful economic and social outcomes. From social empowerment clubs and community microfinance groups to climate-smart agriculture and policy engagement, BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania is helping young people move from being recipients of development interventions to becoming active contributors to their communities and the wider economy.

As Tanzania looks towards its 2050 development ambitions, the message emerging from these initiatives is clear that investing in young people is not merely an investment in the present, it is an investment in the country’s future leadership, resilience and prosperity.

Barcelona. Spanish authorities on Thursday removed the remains of three kings who ruled the Aragón region in the 11th century from a monastery threatened by a wildfire.

Their remains were taken to the provincial museum of Huesca, located 80 km (50 miles) south of the monastery, for their protection until conditions improve, said the northeastern region’s vice-president Mar Vaquero.

After the wildfire that had been raging since Monday began moving toward the 10th ?century San Juan de la Peña monastery late on Thursday, concern that it could be engulfed by flames prompted authorities to launch a rescue operation, Vaquero told reporters.

An emergency military unit team managed to enter the monastery, located in a mountain range, and take ceremonial clothing belonging to an 18th century count buried there, before the proximity of the flames forced them to flee.

The team returned a second time, ?accompanied by police officers and heritage officials, and removed the remains of the first three kings of Aragón – who ruled between 1035 and 1104 – from a pantheon within the monastery, as well as some historical paintings.

Vaquero praised ?the bravery of the rescue team.

The wildfire had intensified earlier on Thursday, fuelled by higher temperatures and strong winds. It has burned more than 9,000 ?hectares and forced the evacuation of 16 towns, although the monastery remained unharmed on Friday morning.

In southern Spain, a much larger wildfire also ?worsened on Thursday. It has so far burned 31,000 hectares in the province of Huelva and forced the evacuation of around 700 people.

. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed town planning authorities in Zanzibar to allocate designated areas for sports and children’s entertainment facilities.

She also urged authorities to ensure the spaces are protected against encroachment and conversion to alternative uses.

President Hassan made the statement on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, during the launch of a children’s amusement park in Kizimkazi, South Unguja, as part of the Kizimkazi Festival 2026. . President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed town planning authorities in Zanzibar to allocate designated areas for sports and children’s entertainment facilities.

She also urged authorities to ensure the spaces are protected against encroachment and conversion to alternative uses.

President Hassan made the statement on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, during the launch of a children’s amusement park in Kizimkazi, South Unguja, as part of the Kizimkazi Festival 2026. Following this increase, President Hassan invited investors to expand child-related services, including toy shops and other facilities that can help children enjoy entertainment while learning.

She officially handed over the parks to regional and district leaders, emphasising that generated revenues should be preserved and used for infrastructure maintenance to ensure longevity and long-term service to children.

President Hassan also urged parents and guardians to continue raising children on foundations of faith, morality and love, stressing that the greatest heritage society can leave behind is not just property, but a safe, peaceful nation enabling them to achieve their dreams.

Minister for Social Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Anna Atanas Paul said rural children also deserve better environments to play, learn and nurture their talents.

She stressed the importance of having such centres across all regions of Zanzibar to ensure children enjoy equal opportunities to grow in physically, mentally and socially enriching environments.

‘These centres should not be viewed merely as sports and entertainment spaces, but as vital components of child rearing and welfare,’ she said.

According to Ms Paul, the Ministry has begun reaching rural children through Day Centres, aimed at providing care and early learning from as young as two years.

“The government aims to narrow the opportunity gap between urban and rural children, giving every child the chance to start their life journey in a conducive environment,” said the minister.

South Unguja Regional Commissioner, Ms Hamida Mussa Khamis, said the region continues to expand opportunities for children to access safe spaces for play and health promotion following the opening of designated children’s grounds in Kizimkazi.

She noted that launching the grounds is a crucial step aligned with the rapid development momentum witnessed across the region and neighbouring areas.

“These grounds have been specifically prepared for children aged between one and 15 years, aiming to provide a safe, friendly environment to play, learn and build health,” said the Regional Commissioner.

She added that the rising child population and regional development make demand for more grounds essential, preventing children from playing in unsafe environments.

Dar es Salaam. The government is moving to reduce the time oil tankers spend at the port by improving the handling, storage and distribution of petroleum products, in a move aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency across Tanzania’s fuel supply chain.

Speaking on August 14, 2026, during an inspection of petroleum infrastructure at the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and Tanzania International Petroleum Reserves Limited (TIPER), Ministry of Energy Permanent Secretary responsible for Petroleum and Gas Dr James Mataragio said vessels arriving in the country should discharge their cargo and leave without unnecessary delays.

‘Our expectation as the government is to see ships arrive, discharge petroleum products and leave. Every institution must understand its responsibility and prepare accordingly,’ he said.

