Category: The Citizen

The United Nations has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could cost the continent up to $3.6 billion and lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, raising fears of a wider economic and development crisis if containment efforts fail.

The warning comes as health authorities struggle to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda, with international agencies calling for urgent financial and logistical support.

Speaking on Tuesday, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in the DRC, Damien Mama, said the outbreak posed a threat not only to public health but also to economic growth, livelihoods and long-term development across Africa. “If we have the resources and we step up, we can contain this outbreak and prevent further losses,” Mr Mama said.

“If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region and potentially the continent.”

According to recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the current outbreak has become the largest ever recorded involving the Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

The outbreak, declared in May, has infected more than 1,100 people in the DRC and Uganda and caused hundreds of deaths, with health officials warning that the actual number of infections could be significantly higher due to underreporting and difficulties in tracing contacts in conflict-affected areas.

The WHO has classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern and warned that the spread of the virus is currently outpacing containment efforts.

Health workers have faced major challenges, including armed conflict, population displacement, attacks on treatment centres and widespread mistrust of health authorities in affected communities.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya recently said the funding required to combat the outbreak had risen sharply from an initial estimate of $518 million to about $1.4 billion, reflecting the growing scale of the emergency and the humanitarian response needed.

Although international partners have pledged approximately $910 million to support response efforts, only a small portion of the funds has been disbursed, raising concerns about the ability of health authorities to contain the disease before it spreads further.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also elevated its Ebola response to its highest emergency level, warning that without stronger interventions the outbreak could eventually exceed 20,000 cases.

The United Nations has stressed that rapid investment in surveillance, treatment facilities, border screening, laboratory testing and community engagement remains critical to preventing the health crisis from evolving into a broader economic and social emergency affecting the continent.

Tanzania’s banking sector has recorded a major regional milestone, with leading lenders ranking ahead of some of their East African peers in the latest East and Central Africa corporate performance survey – a development officials say reflects the impact of ongoing economic reforms.

Speaking during the National Dividend Day (Gawio Day) ceremony held at State House in Dar es Salaam, Minister of State in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, Prof Kitila Mkumbo, said the results demonstrate the widening impact of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s economic transformation agenda and her 4Rs philosophy – Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms and Rebuilding.

He said the reforms have strengthened public institutions while also boosting the competitiveness of the private sector, particularly in banking and key productive industries. ‘Through the economic reform agenda and the opening up of the country under the 4Rs philosophy, the results are not only visible in public institutions. We are also seeing them in the private sector, where our companies are beginning to gain international recognition,’ he said.

Prof Mkumbo referred to the May 12, 2026 edition of African Business magazine, which published its annual ranking of top-performing companies in East and Central Africa based on market value and corporate performance, covering firms valued at over $1 billion.

According to the report, Tanzania’s leading banks – CRDB Bank and NMB Bank – ranked third and fourth respectively, placing them ahead of several major regional competitors.

Other Tanzanian firms also featured in the top 20, including Tanzania Breweries Limited (14th), Tanzania Portland Cement Company (16th), Vodacom Tanzania (17th) and Tanzania Cigarette Company (20th).

Prof Mkumbo said the performance marks a sharp shift compared to 2020, when Tanzanian firms were largely absent from regional top-tier rankings.

‘These achievements are not a matter of geography. They are the result of deliberate policies and strategic planning,’ he said.

He said that continued reforms are expected to further strengthen the position of Tanzanian firms across the East African region and beyond, with more public institutions and state-owned enterprises likely to join the list of top performers.

Treasury Registrar Nehemiah Mchechu said the banking sector has also recorded strong financial growth alongside improved stability.

He said banking sector profits have risen from about Sh666 billion to Sh2.5 trillion, representing nearly a fourfold increase, while the sector continues to grow at more than 20 per cent.

Mr Mchechu added that non-performing loans have dropped significantly from about 8-9 per cent in the early phase of President Hassan’s administration to around 2.8 per cent, reflecting improved credit discipline and stronger regulation.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has warned against negligence and misuse of public funds, saying the government will not hesitate to take action wherever such practices are identified.

Speaking on June 30, 2026 during the Dividend Day ceremony held at State House in Dar es Salaam, President Hassan said accountability remains a top priority, stressing that institutions which fail to manage public resources properly will face corrective measures aimed at strengthening performance and discipline in the public sector.

She said the ultimate goal of public spending is to deliver tangible benefits to citizens, urging institutions to ensure that development plans translate into visible improvements in people’s lives. The Head of State noted that performance should not only be measured through statistics, but through real outcomes reflecting progress in service delivery and economic impact.

