Olduvai revenues to support museums
The ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Prof. Adolf Mkenda
What you need to know:
- The National Museum of Tanzania is a consortium of fie Tanzanian museums whose purpose is to preserve and show exhibits about the history of the country.
Arusha. Half of revenues generated from the world famous Olduvai Gorge in Ngorongoro district will be channeled to support the national museums.
The measure is intended to ensure that the museums were in good condition to preserve the rich historical and archaeological relics.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Prof. Adolf Mkenda said a decision to the effect has been made and was under implementation.
"From now on, a half of revenues generated from Olduvai Gorge will go to strengthen the national museums", he said on Monday.
Prof. Mkenda said some of the museums were in deplorable condition, yet they were established to be among the leading tourism sites and preserve the country's rich cultural heritage.
He cited the National Museum in Dar es Salaam which, he said, does not have modern preservation facilities for the historical artifacts such as the skeletons.
"At the National Museum you can't even trace the national flag which was raised on Mt. Kilimanjaro on the independence eve", he said.
The PS revealed this when he addressed the tourism stakeholders ahead of the International Tourism Fair to be held in Berlin, Germany in a fortnight.
Tanzania will be represented by a record 150 to 180 exhibitors in the March 6th to 10th trade show which will attract over 10,000 exhibitors from across the world.
Prof. Mkenda said channeling of funds from Olduvai to the national museums was one of the strategies taken to diversify the tourism products.
He added that although emphasis on wildlife would continue with gazetting of five more national parks, deliberate efforts were underway to promote historical sites as among the prime attractions.
The Olduvai Gorge, now placed under the management of Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), is one of the major sources of tourist revenues.
It is another iconic site in the human origin studies, being where the 1.7 million year old skull of Australopithecus boisei (the 'modern man') found in 1959.
During the 2016/2017 financial year, some Sh. 1.9 billion was generated at Olduvai Gorge. An ultra-modern museum was opened in October 2017.
NCAA officials estimate that the site and its museum would generate a whooping Sh.15bn in the next four years due the a rich collection of historical relics.
