Tanzania hits the highway but has it got enough fuel?

So much seems to be happening in the region lately but some of the happenings simply require us to grab some popcorn, lay back in our sits and watch what happens next. Take the case of Uganda where the infamous sack of money given to the Busoga youth has already resulted in squabbles and very little development. But even before we could get over the circus around the sack of money, one of the longest-serving army generals opened a can of worms about the alleged plan of Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba taking over from his father in what is now being referred to as the ‘Muhoozi project’. Gen. David Ssejusa (formerly known as Tinyefuza), whose name interestingly means ‘I do not regret’, seems to have kicked off a storm but to understand it better one has to look at the demographic challenges that Uganda is facing right now. With majority of the population below the age of 15 and a leadership that has been around for 27 years, something has got to give. The time for a younger generation to take charge is beckoning and whether Museveni wants his son to take over is not the real issue here but that those above 60 are gradually becoming a worried minority that can no longer hold onto the raging horse that is Uganda for long. When Museveni thinks of a transition, he looks to the younger cadres, something that his peers find discomforting. But as I said, get your popcorn and watch. Down south, Burundi seems to be going past the worrying news of a bad press law with the promising revelation that the country is bracing itself for benefits of broadband internet with its first fibre optic cable set to go live sometime next month. Burundi joins the fibre optic party four years after other EAC countries got connected to first submarine cables. And just when everyone was talking about the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson which was followed soon after by that of David Beckham, Kigali almost came to a standstill the moment Rayon Sports club clinched its first local league title since 2004. For the uninitiated, Rayon Sports is one of the few football clubs with a following almost as religious as that of Gor Mahia in Kenya. I must admit I am not a keen follower of football but when Rayon is playing you cannot fail to notice the blue and white fans all over the city. Interestingly, one of their star strikers is a Burundian export in the form of Cedric Amissi, who has scored 15 league goals, breaking records set by Jimmy Gatete and Bokota Kamana. Amissi’s finesse almost reflects that of the Ugandan striker Dan Sserunkuma who has been in fine form for Gor Mahia. Away from football, there is something about Tanzania that caught my eye as I went through some regional publications. On several occasions in these pages I have pointed out how Tanzania is set to be a big economic player thanks in part to the huge minerals and natural gas that the country is sitting on. The literature I have come across shows that Tanzania is already taking off with countries like Rwanda already using the Dar port more than the Mombasa port. As if that is not enough, the folks in Bongoland have plans to construct a massive port at Bagamoyo, which will handle so much more cargo than what Mombasa handles now. You could argue that Kenya is also going to put one at Lamu but in terms of readiness, the Tanzanians are already out of the blocks while the Kenyans are still staring at plans on their tables. More importantly, the Tanzanians are embarking on railway lines to connect Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and southern Uganda. Do not forget that their railway lines already have them enjoying good trade with SADC countries. With increased dollars for their natural gas, minerals, tourism and the revenue from their ports serving Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and other southern African countries, East Africa’s most stable country is poised for nothing but a bright future. However, Tanzania needs to fix its education system as soon as possible if it wants to drive on the prosperity road. The reports of 60 per cent failures in national exams are quite worrying for a country hoping to move forward. How can Tanzania move without the required skilled personnel? Any driver will tell you that embarking on a journey without enough fuel (skilled labour) is nothing but foolish. Over to you, Tanzanians. Blog: www.ssenyonga.wordpress.comTwitter: @ssojo81