‘We have a habit of producing reports filled with heavy statistics that are not well interpreted, but when you analyse them, you find that nothing significant has happened, or if something exists, it has no major impact on the economy or institutional development,’ she said.

President Hassan added that while the government will continue to commend well-performing institutions, it will also strengthen oversight and take action where weaknesses are identified to improve efficiency and accountability.

‘We will commend ourselves when we perform well, and equally correct or strengthen ourselves where there are weaknesses. We will not hesitate to take action wherever we identify negligence and misuse of public funds,’ she said.

In its variety, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the moment leading as the fastest-pacing technological marvel. In such a short time, it has evolved into a functional tool in most human affairs and activities: education, health, art, sports and games, information technology, security, research, manufacturing industries, etc.

In some areas, efficiency and speed brought about by AI are appreciated, while in many others, a downside is noticed. First, the diminishing quality of human skills, which were in the past more diversely productive, given the natural flow of human capacities after engaging in a certain area of specialty over a long time. This is now referred to as skills atrophy.

Secondly, users tend to create a dependence on AI even for simple tasks that they previously managed without any difficulty. The temptation to prompt AI chatbots is overwhelming given the ease of getting suggestions, and in some cases, final results upon a prompt.

Think of letters, academic papers, images, videos, reports, social media write-ups, made completely or mostly by AI, which are sometimes not even edited. There is something missing in these; the human agency, which adds value in making solutions to be ‘human solutions.’

Going deeper, today’s discussion is on the incorporation of AI into personal chat apps, where a user gets unsolicited prompts asking if AI can summarise messages, or reply, or if the user wants to search for something in an embedded AI portal right there in the chat app. This comes at a moment when many people are already feeling overwhelmed by the AI slop all over the internet, especially social media, where not only that the content is AI generated, but there are also endless AI prompts underneath posts that anticipate random questions about the posts. There are now also AI bots replying to messages and comments, and doing a kind of customer service work.

As young people especially get more and more attached to AI, building dependence on it, having it integrated into regular personal chat apps is adding salt to a wound, especially as many have a struggle in building relationships and have clear personal communication.

Today, according to research, most young people who are exposed to communication technology are said to have been cognitively affected by the use of the internet, gadgets, and now AI, to the extent that some researchers suggest that the current generation of young adults (Gen Z) is the first generation ever to be cognitively outperformed by the previous generation, that is millennials; especially in areas of memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function, and general IQ. This foretells a disaster for the generations after Gen Z, given the rapid changes and the effects already evident on the ground.

Beginning from millennials, the generations ordo successivus, due to early exposure to digital technology, are referred to as ‘digital natives,’ using the words of Marc Prensky, an educational technologist. We are ‘natives’ because the digital world is the only communication world we know; we have been exposed so early to the gadgets, internet, and now AI.

The waning of the quality of communication entails, first, less engagement in the communication process and the message being communicated. Where one only reads a summary of messages, there are chances of missing out on emotional depth, empathy, fundamental personal voice, nuances, and contexts, and where one responds with AI, there are chances of communicating what is not genuinely from the person, even though it may sound ‘smart.’

As most young people (Gen Z)spend about nine hours in front of a screen daily, they are affected by that exposure in terms of attention span, human formation, general character formation, and capacities for communication and adaptability in the real world. Relationships are not built through faster communication, but through deeper ones stemming from real personal experiences, however imperfect they may be. Research suggests that around 40 percent of educated Gen Zers across the world struggle with handwriting, a basic functional skill.

This means they cannot express their thoughts effectively on paper, as clear handwritten expression depends on writing fluency. In the US, about 50 percent of high school graduates are ‘not prepared’ for college-level writing. It is worth noting that the decline in writing skills goes hand in hand with a decline in reading and comprehension skills.

While most technological updates are difficult to shut down in the devices, it is important to be aware of the dangers of over-indulging the AI embedded technology, such that we delegate to it even the very basic function of personal communication, and the very private content thereof.

Moreover, in most cases, data processed through AI servers is also used to train AI frameworks. It is therefore worth reconsidering the practice of giving away one’s real-time personal information and experiences for that purpose. We must look at AI as a reality that is both functional and dangerous so that we can use it with care and prudence.

A University of Dodoma (UDOM) student, Caroline Lema, has developed a digital system designed to monitor the behaviour of service providers in public and private institutions and detect possible examination malpractice through artificial intelligence tools.

