AfricaPress-Tanzania: MINISTER for Blue Economy and Fishing Abdalla Hussein Kombo has said that the second new fishing ship purchased from abroad has not been delivered to Zanzibar due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19.
“We expected to receive the ship in January this year, but it has been delayed because of Covid-19 restrictions. We need to be patient and soon the ship will be delivered,” Mr Kombo informed the House.
This was in response to questions from backbenchers during a question and answer session in the Zanzibar House, as they wanted to know why the second ship was not in the country and plans to improve deep sea fishing.
The minister also informed the House that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) had helped the purchase of four new fishing ships to be used in Zanzibar’s deep sea.
The project was backed by the Union government of Tanzania. He said the fishing ships would soon be brought to Zanzibar, a huge boost in the fishing industry particularly in deep sea fishing which is among the projects of the ‘blue economy’ policy.
Statistics show that the fisheries sector contributes only 2.6 per cent of the GDP and about 200,000 direct jobs, but the minister noted that the government was committed to improving fishing in the country.
In another development, municipal, town and local councils’ street cleaners have been promised that soon they will have better working equipment and improved welfare.
“We are working to ensure all street cleaners have protective working equipment such as gloves, boots, and allowances for working in difficult conditions,” Minister of State- President’s Office (Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Department) Masoud Ali Mohamed informed the House yesterday.
He was responding to questions asked by Mr Habib Ali Mohamed (ACT-Wazalendo) and other legislators of whether the government had any plan to recognise street cleaners particularly the signing of contracts.
The legislator from the opposition said cleaners were doing a great job, but they complained that they were not paid any allowance and worked without equipment.
The minister said to improve cleanliness in the city, the Urban Municipal Council had contracted the ‘Green Waste’ company to manage waste and cleaning in Zanzibar City.
He added that the private firm had signed a two-year contract to properly manage waste disposal and that there were plans to promote waste separation for proper handling from collection points.
