Author: ELKANA KUHENGA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: Members of the academia have called upon Tanzania and Kenya to go to the negotiation table to resolve the raging aviation row as they both stand to lose should the situation remain intact.
Speaking to the ‘africa-press’ yesterday over the phone, they said holding talks to resolve the matter is advantageous to both nations in reviving their economies during the post Covid-19 period.
The scholars proposed what in their views were the best way to resolve the matter which was triggered by the Kenya government’s decision on Thursday, of excluding Tanzania in the list of nationals allowed into its territory.
The move prompted Tanzania to reciprocate the decision by cancelling plans to allow Kenya Airways to resume flights to the largest East African nation.
A professor of economics, researcher and consultant at Mzumbe University, Professor Honest Ngowi, said it was important for the two countries to hold discussions as there were enormous advantages for them reviving their economy after Covid- 19.
“Let the two sides sit together and see the way forward to resolve the row as the decision made by both sides has no winner but loser.
The decisions will prevent us from recovering from the effects caused by Covid-19,” he said, adding:“When the planes land they pay landing fees, businessmen travel, people go to meetings, both countries receive tourists, hotels receive customers and all this means money to each country but the decision taken by both sides means loss of revenues.
”According to University of Dar es Salaam Business School (UDBS) Dean, Prof Ulingeta Mbamba, Kenya would have avoided triggering the crisis if they had approached authorities in Tanzania before making their decision.
“Before Kenya made the decision they were supposed to sit down and speak with authorities in Tanzania instead of rushing to the press,” he said, adding:“Respective authorities of both countries should go back to the table and discuss the best way of resolving the matter.”
Senior lecturer of economics at Mzumbe University, Dr Elinaza Mkuna, said what happened was just a minor hiccup but could wreck the bond between the East African Community member countries and African nations.
According to him, both Kenya and Tanzania should go to the negotiation table and find ways of consolidating the region’s economic growth.
“This unfolding event undermines the building of a strong East African Community.
We thought that after Covid-19, we could have stepped up cooperation to boost the economies of our countries, our people could trade goods and generate income and countries could have increased revenues but now they cannot do so,” he said.
“ The current foreign vision is different from the past, not for economic reasons but economic diplomacy.
There is a need to look at our economic diplomacy policies first and not rush to making quick decisions,” he further remarked
