Govt to slash protected land for people’s use

Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli yesterday announced what may be viewed as a major policy shift over protected lands when he said the government was planning to look into ways to reduce reserved areas for people to access for economic activities. The Head of State made the announcement when addressing the nation in a televised public meeting during the commissioning of a 45km long road from Uyovu to Bwanga in Bukombe District, Geita Region.

Elaborating, President Magufuli said that Tanzania’s population has risen over five-folds from 10 million at independence in 1961 to over 54 million people in 2017/18, arguing that as the result, there were Tanzanians who lacked land for their economic activities.

“The government is committed to supporting farmers and herders and create conducive environment for Tanzanians to engage effectively in production. To achieve this goal, the government is considering giving out sufficient land to the people,” he said.

Available statistics show that of Tanzania’s 945,087 km², about a third is protected to a certain degree as a national park, game reserve, marine park or forest reserve. The country boasts of over 42,000 km² or national parks (16 in total), while its Selour Game Reserve, which is the largest reserve in Africa, is over 50,000 km².

Protection of the lands started during colonial days and continued until recently.

During the same occasion, President Magufuli reaffirmed his government’s commitment to maintain peace and security in the country.

“I will ensure that Tanzania remains secure and peaceful. I call upon religious leaders and every Tanzanian to support the government in its efforts to maintain peace and security so that people can focus on development work,” he said.

He further commended the contractor of the road for completing the Sh47.9-billion project on schedule.

For his part, Tanzania National Roads Agency CEO Patrick Mfugale said a total of Sh123.5 million was spent on compensating people who had to vacate their land to pave the way for the project.

Furthermore, Dr Magufuli also pointed out that Tanzania was among the five African countries whose economy was growing rapidly, urging Tanzanians to continue working hard and ignore those who do not appreciate the government’s efforts.

Meanwhile, after the Bukombe event, Dr Magufuli headed to Shinyanga Region where he also commissioned the construction of a Sh193-billion tarmac road.

The Head of State assured small scale miners in the region of the government support with the view to promoting mineral extraction.

“Small scale miners should be respected as per the laws of the land. We have allocated areas where small scale miners can engage in mineral extraction. These are like Kahama District and parts of Lindi Region, to mention a few,” he said.

The President also recalled that the government, in the 2017/18 budget, allocated a total of Sh266 billion for purchase of medical supplies, which is a lot more than Sh31 billion allocated in the previous year.

He insisted that this was aimed at addressing challenges facing the health sector.

Dr Magufuli reiterated that the government, in collaboration with its Rwandan counterpart, was currently constructing a standard gauge railway (SGR), promising that the government was seeing a possibility of linking the region to the project.