Dr Mataragio said the government was working to improve coordination among institutions involved in the importation and handling of petroleum products to prevent vessels from remaining at the port longer than necessary.

He said slow receipt and clearance of petroleum products at some privately owned storage facilities was among the factors contributing to prolonged stays by oil tankers.

The delays create bottlenecks in the petroleum supply chain, forcing vessels to wait before their cargo can be discharged and increasing congestion at the port.

Dr Mataragio directed Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency (PBPA) Chief Executive Officer Erasto Simon to strengthen oversight of privately owned storage facilities and ensure operators invest in infrastructure capable of handling petroleum products efficiently.

He said storage facility owners should upgrade pumps and other equipment, particularly at facilities where ageing or inadequate infrastructure was slowing the receipt of fuel supplies.

‘Delays at the port increase operational costs, including charges associated with vessels waiting to discharge their cargo, and these costs can eventually have an impact on petroleum prices for consumers,’ he said.

The government’s intervention will therefore target the wider petroleum supply chain, from the arrival of vessels at the port to the transfer of fuel into storage facilities.

PBPA Chief Executive Officer Erasto Simon said the agency would bring together key petroleum industry stakeholders, including oil marketing companies (OMCs) and TPA, to review the Standard Operating Procedure Manual governing the handling of petroleum products.

‘We will meet with key stakeholders in the petroleum sector, including oil marketing companies and TPA, to review and improve the Standard Operating Procedure Manual. The review will clearly define the responsibilities of every stakeholder, set timelines for implementation and strengthen accountability throughout the process,’ he said.

The review is expected to improve coordination between vessels and petroleum storage facilities, reduce the time oil tankers spend at the port and limit costs associated with delays.

The government’s focus on improving petroleum handling comes as efficient fuel imports and distribution remain important to transport operators, businesses and households that depend on reliable supplies.

During the inspection, Dr Mataragio was accompanied by Petroleum Commissioner Goodluck Shirima, PBPA Chief Executive Officer Erasto Simon, Dar es Salaam Port Manager Abed Gallus Abed, Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) Eastern Zone Manager Engineer Lorivii Long’idu and experts from the Ministry of Energy.

Dar es Salaam. The Rotary Club of Bahari Dar es Salaam is seeking to mobilise more than Sh80 million from leaders and institutions in the public and private sectors to support community projects, with neonatal care among its key priorities.

Through its Neonatal Global Grant Project, the club said in a statement on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, that it is working with SolidarMed to equip neonatal wards and strengthen healthcare workers’ skills, as it seeks to help address preventable newborn deaths in Tanzania.

The fundraising drive will also support other community interventions, including the renovation of primary school toilets, construction of an incinerator at Mtakuja Secondary School and provision of 450 desks for about 3,030 pupils at Toangoma Primary School, including 34 visually impaired pupils.

The neonatal project comes as the country continues to face a significant burden of newborn deaths.

The 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey put the neonatal mortality rate at 24 deaths per 1,000 live births, while recent World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates put the rate at about 20-21 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The figures indicate progress, but also show that thousands of babies continue to die during their first 28 days of life, a period when premature birth, complications during delivery, infections and other conditions can quickly become fatal without appropriate care.

Globally, WHO says about three-quarters of neonatal deaths occur during the first week of life, making timely intervention, skilled personnel and adequate equipment critical to improving survival.

For the Rotary Club of Bahari, the challenge is therefore not simply about increasing the number of health facilities, but ensuring that existing facilities have the capacity to care for premature and sick newborns.

‘The results of our blood donation drive demonstrate the power of collective action. Through partnerships such as those we build around the golf tournament, we can mobilise more people and resources to create an even greater impact,’ said the club’s service project director, Ms Gladness Mkumbo.

The club’s July blood donation campaign, conducted with Rotaract Tanzania and the National Blood Transfusion Service, attracted 77 donors and collected 44 units of blood, with the potential to save more than 130 lives.

Ms Mkumbo said the experience demonstrates the potential of partnerships in responding to social challenges that cannot be addressed by government institutions alone.

The club is applying the same approach to education and sanitation. The sanitation interventions are particularly relevant to girls’ education.

An earlier Unicef-supported assessment in Dar es Salaam found an average of one drop hole for every 215 boys and one for every 187 girls in sampled schools, compared with a recommended ratio of one for every 20 pupils.

The Rotary interventions therefore go beyond charitable support, targeting gaps that can affect health, dignity, school attendance and learning.

A social welfare expert, Mr Abdul Mkami, said stronger cooperation between government, businesses, civil society organisations and communities should become a deliberate approach to tackling social challenges.

‘When institutions come together and contribute what they can, relatively small interventions can produce a much bigger social impact,’ he said.

