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World Bank Operations in Tanzania Remain Sturdy Despite Kenyan False News Machinery

Staff Writers, Africa Analysis, New York


A senior economist within the World Bank system has clarified that the Bank's travel advisory note to its members composing a mission that was supposed to visit Tanzania this time around pending “security assessment” is a normal "internal administrative procedure."

The expert who took part in the Bank's missions in several Asian and African nations, emphasized, contrary to the distorted report published by a Kenyan online site, the Bank’s notice is also very specific to the announced clampdown of the lesbians by the Regional Commissioner (RC) of Dar es Salaam, and not on “general human rights issues,”  in Tanzania as alleged by the Kenyan false news site.

“We always do the alerts whenever security situation in a member state so requires. Our missions comprise of diverse nationalities; they must be informed of critical issues surfacing in the countries they visit,” said the senior official.


The Bank expert economist reaffirmed: “On-going projects, operations and future missions such as those of Tanzania are well in order and per schedules despite such alerts. Nothing changes and I wonder why Kenyan media would spend time to signal wrong alarm.”


The source cited several missions in the recent past to have been similarly aborted on diverse security reasons in many other countries to allow “security assessment” for the safety of the visiting experts. The notices would last from few days to weeks.


The government of Tanzania has already issued clarification on the lesbian hullabaloo, insisting that despite homosexual being a criminal offence under its laws, the clampdown announced by the RC was not a government operation or position. 


“The government will continue to observe its commitment to human rights principles without compromising our cultural norms,” said the statement issued by the government of Tanzania a couple of days ago.


Tanzania remains the East Africa’s fastest growing economy beating Kenya by far and only second on investor attractiveness index according to World Economic Forum and and Investor Attractiveness Index. 

The Bank’s website still maintains a positive note on Tanzania’s economy: “Tanzania has sustained relatively high economic growth over the last decade, averaging 6–7% a year. While the poverty rate in the country has declined, the absolute number of poor has not because of the high population growth rate.

Comments

  1. Good observations. Thanks for clarifications.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good observations. Thanks for clarifications.

    ReplyDelete

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