The system uses facial recognition, fingerprint identification, video analytics and behavioural tracking to assess how service providers interact with clients, including language use and time spent delivering services.

Every June 24, the world marks the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, established by the United Nations in 2022 to recognize the contribution of women to diplomacy, peace-building and international cooperation.

The observance comes at a time when women remain underrepresented in global leadership.

According to the United Nations, women account for only about one-fifth of Permanent Representatives to the UN, while only a small number of countries are led by female Heads of State or Government.

Yet experience increasingly shows that when women lead, diplomacy becomes more inclusive, responsive and effective.

Across the world, women leaders have advanced peace, strengthened international cooperation and shaped economic governance through dialogue and consensus-building.

Few contemporary African leaders illustrate this more clearly than President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whose diplomatic approach has strengthened Tanzania’s global standing while delivering measurable development outcomes at home.

Women reshaping diplomacy

For decades, diplomacy was largely dominated by men. Today, women are increasingly shaping international affairs at the highest level.

Leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Madeleine Albright, Christine Lagarde, Amina J. Mohammed and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala have demonstrated that women can influence global policy, multilateral cooperation and economic governance.

Africa has equally produced distinguished leaders, including former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who helped rebuild her country’s international credibility, and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the first woman to chair the African Union Commission.

Their achievements demonstrate that women are no longer simply participants in diplomacy; they are helping define its future.

Tanzania’s diplomatic legacy

Tanzania has long contributed distinguished women to international diplomacy.

Ambassador Gertrude Mongella chaired the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and later became the first President of the Pan-African Parliament.

Dr Asha-Rose Migiro enhanced Tanzania’s global profile as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, while Ambassador Liberata Mulamula has served in senior regional positions and currently serves as the African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security.

President Hassan has built upon this legacy by elevating Tanzania’s diplomatic influence and aligning foreign policy more closely with national development.

Diplomacy that delivers results

When President Hassan assumed office in March 2021 as Tanzania’s first female Head of State, she also became the country’s chief diplomat. What distinguishes her leadership is the deliberate use of diplomacy as an engine for economic transformation.

Rather than treating foreign relations as primarily political, she has consistently linked diplomacy to investment, tourism, trade, technology transfer, education and job creation.

Through engagements across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, she has positioned Tanzania as a stable and reliable investment destination.

Her approach rests on three pillars: opening Tanzania to the world, strengthening strategic partnerships and ensuring diplomatic engagements produce tangible benefits for citizens.

The results have been significant. Tanzania now receives more than five million international visitors annually, generating approximately US$4 billion in tourism revenue.

The Royal Tour initiative substantially raised the country’s global tourism profile and opened new international markets.

Foreign direct investment commitments have also grown as investor confidence strengthened. State visits, business forums and bilateral engagements have generated opportunities in energy, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and technology.

At the same time, Tanzania has expanded and strengthened its diplomatic missions abroad, improving its ability to attract investment, promote exports, support Tanzanians overseas and deepen relations with strategic partners.

Recent agreements in education, science, technology, energy, agriculture, health and trade further demonstrate how diplomacy is being translated into practical development outcomes.

Raising Tanzania’s global profile

President Hassan’s influence extends beyond economic diplomacy.

Her leadership has strengthened cooperation within the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the African Union, while increasing Tanzania’s visibility in global forums.

She has consistently championed issues including economic development, climate action, energy security, regional integration, and maternal and child health.

Inspiring the next generation

President Hassan’s leadership is equally significant for what it represents for women.

Her administration has expanded opportunities for women to serve in senior leadership and diplomatic positions, reinforcing the principle that leadership should be determined by competence and performance rather than gender.

Like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Amina Mohammed, President Hassan is helping create pathways for future generations of African women.

By leading effectively at the highest level and delivering measurable results, she has demonstrated that women can shape national development and international relations with equal distinction.

For young women across Tanzania and beyond, her presidency offers more than inspiration; it provides evidence that leadership can overcome historical barriers through vision, competence and performance.

President Hassan’s leadership demonstrates that inclusive, development-oriented diplomacy can strengthen international partnerships while improving the lives of citizens. That may well be the most enduring contribution of women’s diplomacy today.

Telecommunications company Halotel says it has invested more than $1 billion (about Sh2.7 trillion) in Tanzania since launching operations in the country more than a decade ago.

Speaking during the opening of the company’s pavilion at the 49th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), popularly known as Sabasaba, the company’s acting chief executive officer, Ms Tran Thi Thuy Dung, said much of the investment had gone into building telecommunications towers and expanding network coverage to reach more Tanzanians.