According to him, the responsibility of improving people’s lives should not be left to one institution; ‘it requires collective action, accountability and sustained commitment.’

The Rotary Club of Bahari’s current programme builds on previous interventions, including planting 1,000 trees at the University of Dar es Salaam, cervical cancer screening for at least 150 women and providing an incinerator to Toangoma Primary School.

Club President Irene Bizere said the annual fundraising platform had evolved beyond sport into a mechanism for building corporate partnerships around community service.

‘Over the years, this tournament has grown beyond golf to become a platform where friendship, corporate partnership and a shared commitment to service come together,’ she said.

The challenge now is to sustain the partnerships beyond individual fundraising events and ensure that resources reach areas where they can make the greatest difference.

Tanzania has just closed a chapter that I spent years watching from the inside, one policy shift at a time. Under the Foreign Exchange (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the Bank of Tanzania has opened Treasury bills and Treasury bonds to non-resident investors of any nationality, not only those from the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, or the Tanzanian diaspora, who previously held exclusive access to this market.

More than a decade ago, I led a benchmarking exercise on Tanzania’s compliance with the EAC Treaty and the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Common Market, with a specific focus on the free movement of capital.

What that exercise found was a capital market that did not honour its regional obligations. Tanzania then added the EAC and SADC residency requirements which gave the appearance of regional openness, while the underlying market remained, in practice, tightly held by Tanzanians and a narrow band of regional and diaspora participants.

Watching that market widen, cautiously and in stages, over the following ten years has been one of the more instructive lessons I have had in how capital account liberalisation unfolds in this region. It rarely arrives as a single dramatic reform. It arrives as a sequence of smaller ones that eventually cross a threshold.

This amendment crosses that threshold. Non resident investors, regardless of nationality, now access Treasury bills and Treasury bonds through approved Central Depository Participants and the Bank of Tanzania’s Central Depository System, the same infrastructure used by domestic banks, brokers and diaspora investors before them.

The reform follows the central bank’s earlier move to market determined bond coupon rates, adopted at the end of 2024 to improve price discovery, a precondition that matters more than it might first appear.

Foreign capital tends to avoid markets where pricing is administered rather than discovered. Tanzania removed that obstacle before opening the door, not after.

The timing speaks to a broader fiscal reality. Domestic debt currently makes up close to 30 percent of Tanzania’s total debt stock of just over $50 billion, and until now, retail and foreign holders together accounted for a modest share of that.

As Tanzania moves into the implementation phase of Vision 2050, and as budget financing becomes less reliant on concessional development assistance and more dependent on a mix of domestic revenue, market borrowing and blended finance, a shallow, closed government securities market becomes a genuine constraint.

Widening the investor base is not merely a technical fix to a funding gap. It is a structural requirement for a country that intends to finance its own long term development ambitions rather than borrow them from donors.

There is a currency stability dimension too, and it deserves equal weight. A broader base of non resident holders of shilling denominated government debt creates another channel through which foreign currency enters the economy, easing pressure on the exchange rate and deepening liquidity in the domestic bond market. Analysts have been quick to frame the reform in these terms, and they are right to. However, it is worth stating plainly that opening a market and deepening a market are not the same achievement. The regulation creates access. It does not, on its own, create demand.

Whether this reform delivers the capital inflows Tanzania is counting on will depend on execution that has, in other reform episodes, lagged the ambition of the policy itself: how efficiently Central Depository Participants onboard new foreign clients, how predictably the tax treatment of non resident bondholders is applied, and how consistently regulatory intent is honoured at the operational level once the initial announcement fades from the headlines.

Tanzania has, to its credit, been more disciplined on this front in recent years than it was a decade ago.

However, sophisticated institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions among them, will watch implementation as closely as they watched the announcement itself.

For investors evaluating East African fixed income exposure for the first time, or reconsidering it, this reform deserves attention beyond the headline. It is not the end point of Tanzania’s capital account liberalisation, and it should not be read as one.

It is, however, the clearest signal yet that Tanzania intends to finance its next phase of growth on more diversified terms, and that the market it is offering access to is no longer the closed one I first worked on a decade ago.

Amne Suedi is the Managing Director of Shikana Investment and Advisory, Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Zanzibar, and Chair of the Switzerland-Tanzania Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed are strictly Amne Suedi’s only.

Sometimes…actually, most of the time I am extremely grateful to be the last-born in my family.

Because in African families, being the last-born comes with benefits: fewer majukumu ya kifamilia, less pressure to make major family decisions and, thankfully, fewer people calling you because ‘we need your opinion on this important family matter.’

Excuse me?

I still sing the ABCs in my head to remember which letter comes after G. Why are you giving me a family crisis to solve?

