NFT CONSULT WAPANIA KULETA MABADILIKO TANZANIA

 

Baadhi ya washiriki wa warsha ya siku moja iliyoendeshwa na kampuni ya NFT Consult kwa maofisa rasilimali watu na watoa mafunzo kutoka makampuni mbalimbali nchini wakifanya usajili kabla ya kuanza kwa warsha hiyo.(Picha zote na Zainul Mzige wa modewjiblog).

Na Mwandishi wetu

MOJA ya makampuni makubwa yanayoshughulika na ushauri wa jinsi ya kuongeza ufanisi katika maeneo ya kazi, NFT Consult wameendesha kongamano kubwa la kutambua haja ya mahitaji ya wadau mbalimbali wa maendeleo hapa nchini.

Kampuni hiyo ya kimataifa ambayo imeingia nchini mwaka 2010 ikiwa na matawi Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi na Sudan Kusini imesema kongamano hilo limelenga kuonesha uwezo wao katika kubadili mifumo ya utendaji kazi.

Ofisa Mtendaji wa kampuni hiyo, Badru Ntege amesema kwamba wamekuwa wakiendesha mafunzo mbalimbali yenye kueleza thamani ya mfanyakazi na mdau wowote ambapo uthamini wa wadau ndio unaotoa mwanya wa mabadiliko chanya yanayotakiwa

“Mafanikio ya eneo lolote lile linatokana na wadau kusikiliza wenzao na kisha kufanyia kazi kauli za upande wa pili.” Alisema Ntege.

Timu ya NFT Consult ikijitambulisha kwa washiriki kabla ya kuanza warsha hiyo. Kutoka kushoto ni Inside Business Partner wa NFT Consult, Aisu Mori, Client Partner wa NFT Consult, Immaculate Mwaluko, Ofisa Mtendaji mkuu wa kampuni ya NFT Consult, Badru Ntege, Meneja biashara mkazi wa NFT Consult/Franklin Covey Tanzania, Joan Ajilong na Client Partner wa NFT Consult, Sophia Shuma.

Alisema katika mafunzo ya kuthamini ,kanuni kubwa inayotumika ni kujipanga katika nafasi husika na kutumia changamoto kama fursa za kubadili mazingira ya kazi na kazi yenyewe ili kupata matokeo yanayotakiwa.

Alisema kwamba changamoto zinazotolewa na wadau katika kubadilisha mazingira yao ndio zinatumiwa na kampuni hiyo katika kuhakikisha makampuni na taasisi zinazotoa huduma zinazokidhi haja kwa muda unaotakiwa katika mazingira yanayobadilika kwa kasi.

Naye Meneja biashara mkazi wa NFT Consult/Franklin Covey Tanzania, Joan Ajilong akizungumzia shughuli wanazofanya alisema kwamba lengo kubwa ya warsha ya jana ni kuwaeleza wadau nini wanachoweza kuwapa ili wabadili mazingira yao ya kazi.

Pichani juu na chini ni Ofisa Mtendaji mkuu wa kampuni ya NFT Consult, Badru Ntege akitoa mada kuhusu mifumo saba ya kitabia katika utendaji wa kazi kwa maofisa rasilimali watu na watoa mafunzo kutoka makampuni mbalimbali nchini kwenye warsha ya siku moja iliyoratibiwa na kampuni ya JB's PR and Events.

Alisema watu wengi wamechoshwa na mazingira yale yale na kukata tama lakini kupitia mafunzo yao wamekuwa wakihakikisha kwamba wadau wanapata msukumo mpya wa kufanyakazi na kupata matokeo chanya kwa kasi.

Alisema kwamba tangu kuanzishwa kwa taasisi hiyo imefanikiwa kubadili wadau wao na kuanza kutambua kuthamini watu, kuwasikiliza na kujadiliana nao ili kupata matokeo yanayotakiwa.

