CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Norbert Kija, Tanzania, September 1998
THEME = SOCIAL CONDIT.
Events which help to form the life of a nation
At last, the Government has decided to lease out some of the nationalised coffee estates in Kilimanjaro Region, after a long drawn resistance which many observers say has cost the country millions in lost earnings.
The Regional Agricultural and Livestock Development Officer (RALDO), Mr Alfred Temba, said that negotiations to lease or run 15 farms on joint venture, are at different stages. Farms which are up for lease to local companies, include Lambo and Gastra Coffee estates. The former was initially leased to Nkya Trading Company and later went to Ngassa Limited. Milcafe Limited, has won the lease of Silverdale and Mbono estates for periods of 15 and 20 years. Others are African Coffee Company Limited and Nico Emmanuel, which will revamp Machare and Makuru coffee plantations. Other lease arrangements have been struck with Narumu and Edelweis estates which are being eyed by an investor from Israel - African Plantations Corporation Limited.
The estates were nationalised in 1973 and extended to primary societies in the respective areas which in turn formed corporations to run them. Some of the estates were given to religious institutions for social services, such as schools and hospitals. Others were apportioned to individuals who had surrendered their land in various villages for social services.
Tanzania is among a few sub-Saharan African countries likely to qualify for a World Bank relief programme on debt payment, Bank officials said. The manager of External Affairs, Africa region of the World Bank, Mr Robert Calderis, said recently in Washington, that Tanzania was among African countries that had showed the ability to run her economy and thus convincing the bank that it deserved a relief. "The World Bank finds Tanzania deserves a better deal in paying off her external debts," he said.
The World Bank position was in consideration of the sound economic reforms Tanzania was currently undertaking in the form of trade liberalisation, civil service and parastatal retrenchment, restructuring and privatisation of parastatals and the liberalisation of the financial sector.
Commenting further on the sound economic reforms, Mr Calderis said the reforms "have forced donors to say this is worth debt rescheduling, reduction or writing off." However, he did not explain when the World Bank would relieve Tanzania of its external debt servicing burden, nor did he specify what kind of relief the country might get. He said that the Bank was aware that African and other developing countries were spending a considerable part of their budget to service their external debts to the detriment of the lives of their citizens. On the other hand, Mr Calderis said that as of September this year, five countries in Africa qualified for debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC). He mentioned the countries as Uganda, Mozambique, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Roggers Msuya, the 34 year old man who wants to go into history books as the first Tanzanian to ever build a helicopter, has received the boost he so much needed, when the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) threw its weight behind his initiative.
The turn of events for the shy Msuya came only two days after the Daily Mail newspaper discovered and reported about his efforts to build a non-fuel helicopter in the backyard of a friend's house in Dar-es-Salaam. First, the Commission made inquiries with the Daily Mail on the whereabouts of the "aviator". When the newspaper took Msuya in person to the Commission head offices, there was pandemonium as officials clamoured to see and interview him. Without prejudice, Commission officials pledged full support to Msuya, saying they would give him all the assistance he might need to develop his craft.
The Commission's Principal Scientific Officer, Mr. Salvatory Mushi said that there was overwhelming excitement among the COSTECH officials when they read about the project in the Mail. "First of all, we are grateful to the Daily Mail for informing us and the public, about the story of the helicopter man, who has been struggling on his own, and managed to come up with this big breakthrough. This office will make sure Roggers receives the support he needs to realise his goal," said Mushi.
Even as this conversation was going on, the Director General of COSTECH, Dr.Yadon Kohi, sent a word of encouragement to his assistants, urging them to expedite the project funding procedures, so that Roggers could carry on with his project in a conducive atmosphere. He was requested to immediately contact the Director General of Tanzania Industrial Research Development (TIRDO), and the Director of Civil Aviation to assist in interviewing Msuya on the operations of his helicopter, assess it and write a report on the entire project.
Roggers was found working on the final stages of his spectacular dynamo-powered helicopter. It was also learnt that COSTECH has been following Msuya's project since he reportedly made his first attempt to fly in Babati, Arusha last year. "We heard from sources about a non-fuel helicopter made by Roggers, and that he had flown from Babati. We contacted him to find out how to promote his talent. He came to this office in August last year. Unfortunately something went wrong with Roggers, and we lost contact with him. Now this is a good opportunity to work closely with him," said Mushi.
A team of scientific promoters visited the site where Roggers is building the craft from crude and limited materials with few resources at his disposal. The COSTECH officers were vividly astonished when they saw the craft with their own eyes.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement