Shughuli za Kiuchumi Halmashauri ya Manispaa Kigoma Ujiji

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Kigoma/Ujiji Municipal Council is one of the least developed Towns in the country.  The per capita income is estimated to be Tzs. 360,000.  This is because of lack of essential cash crops, industries, technical and entrepreneurship Capacity.

The major economic activities are:-

• Fishing
• Trading
• Small scale Agriculture
• Small scale industries

Peasants in the peri-urban of the Municipal practice agricultural activities at low level.  The middle and high income earners engage in Fishing, small scale industries, dairy and trading.  The major constraints to these activities are lack of entrepreneurship skills.

FISHING

Fishing activities are carried out mostly in Lake Tanganyika.  Kigoma/Ujiji Urban has a distance of about 50Km of Lake Tanganyika shore line in which fish production potentially is high. Fishing is carried out by artisanal fishermen.  It contributes about 30% to the urban economy annually by creating employment opportunities to youth and women in fishing, processing and marketing of the fish products.

There are four fishing stations namely Kibirizi, Katonga, Ujiji and Shede.  There has been an increase of fishermen and low level fish processors while the amount of fishing is declining.  Fish catch from Lake Tanganyika is marketed to various parts of the country.  The surplus produced is exported to Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Zambia.

Lake Tanganyika is very rich in Biodiversity species.  The predominant fish species are ‘Dagaa’ (Stolothris Tanganyikae) and ‘Migebuka’ (Lates steppers ii) which are endemic.  Based on sustainable fishing industry development, local communities play a role in the conservation and protection of the natural heritage of Lake Tanganyika.

AGRICULTURE 

The Municipality in line with National Agriculture policy has to put emphasis on:-

• Irrigation Agriculture
• Community based extension work which is conducted in a participatory manner with farmers.
• Improvement of Agricultural extension services,
• Sustainable food agricultural sector
• Improvement of farmers Infrastructures
• Improvement of the Capacity of farmers

The main food crops grown in the area are Cassava, Maize, legumes, bananas, Paddy, sweet Potatoes and beans.  The main cash crops are palms and horticultural crops (including Fruits and Vegetables). 

The major issues needing attention are:-

• Insufficient farming facilities
• Insufficient agricultural implements.
• High costs of Agro-chemicals

LIVESTOCK

The Municipality in line with National Livestock policy has to put emphasis on:-

• Livestock keepers to produce on a sustainable basis
• Improved livestock breeds through the use of artificial insemination to improved animal breeds and productivity.
• Provision of quality animal health Services and technical advices to livestock keepers

COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT

Roads Network

Roads transport is the predominant access mode of transport to the Municipality as it shares almost 100% of traffic movement to the Municipality.  Existing road network is 352Kms.  Of these only 24.5kms are tarmac, 71km are gravel and the rest 256.5km are earth roads. There are 24 bridges and 138 culverts. All of these (roads, bridges and culverts) are key resource of the Council but most of the roads are in poor conditions needing major repair, thus huge sums of money is required.

The main objective of the Council is to improve roads to at least 90% passable throughout the year, so as to facilitate the effective and efficient services of transportation and thereby promoting agricultural and other socio-economic activities and reduce poverty in the Municipality.

The performance of road works is hindered by shortage of competent local Contractors, working tools, vehicles, computers, photocopying and binding machines which are office equipments and surveying machine, graders, rollers, chain, loaders and dozer which are road work equipment.

Railway Transport

There are regular passenger and cargo trains on the central Railway line between Dar-es-Salaam and Tabora, where two lines proceed to Kigoma in the Western and to Mwanza on the shore of Lake Victoria in the North.  Increasingly the neighboring countries of Burundi, Rwanda and the Eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo find it cheaper to transport their cargo through the railway to Kigoma and across the lake by ship.

Lake Transport

The Lake Tanganyika port of Kigoma is an important service point between the region and the neighboring countries.  The port has been a major contributing factor to the smooth trade exchange with these neighbors.  The port has a cargo handling Capacity of 150,000 metric tones per year, but due to limited/poor storage and handling facilities, it can currently hand up to 60,000 tones only per year.

Air Transport

The Municipal has an airport located within it, it has more than 3,000m where light and heavy charter aircraft can access it.

Telecommunication

Telecommunication system in the Municipal is adequate.  Of late, there has been a lot of improvement in this sector.  Communication companies like TTCL has been operating for a long time now in Kigoma/Ujiji Municipality.

Cellular phone network also has been introduced by Vodacom, Celtel, Tigo and Zantel mobile companies to serve the Town.  Therefore there has been an increased number handset users and currently even TTCL has changed some of its services to cellular phones.

Postal services are also available. Internet service cafes are an increasing feature in the Municipality.  The Local radio station (Radio Tanzania Dar es Salaam (TBC₁)- Kigoma) broad casts for 2 hours every day, other local radio stations which broad cast in Kigoma/Ujiji Municipality are Radio Free Africa (RFA) from Mwanza, Radio Kwizera FM from Ngara and Radio Clouds FM from Dar es Salaam. Newspapers and magazines are sold at several news paper stalls.

TRADE & BUSINESS

About 75% of Kigoma/Ujiji Municipal Council residents earn their living from trading, especially from the informal sector trade activities.  There are 2500 registered business men/women in the Municipal of which 70% are located in the three main markets (Kigoma, Mwanga and Buzebazeba) the other six small market centres are Ujiji, Kagera, Gungu, Nazareti, Kibirizi and Katonga. 

There are opportunities to develop these informal markets to main markets, also there are possibilities to increase more registered business men/women due to ongoing plans and efforts to establish other small informal markets of Mji mwema, Burega, Meti and Mwasenga.

A large number of shops are retailers selling manufactured and industrial goods.  Goods like rice, beans, maize, sardines, clothes (vitenge) are being sold at Kigoma and neighboring countries like DRC, Burundi and Zambia.

There are five commercial banks namely National Bank of Commerce (NBC), National Micro Finance Bank (NMB), CRDB Bank, Exim Bank and Tanzania Postal Bank that are running daily money transactions including money transfers, issuing loans to borrowers and money exchange among the others.

The Council gets significant revenue in the form of taxes from the Trade and Business sector which is more than 50% of our Own Source budget.  The small scale industrial sector employs a sizeable number of people and manufactures several industrial products.  There is need therefore for the Council to continue improving the trade and business environment.

TOURISIM AND RECREATION

Ujiji is a historical Town, which began in the Arabic era as major slave-collecting centre.  It is also a place where the ancient explorer Dr. David Livingstone and Henry Stanley Met (Rendezvous point of Doctor Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley at Ujiji).  This attracts foreign and local tourist that visit Gombe and Mahale National Parks.  A beautiful belt surrounding Lake Tanganyika is another attraction area.  The accommodation of tourists is Best assured and of high quality standards.