Alisema kwa sasa NFT Consult imepata uzoefu na kufanyakazi katika nchi 6 za kusini mwa jangwa la sahara.

Nchi hizo ni Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi na Sudan Kusini.

Amesema mabadiliko makubwa katika namna ya kusimamia shughuli kunawezesha mabadiliko ya utendaji na kuleta ufanisi.

Alisema kazi ya taasisi hiyo pamoja na kusaidia uwapo wa menejimenti na rasilimali watu zenye uhakika pia husaidia kupatikana kwa kada inayotakiwa kwa taasisi mbalimbali wakiombwa kufanya hivyo.

Nao washiriki kutoka TGNP waliohojiwa wakati wa mafunzo hayo walisema ipo haja kampuni hiyo ikaongea na watendaji wa serikali ili wakapatiwa mafunzo yatayogeuza changamoto kuwa fursa za kuleta tija katika uendeshaji wa serikali.

Washiriki wakijaza chemsha bongo wakati warsha hiyo ya siku moja kwa maofisa rasilimali watu na watoa mafunzo kutoka makampuni mbalimbali nchini.

“Mafunzo haya yanawezesha kutambua ubora wa kuthamini na kuhakikisha unasikiliza kila mtu kwa ajili ya maendeleo, na changamoto za serikali mafunzo haya yanafaa sana kwao” alisema Shakila Maimana.

Alisema anaamini mafunzo hayo yanaweza kugeuza changamoto kuwa fursa za maendeleo.

Naye Diana Sembende alisema kwamba mafunzo hayo yamembadilisha na anaamini kwamba serikalini watumishi wanayahitaji sana.

BANNED KILLER MINES REOPEN AGAINST GOVERNMENT

The gravel quarries that claimed the lives of nearly 20 victims before the Government moved to close them down are back in operation, clandestinely threatening to cause further deaths.

The rock and sand mining pits, located within the Ilkurot plains of Olkokola Ward in the Arumeru District were closed in June last year, after they were declared ‘extremely dangerous zone’ by authorities, having killed more than 16 people due to regular cave-ins.

The Mukulat Division Officer, Mr Isaack Kaserian said he wrote to the former District Commissioner for Arumeru, Mr Nyirembe Munasa Sabi complaining of the life-threatening quarries as almost every week one or two people lost their lives.

There are over 100 active pits in these dangerous mines. These are surrounded by three villages, which include Lengijave, Ilkurot and Olkejulenderit. For years they have served as a convenient source of sand, gravel and rocks, which are used for construction projects in Arusha City. However, this is at the cost of human lives.

The former DC, Munasa-Sabi ordered the closure of the mines but as soon as he was transferred to Mbeya, the residents returned to the mines and resumed the excavation processes once more.

A visit to the remote mining area revealed at least 45 tipper trucks carrying sand, rocks and gravel from the pits and the number of such vehicle may reach 50 in a single day. Workers range between 200 and 300. They work in deep, claustrophobic mines lit by open-flamed traditional lamps.

Most of the mining activities take place during the night and once the sun rises, the diggers - mostly men - leave the quarries, and women as well as children take over the tasks of carrying whatever has been dug inside the mines, from the pits to the surface at the cost of 100/- per sack.

The Arusha-Rural District Council’s Director, Mr Fidelis Lumatu said he has never visited the mines and if these quarries were closed then it is no longer his business; “I think the Regional Mining Office should be responsible for the problem but certainly not my office,” he stated

But when further questioned why he was not reinforcing the directive of ensuring the quarries remained out of the bounds, Mr Lumatu said there was nothing wrong because the mines provided employment to locals.

As to what will happen, in his opinion, should the mines cave in again onto the diggers as it was the case before, the Director’s answer was even more baffling; “We don’t anticipate that, but if people die; Well, we shall burry them as usual!”