“We continue to invest not only for business growth but also in infrastructure development. Every year we invest more than $100 million in the Tanzanian market through the construction of additional towers and expansion of our services to reach more people,” she said. The 2026 DITF officially opened on June 28 and will run until July 13.

Beyond network expansion, Halotel announced major upgrades to its HaloPesa mobile money platform as part of celebrations marking the service’s 10th anniversary in Tanzania.

Ms Dung said the company had launched a redesigned HaloPesa application featuring an improved user interface and additional services, including digital loans and mobile payment options for electricity and water bills.

She said the enhancements were intended to support the government’s efforts to increase the use of digital payments and reduce reliance on cash transactions.

The announcement comes as the government prepares to introduce mandatory digital payments for selected public services from July 1.

Presenting the 2026/27 national budget, Finance Minister Ambassador Khamis Mussa Omar said the reforms are intended to advance Tanzania’s digital transformation agenda, improve transaction efficiency, curb financial crime, enhance transparency and reduce the costs associated with handling cash.

According to the government, mandatory digital payments will gradually be introduced across various sectors, including public transport services such as rapid transit buses, ferries, railways, air travel and app-based transport services.

Commenting on Halotel’s participation at the trade fair, Ms Dung said the exhibition offered the company an opportunity to engage directly with customers and gather feedback to improve its services.

“Sabasaba gives us the opportunity to interact directly with our customers, understand their needs and receive valuable feedback that will help us improve our services and continue delivering innovative solutions that meet their expectations,” she said.

She added that, beyond telecommunications services, Halotel remained committed to improving the lives of Tanzanians through continued investment in technology, digital financial services and communications infrastructure.

Halotel Commercial Director Abdallah Salum said this year’s exhibition provides an important platform to strengthen customer engagement.

“This year, HaloPesa marks 10 years of service and has been enhanced with additional digital financial solutions aimed at promoting wider adoption of cashless payments,” he said.

Trade has always operated within rules. For much of the twentieth century, those rules centred on tariffs. As tariffs have fallen through successive WTO negotiations, a different set of barriers has taken their place: technical standards.

Today, an avocado consignment moving from Arusha to Germany must meet phytosanitary requirements, traceability rules, pesticide residue limits and, increasingly, supply chain due diligence obligations linked to the EU deforestation regulation.

A farmer in Njombe growing green peas for export faces a level of compliance that would have been unrecognisable a generation ago.

This expansion of standards reflects real shifts in consumer expectations, regulatory oversight and investor scrutiny.

Food safety concerns, environmental pressures and sustainability requirements have pushed buyers in high income markets to demand verifiable proof of compliance.

Schemes such as Global G.A.P., the British Retail Consortium and the Global Food Safety Initiative now function less as technical benchmarks and more as gateways to premium markets.

The World Bank (2025), estimates that technical barriers to trade, including standards compliance costs, outweigh the impact of tariffs in some sectors by a factor of two or more.

For smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, limited access to finance, infrastructure and information has historically turned these requirements into barriers to entry rather than pathways to growth.

Standards are no longer a bureaucratic hurdle to clear. They have become a strategic asset. The question for African producers is no longer whether to engage with standards, but how to do so in a way that is affordable, scalable and commercially sustainable.

Africa’s agricultural potential is widely recognised. Diverse climates, fertile soils and proximity to fast growing markets position the continent well within global supply chains. What has been missing is not production capacity, but the institutional systems needed to demonstrate compliance at scale.

The African Continental Free Trade Area adds urgency to this challenge. By lowering internal trade barriers, AfCFTA expands market opportunities and also raises expectations around quality and consistency.

If African producers are to compete on value rather than price alone, standards compliance must underpin both regional and international trade. Intra African trade reached around $5 billion in 2024, supported by corridor investments and policy reforms.

Yet value added agricultural exports- the segment most capable of generating rural jobs and stable incomes, remain constrained by gaps in standards infrastructure.

Closing those gaps is not a technical exercise. It is a development priority.

TradeMark Africa’s Standards and Sanitary and Phytosanitary portfolio sits at the centre of this agenda. Its proposition is straightforward: standards compliance is not a constraint on competitiveness for African firms; it is a precondition for it.

Tanzania’s horticulture sector offers a practical illustration of what this looks like in practice.

According to the Bank of Tanzania’s Monthly Economic Review (2024), horticulture became Tanzania’s leading agricultural export earner, generating $569.3 million in 2024- up from $417.7 million in 2023, a rise of over 36 % in a single year.