Financially, being last-born also means I can still ask my parents and older siblings for help here and there.

And before anyone judges me, I did not bring myself into this world.

They planned me.

For five whole years.

So technically, the family had time to budget.

But being the last-born has also given me a front-row seat to the financial expectations placed on first-borns and only children.

I have friends who get their first proper jobs and, barely three weeks later, are already paying for younger siblings’ uniforms, school contributions and household expenses.

Three weeks!

The poor girl is still figuring out her payslip, and the family has already promoted her to Minister of Finance.

And the requests can be spectacular.

Suddenly, Mjomba’s Dad iPhone 14 is ‘not communicating properly”, so apparently an upgrade is now a family emergency.

Really?

Shangazi’s daughter’s neighbour swallowed a fork, and somehow the contribution WhatsApp group has your number.

Someone’s cousin wants capital for a business they have not even explained properly.

A younger sibling needs new shoes that are trending.

Then someone remembers there is a wedding contribution due on Saturday.

And somehow, because you have a job, all roads lead to your bank account.

I would ask my friends, genuinely: Why?

Why would your family ask you to take on all this when you have just started working and are still trying to sort out your own rent, transport, savings and life?

Sometimes I tell them, “Just say sina.’

And then I watch their jaws drop.

Because apparently ‘I don’t have money’ can be interpreted as ‘I have money, I just don’t love you enough.’

But there comes a point when a person stops working for their own needs and starts working for the needs of the entire family.

I have always admired my man’s ability to support his family and take care of his younger siblings. There is something beautiful about being able to say, ‘I’ve got you.’

But even generosity has a limit.

Because who supports the person who is always supporting everyone?

A young person constantly sending money home may have very little left for savings, investments, education, housing or building their own future.

Who will support them when they eventually need help?

Family support is important. Sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes it is simply love expressed through money.

But it should not become a lifetime subscription.

You can love your family and still say sina.

You can help when you can without becoming everyone’s emergency fund.

Because there is nothing noble about becoming financially unstable while trying to prove you are the responsible one.

So yes, love your family. Show up. Help when you genuinely can.

But please remember… your salary is not a family WhatsApp group. Everyone does not get to request something from it.

Moshi. The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University (KCMC) University, in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, has launched a programme to build capacity among specialists in immunology and vaccine manufacturing, strengthening Tanzania’s ability to tackle infectious diseases.

The five-year programme, running from 2026 to 2031, will train at least 16 specialists in immunology research and vaccine production. The initiative is expected to create a pool of trained professionals who can contribute to research, disease surveillance and vaccine development.

Speaking at the programme’s launch yesterday, the lead researcher and senior lecturer at KCMC University, Dr Godfrey Temba, said Tanzania still has a limited number of specialists in immunology and vaccine manufacturing despite the sector’s growing demand for skilled experts.

He said building local expertise was important because the country needed more specialists capable of identifying and detecting diseases while advancing vaccine manufacturing.

Detailing, he said participants would gain specialised knowledge that could later be shared with researchers and health professionals in Tanzania, helping to expand the country’s capacity in immunology and vaccine production.

‘The KCMC University, in collaboration with the University of Ghana and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, will train Tanzanian specialists every year because our countries have a great need to build capacity to identify and detect diseases and learn how to manufacture vaccines,’ he said.

Dr Temba said the first cohort of three specialists would leave for Denmark next week and spend two years studying immunology and vaccine manufacturing to help combat various infectious diseases.

He said three to four Tanzanian specialists would be sent to Denmark each year during the five-year programme.

‘Once they complete their training, they will return home to collaborate with other experts and strengthen research and vaccine manufacturing,’ he said. Dr Temba said KCMC University also planned to establish a master’s degree programme to train specialists in immunology and vaccines.

‘The demand for vaccine specialists in the country is very high, particularly in immunology, which provides a foundation for advancing into vaccine production. So we need to increase their numbers,’ he said.

KCMC University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kajiru Kilonzo, said the training would help transform society by strengthening experts’ capacity for innovation and encouraging new ideas.

‘This training will help transform society through innovation and alternative thinking. Those selected will be taught more about discovering new things,’ he said.

University of Copenhagen specialist, Prof Lea Barford, said the partnership would strengthen Tanzania’s expertise in immunology and vaccines.

‘We have collaborated with KCMC for more than 20 years on various research projects, so we believe this partnership will achieve great success in this sector,’ she said.

Programme beneficiary, Dr Immaculate Gabriel, said technological advances could enable Tanzania to reach a stage where it manufactures vaccines for domestic use and export.

‘Currently, we face many diseases without vaccines, both infectious and non-communicable. Through this training, we expect to build and strengthen our capacity to manufacture vaccines ourselves,’ she said.