Women-led & women-owned, see rural #Afghanistan's economy blossom:

Viongozi Wakuu wa Umoja wa Katiba ya Wananchi (UKAWA) Washiriki Futari ya Pamoja

FOOD AND DRUGS EXPERTS DISCUSS AFLATOXIN POISONOUS CHEMICAL

Food and drugs experts from in and outside the country recently converged at Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology (NMAIST) for two days workshop to chart out ways of suppressing one of the most deadly food poisons.

Aflatoxin is a poisonous chemical contaminating maize, groundnuts, and other key staple foods in the country, making them unfit for human and livestock consumption.

The chemical is secreted by a naturally occurring fungus Aspergillus flavus dubbed silent killer, as it causes liver cancer and suppresses the body’s immunity when the contamination reaches high levels.

“Studies also link aflatoxin to stunted growth among children,” Dr Martin Kimanya, a senior lecturer with the NMAIST, says.

Dr Kimanya is leading a three-man team tasked with analysing the gravity of the poison reported to have killed at least 125 people out of over 300 Kenyans found with the chemical in their blood. 

The team has devised an action plan that seeks to develop a safe and natural bio-control technology that can effectively reduce aflatoxin contamination of maize and groundnuts in the field and during storage. 

Dr Kimanya says the analysis had also revealed that maize, the country’s number one staple food, was way above the recommended maximum limits, citing Bukombe in Shinyanga Region, where the chemical was traced in 80 per cent of the maize sold in the district.

“Ninety nine per cent of the sampled children were found with aflatoxin in their blood,” says Dr Kimanya, adding that Tanzania was incurring an average of $332 million worth of loss in terms of health challenges arising from the chemical.

“This is besides the loss incurred in trade and food security,” he says. The three-man team has developed a five-year draft aflatoxin action plan for controlling aflatoxin in the country.

If stakeholders validate the plan today, it will go a long way in improving the health and livelihoods of millions of families in the country and reduce loss of income from banned trade of contaminated food. 

Ms Yokobety Malisa, the acting director of Coordination of Government Business in the Prime Minister’s Office, says tonnes of exported maize were once returned into the country after the grains were found to contain the poisonous chemical.

Tanzania is among five pilot countries in Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), a flagship programme in the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture in African Union Commission (AUC), is focusing aflatoxin mitigation efforts.

According to the PACA programme manager, Dr Amare Ayalew, the partnership works with governments to improve their effectiveness and efficiency in tackling the aflatoxin challenge in Africa.

PACA was created at the recommendations of the 7th Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform where the urgent need to control mycotoxin contamination was emphasized.

TRA LAUNCHES VAT LAW MASS EDUCATION

Tax base expanded to boost revenue collection


The Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has launched special seminars to educate local residents, traders and business owners on the recently adopted Value Added Tax Act of 2014 which became effective 1stJuly 2015.

Arusha was the first region to be given such training in the Northern Zone.Later on TRA officials will proceed to the Lake Zone, Central and Southern Highlands for the same purpose. The maiden seminar was held here over the weekend.

The TRA Principal Officer Hamisi Lupenja said in the past, much revenue was lost through incentives like tax holidays and limited sources of revenue but through the new VAT Act adjustments, many of the past loop holes will be plugged.

The National Assembly in Dodoma recently enacted the Value Added Tax Act 2014 or essentially the VAT Act which has alreadybeen assented by the President and became operational on 1st July 2014.

According to Mr. Lupenja, the recently sailed VAT Bill 2014 now addresses issues such as streamlined exemptions, VAT on new forms of trade alignment with international best practices as well as the Intra union trade issues between Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.

 More than 100 participants, including local Traders, Business owners and other residents of Arusha attended the training. They were told that the VAT Act 2014 was aimed at resolving issues that were left out in the initial VAT Act of 1997, which have been controversial over the past years.

“Through the new act, the TRA is bracing at improving the Government revenue collection by expanding the tax base by capturing most economic activities,” said Lupenja adding that the VAT Act 2014 has now provided a platform for more scrutiny on various controversial issues and it has just addressed all of them.

