'Stage set for Dance 100% season'

Vodacom Tanzania public relations manager, Matina Nkurlu said the firm is aware of the fact that music and sports can provide employment to the youth and that is why the telecom company has once again decided to sponsor the Dance 100 competitions.
He said Vodacom is of the view that the issue of addressing unemployment amongst the youth is not only the responsibility of the government but also other stakeholders including private organisations hence that is why the firm has always been on the forefront to sponsor events that give the youth a prospect of getting employment.
“Vodacom believes that the youth have the potential to achieve quite a lot in various sectors once they are empowered, therefore we are supporting these competitions believing that the talented youth who will participate will have a chance to market and eventually be able to employ themselves through arts,” said Nkurlu.

'Tanzania improve in FIFA rankings'

In the previous ranking released on June 2, Tanzania had been positioned 136th after having collected 261 points.
The country’s senior national soccer team, Taifa Stars, have experienced unimpressive results in their recent international matches, in which they conceded a 2-0 loss to Egypt in the 2017 AFCON qualifiers and later managed a 1-1 draw with Kenya in an international friendly.
Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the 2017 AFCON finals, to be hosted by Gabon, were all but over when they lost to Egypt in the group G game played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on June 4.
The defeat left Stars at the bottom of the group G with just one point from three games, managing one draw and losing two. The team will take on Nigeria in the last and formality duel of the qualifiers at the latter’s venue in September.
In the international friendly match against Kenya, played at the Moi Kasarani, on May 29, Stars went ahead through striker, Elias Maguli, and the hosts then drew level from a spot kick converted by Kenyan international, Victor Wanyama. Taifa Stars is under coach Charles Mkwasa.
Uganda still leads the rest of the countries in the East African region, placed 69th, having moved three places up. Kenya has been positioned 86th, whereas Rwanda is in the 111th position.
Argentina remain at the summit of rankings, but only after a tumultuous month of action that resulted in plenty of movement further down.
The impact of three recent major international tournaments – the Nations Cup, Copa America Centenario and UEFA EURO 2016 – is certainly plain to see in a table in which Kosovo are ranked for the first time.

'Arusha junior shines at British Open golf'

Nathwani cruised to top the African division of the championship as he carded a relatively good score of ten over par 156, edging out five handicapper Moroccan Amine Benabdallah by a single shot.
The twelve handicapper Nathwani struggled on the event’s opening day when he failed to control the course with stuttering 12 over par 85, seven shots more than overnight leader who happened to be South African Woo-Jo Son.
However, the Tanzanian woke from a deep slumber in the final round to storm the par-73 course with staggering two under par totals 71 for a cummulative ten over par 156 and emerge victorious.
While Benabdallah slowed to four over par 77 on the final round, third-placed Son who took the opening round lead stumbled to 82, opening the gate for Natwani to dictate terms among African visitors.
Nathwani is the first junior golfer to play in the tournament since 2002 when Dar es salaam Gymkhana Club teenagers Sarfaraz Daya and Ayne Magombe made an impression at the Royal Musselburg Course in Preston pans, close to Mueirfild course where the 131st edition of british Open was held, with South Afrcian Ernie Eels beating the fourman play off on six under par totals.
The Afrcian division winner for junior golfers was Kenyan Christine Andersen from Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi. Nathwani is still in Scotland following through the Britsih Open championship at the Royal Troon on the western coast.

'Prof Ngowi warns against collapse of private businesses'

“The government is the biggest source of business, this talk of giving priority to public institutions that offer services like conference facilities and even the media, I don’t know what will happen to private facilities,” Prof Honest Ngowi told a KPMG budget post-mortem meeting held in Dar es Salaam last Friday.
He said as the biggest source of business, the government should refrain from discriminating against the private sector which is the real engine of growth as it employs millions and provides the bulk of taxes to Treasury.
“If the government conducts its meetings at public conferences or hotels, what will your hotels and conference halls do?” he told a group of business elites, chief executives and politicians who included Kigoma North lawmaker, Zitto Kabwe.
Prof Ngowi also dismissed talk of government going back to engage in profit making business saying such a role should strictly be left to the private sector as previous experience has shown that state enterprises were messed up.
He poked holes in Finance Minister, Dr Philip Mpango’s maiden budget saying it had put a lot of emphasis on introducing new taxes that will likely hurt the majority poor naming excise duty impose on tourism services as bad.
KPMG Senior Tax Manager, Nsanyiwa Donald warned against introduction of value added tax on tourism services arguing that Tanzania will lose out to Kenya which has a far better tourism industry which is VAT free.

'BoT chief says quality education produces competent human capital

Speaking after handing over a 263m/- check to Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa last Saturday, Prof Ndulu said an improved learning environment at public schools is important to nurture motivated, highly qualified manpower needed for the country’s growth.
“Remember, our children who we are working hard to improve their learning environment have a responsibility to work hard and succeed so as to contribute to the development of the country,” Prof. Ndulu said.
He said the huge donation was made by Bank of Tanzania to assist the Fifth Phase Government’s efforts to end shortage of desks at public schools where the majority of the children learn.
BoT which is making 50 years since its establishment in 1960s organised a charity walk to raise money to support various social aspects. Some 10m/- was pledged by supporters of the charity walk which will also be handed over to the government after collection.
BoT was established in June, 1966. Governor stated that the CB will continue to play its critical role of ensuring that there is financial stability in the domestic market.

Mkapa, Shivji denounce EU’s trade pacts as retrogressive'

I don’t understand how such a powerful trade bloc can have a free trade agreement with developing economies of Africa,” former President Benjamin Mkapa told intellectuals at University of Dar es Salaam yesterday during a televised Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival debate.
Mkapa warned EA leaders against embracing EPAs which will have a disastrous economic impact on the five countries economies as subsidised agriculture and industrial goods will choke local manufacturers.
“I have not seen enough critical analysis on this subject by anyone,” charged Mkapa whose government led a campaign of least developed countries in 2001that frustrated an attempt by World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Agenda to sign a global free trade pact.
“There is no way that our small economies can have free trade agreements with Europe,” the retired President emphasised.
Backing Mkapa’s arguments, University of Dar es Salaam’s retired law Professor Issa Shivji said who warned that EPAs will reinstate Africa’s colonial role as a raw materials supplier of European factories.

'SUA don says no industrialization without modernized agriculture'

THE country will never industrialize if the government does not invest heavily in agriculture modernization.
Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) senior lecturer Prof Lusato Kulwijira said in Morogoro that without improvements in agricultural productivity, industrialization will remain a pipe dream because industries need raw materials including commodities.
Prof Kulwijira said that apart from Liganga and Mchuchuma iron ore and coal resources, a lot more raw materials will come from agricultural produce such as cotton, fish or livestock, cashew nuts and sisal.
The SUA do further noted that if the government wants to eradicate poverty and industrialize, agriculture is the sector to start with.
“There is need to have softer lending terms and close supervision so as to allow many small scale farmers access loans and also get better extension services to produce commercially,” he underlined.
He noted that extension services are critical in modernizing agriculture because smallholder farmers who have access to concessional loans, quality seeds and extension services are capable of feeding industries.