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Tanzania transformed its economic policies into free-market system in 1985. Subsequently, there has been intensive privatisation of the investments that were owned by the government (on behalf of he public?).
One effect of privatisation has been the increase of competition among investors, and heightened quality and choices and products. for example, Tanzania has one of the fastest growing communications market in Africa. similar has been the banking and money business services.
Enter the power supply sector. The Tanzanian government has firmly retained the sector in its control. The private investors that were invited into the business were limited to distribution and debt collection. What happens is that Tanzania is one of the countries in SADC providing the most expensive electricity. The supply is also among the most unreliable in Africa. Think of what this does to the country development.
The government has deliberately clamped on any efforts of providing alternative power sources to people. There are companies that brought in soar power, which is the most environmental-friendly technology to date. The government slapped taxes on it to the extent that common Tanzanians cannot afford it. One opposition politician campaigned to bring alternative sources, and negotiated with with US investors. His efforts were thwarted. The government once went into clandestine negotiations with a South-East Asian country. It was realised later that the government had signed a deal too expensive, and could not back out because of contractual obligations.
The common Tanzanians deplete forests to acquire energy. Dar Es Salaam alone uses more than 50 000 bags of charcoal everyday. It is not surprising that Tanzania has one of the highest rates of deforestation in Africa. Our folks in Finland have statistics they can be proud of: increasing forest coverage, lower present pollution rates, and so on. Tanzania: just the opposite.
All politicians have to do is promise Tanzanians cheaper energy costs and diverse energy sources. TI am certain Tanzanians can fend themselves in other respects like they always have.
Away with the monopoly of power supply in Tanzania! |
Dear Makandi and all,
I think Makandi comments is a master piece and in matter of fact Tanzania have politicians who thinks that they are the Eistein and Newton while the rest of common citezen are merely sweepers and messenger they cant contribute ideas their ideas and vison are perfect while the rest are merely implementers.
Tanzania is not supposed tio be where it is, Tanzania could be among the fastest growing nation in sub-Saharan countries but very unfortunate every steap towards its development is encircle with politics and politicians being in front line on defending each other, once you are in a system you become untouchable, commit billion mistakes surely you will have an immunity non can persecute you.
We in Zanzibar we buy electicity from mainland but always we ask ourselves is there any discrepancie between using hydroelectric power with electricty generated from diesel engines? Direct answer for Zanzibarian is no, we paid higher electricity bills because of politicians and executives who had signed contract with foreign companies to supply cheaper electricty in Tanzania, instead of getting cheaper electricity tariffs inturn we paid damage to those companies hard to grasp it but is fact.
A freind of mine who decided to install solar power to his house his dream was abort by being excuse of violating Electricy Board principle and was about to be persecuted.
We talk on poverty reduction, eleviation call it by any name, it can be resolve and eleviate in some degree if our politician can be able to provide low cost of electricity and reduce price of fossil fuel, if they can manage to do so it will be a major input towards povery reduction, but I dont know whether we have MP's and Ministers who can think and immplement those ideas.
I am proud seeing our parliment comprises of number of Professors and Phd holders with other University graduates but their input towards development is very insignificant, I think they have decided to pursue politics as substitute of having better life.
Dr. Martin Luther King, he had dream but I have nightmare of Africa having doomsday earlier while the rest of continet still enjoy life in the earth.
Thanks
Hamza
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harun Makandi" <hmakandi@yahoo.com>
To: "General Discussion" <discuss@dlist-benguela.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 2:40 PM
Subject: [DLIST Discuss] Monopoly of Power Supply is the Enemy of the Alternative Source
>
> Tanzania transformed its economic policies into free-market system in 1985. Subsequently, there has been intensive privatisation of the investments that were owned by the government (on behalf of he public?).
>
> One effect of privatisation has been the increase of competition among investors, and heightened quality and choices and products. for example, Tanzania has one of the fastest growing communications market in Africa. similar has been the banking and money business services.
>
> Enter the power supply sector. The Tanzanian government has firmly retained the sector in its control. The private investors that were invited into the business were limited to distribution and debt collection. What happens is that Tanzania is one of the countries in SADC providing the most expensive electricity. The supply is also among the most unreliable in Africa. Think of what this does to the country development.
>
> The government has deliberately clamped on any efforts of providing alternative power sources to people. There are companies that brought in soar power, which is the most environmental-friendly technology to date. The government slapped taxes on it to the extent that common Tanzanians cannot afford it. One opposition politician campaigned to bring alternative sources, and negotiated with with US investors. His efforts were thwarted. The government once went into clandestine negotiations with a South-East Asian country. It was realised later that the government had signed a deal too expensive, and could not back out because of contractual obligations.
