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UEMI in Tanzania |
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Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country within the African Great Lakes region of eastern Africa. Tanzania is bordered by Uganda, Kenya, the Indian Ocean’s Comoro Islands, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, is located in northeastern Tanzania. The country’s landscape is mountainous and densely forested, boasting major marine areas such as Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, the Zanzibar archipelago, and the Menai Bay Conservation Area. Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coastline is approximately 1,424 kilometres long. Tanzania’s biodiversity renders it vulnerable to climate change.
The United Nations estimated Tanzania’s population to be 55.7 million people in 2016. Tanzania and its inhabitants are suffering adverse effects of climate change. Increasingly frequent extreme weather events have greatly impacted the agriculture-based economy of the country, where agriculture accounts for 24.5 percent of the GDP and accounted for half of the employed workforce in 2013. Maize, cassava, bean, rice, and banana farmers continue to confront deleterious effects of climate change. Each annual weather event accrues economic costs in excess of 1% of Tanzania’s GDP, and hinders steps to address the extreme hunger, poverty, and wealth inequality in the country. Dar es Salaam is the former capital of and most populous city in Tanzania, as well as the country’s major commercial centre and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. As of 2012, the population of Dar es Salaam is 4,364,541 persons, with a population density of 3,100 inhabitants per square kilometre. The city saw population increase of 5.6% from 2002 to 2012, and the metro population is expected to reach 5.12 million by 2020 and 76 million by the year 2100. The Dar es Salaam region, which is located on a natural harbour, is divided into five administrative districts and overseen by regional commissioner Paul Makonda. Due to the city’s close proximity to the equator and the Indian Ocean, inhabitants experience tropical climatic conditions. The National Climate Change Strategy (2012) and the Zanzibar Climate Change Strategy (2014) comprise efforts to increase adaptation and mitigation actions. The strategies focus on long-term resilience of ecosystems to climate change, enhanced participation in international mitigation efforts, and ensuring sustainable development. Tanzania’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) are informed by the Tanzania Development Vision (2025), Zanzibar Vision (2020), and the Tanzania Five Year Development Plan (2011-2016). Tanzania’s intended contributions address the agricultural, livestock, energy, coastal, marine, tourism, human settlements, and health sectors. Tanzania is invested in exploring energy diversification systems and enhancing the use of renewable energies, including hydro, solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy sources. Mitigation priority sectors identified by the INDCs include energy, transport, and forestry and waste management. Tanzania aims to reduce climate-related disaster rates from 70% to 50% and to increase access to clean and safe water from 60% to 75% by 2050. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the economy between 10% and 20% by 2030, as compared to the Business as Usual (BAU) scenario of 138-153 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. |
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Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic. While its official capital city has been Dodoma since 1996, many of the government offices remain in Dar es Salaam, the former capital and largest commercial hub in Tanzania. Tanzania is a de facto one-party state, where the democratic socialist Chama Cha Mapinduzi party holds power. The president, John Magufuli, has held office since 2015.
Electric vehicles: The government has indicated to prospectively support electrification as a means to achieve sustainable mobility and to accomplish its commitments with concerning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (Habitat III). The national transport regulatory authority of Tanzania SUMATRA indicated to integrate electric vehicles in the upcoming revision of its road service regulations . As a first step, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has revised its vehicle standards to permit the certification of electric three-wheelers and has confirmed supporting a piloting project in the short term by a temporary certification process . Tanzania’s scientific institutions also have a strong interest in electric mobility, amongst them institutions such as the National Institute of Transport (NIT), Tanzania’s National Transport Research Centre, and the Department of Electric Engineering at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). Energy regulations: Renewable energies are strongly promoted by public authorities and associations such as the Tanzania Renewable Energy Association (TAREA). To further increase the share of renewable energy, the energy regulatory authority EWURA recently revised regulations to support net metering, thereby supporting small-scale (solar) energy production. As a result, the national energy supplier TANESCO will implement a net metering programme shortly. Procedures to register energy selling or re-selling kiosks are in place and TANESCO has the mandate to process applications. |
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To promote mass transport, Tanzania has a total railway track length of 3,867 kilometres and a tarmac road network of 17,742 kilometres. Under the country’s INDCs, Tanzania aims to promote low-emission transport systems by deploying Mass Rapid Transport Systems and investing in air, rail, marine, and road infrastructures.
Dar es Salaam is a major hub of the Tanzanian transportation system; the main railways and multiple highways originate in or near the city. Public buses, called dala dala, are the most common form of transport in Dar es Salaam. Commuters and residents also use motorcycles known as “Bodaboda” in an effort to avoid traffic, in addition to auto-rickshaws. The government has introduced the Dar Rapid Transit (DART) mass transit system, which relies on metro buses. The Dar es Salaam commuter rail - the only one in Tanzania - provides access throughout the urban and suburban areas of Dar es Salaam, and Tanzania Railways offers intra-city travel within the country. Dar es Salaam houses the main terminal of the Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) Railway, which provides international travel throughout the region (particularly between Tanzania and Zambia). The Dar es Salaam area is served by the Julius Nyerere International Airport. |
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UN Environment reports that the first priority for Tanzanian National Transport Policy is to improve the deteriorating road infrastructure throughout the country, including in Dar es Salaam. The Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Authority (DUTA) emphasizes accommodation for urban pedestrians. It is estimated that the electrification of individual vehicles will start after 2025, due to the high cost of hybrid or fully electric cars and the necessity for robust infrastructural development, such as charging stations and distribution grids. The electrification of the individual transport sector will begin with e-bikes. As most international car manufacturers prepare for a considerable shift towards electric vehicle (EV) technologies, Tanzania’s market for EVs will follow suit. Particularly in urban areas - especially Dar es Salaam - the move from diesel trains and buses to EVs is already underway.
In 2018, the ABB corporation was selected to supply engineering solutions for a 530-kilometre high-speed electric line, running within Tanzania between Dar es Salaam and Makutupora. |