 Mr. Peter Kilasara of the Mawenzi Insurance Brokers in Arusha was however of the view that stakeholders should have been taught about the newly introduced law before becoming effective; “It is a good idea but we needed to be told about this before the VAT bill sailed,” he said.
The Co-Chairperson of Regional Stakeholders Forum, Mr. Nicholas Duhia said the new VAT Act requires profit making institutions running under religious organizations, like schools, water and health services, to start paying taxes and that VAT exemptions apply only to religious organizationsoffering essential social services free of charge or at affordable prices, not exceeding 50% of charges by private institutions on the same services.
"Our forum links taxpayers with TRA with the aim of creating a conducive and taxpayer friendly tax administration and compliance environment," he said.

DON TELLS CLERGY TO HELP RESOLVE LAND CONFLICTS

Increasing cases of land conflicts in Arusha region and across the country need urgent intervention of the clergy, a respected lawyer has argued.

Dr. Eliamani Laltaika, a law lecturer with the Nelson Mandela University (NM-AIST) has said heads of religious organizations must be well versed with the land legislation to be in a better position to understand the gravity of the situation.

He made the plea during a recent workshop organized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) on how to resolve worsening conflicts over land and its resources in various parts of the country.

Dr. Eliamani Laltaika of NM-AIST

The workshop attracted over 100 participants many of them bishops and pastors and heads of institutions of the Lutheran Church from different dioceses and synods. 

Dr.Eliamani, who is also an advocate of the High Court of Tanzania, said land conflicts were more pronounced in northern Tanzania because of the rising value of land in the zone which has seen increasing investments.

He noted that religious organizations have not been spared by the conflicts and that there were numerous cases where land belonging to church organizations have been invaded by land greedy individuals.

"It has not been easy to resolve these cases because many of the church leaders are not conversant with legislations on land", he pointed out, adding that many cases have remained unresolved for years.
The outspoken lecturer emphasized in his presentation that it was high time for church officials to be versed with land rights so that their land is secure from being taken over by other people.
"The churches must also sensitize and assist the neighbouring communities on their land rights and support them on how to protect their property or recover it once taken over illegally", the academician explained.

Dr. Laltaika also cautioned church leaders to ensure that they have all the necessary documents on the land and plots they possessed, including title deeds.

An Arusha-based advocate William Kivuyo said there were many laws on land in Tanzania and how to resolve land conflicts. These included the Land Tribunals at the district, regional and national levels.

One of the districts in the northern zone region most affected by land conflict is Kiteto in Manyara region where a long term solution to the crisis and consequent clashes between farmers and livestock keepers will now have to be found through the on-going demarcation of land for proper use.

The exercise, being undertaken by experts from the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development and other ministries, has already covered 23 registered villages out of 58 villages in the vast district.

"This is an enormous task which the government has decided to undertake in order to address the endless crisis and loss of lives over land", asserted a senior district official in Arusha recently.

She said although some of the villages have not been registered, the survey and demarcation of villages for the desired proper land use will cover the entire district.

Teams of surveyors who have been posted to the area since September this year had already finished the job around the disputed Emborney Murtangos, a 135,000 hectare conservation reserve which has been a centre of conflict.

Besides the Lands ministry, the teams are drawn from the Prime Minister's Office (Tamisemi), the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the President's Office as well as other ministries and government institutions.

"We want to do away with conflicts over land by zoning the entire district according to the desired land use", she said, noting that the exercise would separate farming and grazing areas to avert conflicts.

She said proper land use would discourage the influx of people who have settled illegally in Kiteto from neighbouring districts, triggering repeated clashes over farming and grazing land for the last 12 years.

Kiteto district, the  16,000 square kilometre traditional homeland of nomadic pastoralists, has witnessed unprecedented clashes over land and other resources from around 2003 in what the locals attribute to the influx of farmers from neighbouring regions, specifically Dodoma, Tanga and Morogoro.