>
> The common Tanzanians deplete forests to acquire energy. Dar Es Salaam alone uses more than 50 000 bags of charcoal everyday. It is not surprising that Tanzania has one of the highest rates of deforestation in Africa. Our folks in Finland have statistics they can be proud of: increasing forest coverage, lower present pollution rates, and so on. Tanzania: just the opposite.
>
> All politicians have to do is promise Tanzanians cheaper energy costs and diverse energy sources. TI am certain Tanzanians can fend themselves in other respects like they always have.
>
> Away with the monopoly of power supply in Tanzania!
|
I am following these postings with great interest, as I myself believe we had to start making the change to environmentally friendly technologies, including the technology for generating electricity, yesterday.
But these posting made me think. Why are governments and power companies in Africa so slow to embrace these technologies? Does it cost more than conventional power generating technologies? Does it require more maintenance? Is the expertise to plan and implement these technologies lacking? Is alternatively generated electricity more expensive than conventional (coal or nuclear generated) electricity - I mean the actual cost per unit?
If yes to some or all of the above - what measures are they taking to overcome those obstacles? If no, then why are we not seeing wind- and solar powerstations spring up like mushrooms? |
Maybe too many big businesses and too many crooked politicians are making
too much money......out of exploiting the present forms of energy.....!!
apart from that, many of the "alternative" energy generation methods are not
up to supporting our power-hungry and energy-wasteful lifestyles and
actually REQUIRE PEOPLE TO MAKE A CHANGE!!! - which I believe is the most
difficult thing to achieve.....
----- Original Message -----
From: "Malinda Gardiner" <hardeveldtour@telkomsa.net>
To: "General Discussion" <discuss@dlist-benguela.org>
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007 9:20 AM
Subject: [DLIST Discuss] Monopoly of Power Supply is the Enemy of the
Alternative Source
>
> I am following these postings with great interest, as I myself believe we
> had to start making the change to environmentally friendly technologies,
> including the technology for generating electricity, yesterday.
>
> But these posting made me think. Why are governments and power companies
> in Africa so slow to embrace these technologies? Does it cost more than
> conventional power generating technologies? Does it require more
> maintenance? Is the expertise to plan and implement these technologies
> lacking? Is alternatively generated electricity more expensive than
> conventional (coal or nuclear generated) electricity - I mean the actual
> cost per unit?
>
> If yes to some or all of the above - what measures are they taking to
> overcome those obstacles? If no, then why are we not seeing wind- and
> solar powerstations spring up like mushrooms?
> |
The United Nation's latest Report on the Environment has just been released. Sven Cole's latest posting here on Dlist noted that humanity need to change its wasteful ways. But will we?
ARTICLE ON UNITED NATION'S LATEST ENVIRONMENT REPORT:
'Humanity's very survival' is at risk, says UN
Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter
The speed at which mankind has used the Earth’s resources over the past 20 years has put “humanity’s very survival” at risk, a study involving 1,400 scientists has concluded.
The environmental audit, for the United Nations, found that each person in the world now requires a third more land to supply his or her needs than the Earth can supply.
Thirty per cent of amphibians, 23 per cent of mammals and 12 per cent of birds are under threat of extinction, while one in ten of the world’s major rivers runs dry every year before it reaches the sea.
The bleak verdict on the environment was issued as an “urgent call for action” by the United Nations Environment Programme, which said that the “point of no return” was fast approaching.
The report was drafted and researched by almost 400 scientists, all experts in their fields, whose findings were subjected to review by another 1,000 of their peers.
Scientists conducting the review, 157 of whom were nominated by 48 governments, were split into groups of expertise for each of the ten chapters of the report. Other experts were selected from more than 50 research centres in 47 countries.
Marion Cheatle, of the programme, said that damage sustained to the environment was of fundamental economic concern, and if unchecked would affect growth. The report assessed the impact on the environment since 1987.
Climate change was identified as one of the most pressing problems but the condition of fresh water supplies, agricultural land and biodiversity were considered to be of equal concern.
The Earth audit
- The world’s population has grown by 34% to 6.7 billion in 20 years
- Annual income per head has grown by 40% to US$8,162
- 73,000km2 of forest is lost across the world each year – 3.5 times the size of Wales
- 75,000 people a year are killed by natural disasters
- Three million die of water-related diseases
- Ten million children under 10 die
- Farmers produce 39% more from their land than in the 1980s
- 60 per cent of the world’s major rivers have been dammed or diverted
- Populations of freshwater fish have declined by 50 per cent in 20 years
- More than half of all cities exceed WHO pollution guidelines
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