This growth reflects sustained investment in certification systems, market linkages and institutional capacity.

Working with the Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), TradeMark Africa sought to understand not only whether compliance support delivers results in aggregate, but what it means for individual farmers and firms.

The evidence comes from a Fast Cycle Learning study combining quantitative surveys of 79 respondents across Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya and Njombe with targeted interviews.

Among farmers who adopted compliant practices, 94.8% reported measurable changes in their enterprises.

Increased sales volumes and improved prices were the most common outcomes.

Rejection rates – a major source of income loss, declined significantly. Before compliance support, 65% of farmers experienced rejections affecting up to half their produce.

After adoption, 95% reported rejections affecting no more than a quarter.

Among exporting firms, the results were even more pronounced. All firms surveyed reported increases in export volumes and values, alongside reductions in rejection and hold rates.

Median export volumes rose by around 150%, and three quarters of firms entered new export markets, particularly in Europe, while also expanding reach into Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

These are realised outcomes, not projections. They reflect the experience of farmers and firms supplying certified avocados and green peas into markets where traceability and compliance are non-negotiable.

The inclusion effects are equally important. Female farmers reported higher increases in sales volumes than their male counterparts-187% compared with 128%.

Structured compliance support can narrow persistent income gaps in agricultural value chains when it is designed with equity in mind.

TAHA’s approach is systemic rather than transactional. It trains farmers on certification requirements, organises them into certified groups, links those groups to exporting firms and engages inspection bodies, input suppliers and finance providers to sustain the system.

The satisfaction data aligns with this design. More than 85% of associate members receiving training reported satisfaction, with no dissatisfaction recorded.

Firms receiving certification support reported 100% satisfaction. Cost remains the most significant constraint. While 96% of farmers and all firms benefited from support at no direct cost, 57.7% of farmers identified the financial burden of adoption as the hardest element to manage. Technical capability can be built. Financial mechanisms must be part of the solution.

The broader lesson extends beyond Tanzania and horticulture. Standards are no longer a procedural requirement endured for market access. They are the currency of modern trade, shaping buyer relationships, pricing power and income stability.

As new regulatory regimes emerge – from carbon border measures to supply chain due diligence and deforestation rules – compliance will require more than farm level change. It depends on national systems: certification bodies, testing laboratories, phytosanitary services and digital traceability platforms.

Tanzania’s recent institutional gains demonstrate the payoff from such investments.

Phytosanitary certificate processing times fell from days to hours. Certification timelines shortened, and costs declined.

These system level improvements underpin the farm level results now evident among TAHA members. Buyer requirements will continue to evolve. The compliance landscape of 2030 will look different from today’s. Standards, however, will remain central.

The choice facing African producers and policy-makers is not whether to meet these requirements, but whether to build the systems that make compliance viable at scale.

Tanzania’s experience shows that the returns justify the investment. The price of entry into global markets has risen. So has the return on paying it.

Tanzania’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2050 will depend not only on expanding digital technologies but also on strengthening personal data protection to build public trust in the country’s rapidly growing digital economy, experts have said.

Speaking at the opening of the first National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, officials said trusted digital systems and robust data governance would be crucial in achieving the country’s long-term development goals.

Barrick Mining Corporation, through its joint venture with the Government of Tanzania under Twiga Minerals Corporation, has emerged as the top dividend contributor at Dividend Day 2026 after paying Sh221.9 billion to the State.

The dividend cheque of Sh221.907 billion was presented to President Samia Suluhu Hassan at State House in Dar es Salaam by Barrick Tanzania Country Manager, Dr Melkiory Ngido.

The payout placed Barrick-Twiga first among state-linked entities and reflects a continued rise in returns from the partnership. The company paid Sh93.6 billion in the previous financial year, Sh84 billion in 2022/23 and Sh53.5 billion in the year before. Dr Ngido said the performance was supported by improved operations at North Mara and Bulyanhulu mines, while Buzwagi is being transitioned into the Buzwagi Economic Special Zone.

He said since the establishment of the joint venture in 2019, Barrick-Twiga has contributed to government revenue through dividends, taxes, royalties, levies, wages and payments to local suppliers.

Beyond fiscal contributions, he said the mines support surrounding communities through corporate social responsibility programmes in education, health, water and infrastructure.

The operations also generate direct and indirect employment and expand opportunities for local contractors and suppliers.

The company said the results reflect efforts to align mining operations with economic, social and environmental responsibilities.