FRIDAY July 12, 2024
By Patty Magubira
The Tranquility News Reporter, Tanzania
Tanzania’s Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (REGROW) project has invested over Sh472 million in improving livelihoods at Tungamalenga Village in Iringa District.
The World Bank-supported project coughed up about Sh191 million to sponsor 28 students, 17 females and 11 males, pursuing different courses related to conservation, tourism and other fields that fuel growth of the industry at the village.
REGROW has also footed the cost of training 10 village game scouts, three females and seven males, at Likuyu Sekamaganga in Ruvuma Region, relieving parents of the students of over Sh27 million worth course fees the project paid on their behalf.
The project also provided six groups with 134 members, 97 females and 37 males, with Sh75.5 million worth seed money for running Community Conservation Banks (COCOBA)
COCOBA is a savings and banking model that gives members an opportunity for accessing loans to establish conservation-friendly businesses such as beekeeping, ranching, poultry, farming and agricultural crops value chains.
The objective of the model applied to villages situated close to national parks and other protected areas is to provide communities with economic activities in a bid to reduce pressure on natural resources.
A group submits a proposal of a business valued at up to Sh30 million, pledging to contribute 10 per cent of the startup funds.
Six COCOBAs had until last month received over Sh178.6 million in support of their economic activities at Tungamalenga village.
Bordering the Ruaha National Park at the main entrance, Tungamalenga is but only one of 61 villages the project supports in the country’s southern tourism circuit.
Other beneficiaries of the project are villages neighbouring Nyerere, Mikumi and Udzungwa national parks.
Besides securing loans from her Kordun group that fattens cows to sell them at competitive prices, Vicky Langasie extends her gratitude to the project for sponsoring her child studying at Tumaini University.
“I haven’t incurred any cost for two years now, REGROW pays fees, fare and all other requirements,” she explained.
Emiliana Mgaya, 22, said her life had changed following the project’s sponsorship that enabled her to accomplish a six-month Housekeeping and Cookery course at Vocational Education and Training Authority’s college at Mikumi township in Morogoro Region.
“I am not employed yet, but I get an internship allowance at a lodge within Ruaha National Park,” said Emiliana whose hope on her dream career was almost shattered following her parents’ failure to mobilise fees.
Jijenge Unit Chairperson Shani Richard said her group was mulling putting up a paddy processing plant after receiving Sh42 million from REGROW and that Sh11 million had been withdrawn from COCOBA for the construction of a building to house the plant.
“The mill will thresh paddy and grade and polish rice to add value,” said Shani, explaining that the long-term plan of her group, which received Sh20 million startup funds during its inception, was to graduate from COCOBA to a savings and credit cooperative society.
REGROW has four components: One, improving infrastructure in the four national parks; two, improving livelihood of communities surrounding the parks; three, improving water flows in the Great Ruaha River; and four, the manning of the project itself.
“Different players implement the project’s components,” said Frederick Chotamasege, REGROW’s focal person for 12 villages involved in the project in Iringa District Council.
Nine other district councils are implementing the component tasked with improving livelihoods of communities in areas of their jurisdiction.
Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) Commanding Officer of Ruaha National Park Godwell Ole Meing’ataki said the park was the major beneficiary of REGROW.
The project was constructing two airstrips, cottages for accommodating up to 174 local tourists and other accommodation facilities for tour guides within the national park.
One of the airstrips to be constructed at Katanga area will be furnished with a visitors’ information centre for tourists to be acquainted with the park before they zoom around it to sample attractions.
Also, to be constructed in the park laden with undiscovered hot spots is an ecological monitoring centre that will accommodate researchers.
“The second phase of the project will see roads, bridges and ferries constructed,” TANAPA Senior Assistant Conservation Commissioner Ole Meing’ataki said.
A rangers’ post would be constructed at Ukwaheri Airstrip, among other areas, to accommodate the men and women in uniforms.
The park has, in addition, been equipped with vehicles for patrol, tourism, administration, awareness campaigns and study tours by surrounding community members to the well-established northern tourism circuit.
“We have also been equipped with equipment for road construction and maintenance, construction of boundary roads, maintenance of airstrips, dredging the Great Ruaha River and constructing chacodams along its banks to contend with drying out of the river,” he saidΩ
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The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
