As tourism industry recovers from effects of global pandemic, National Parks Management is seriously investing in infrastructural upgrading.
A total of 23 heavy duty vehicles and 8 machinery equipment has just been handed to the Tanzania National Parks for the tasks.
The vehicles and machinery valued at 16.5 billion/- in total have been officially handed over to the Tanzania National Parks Management by the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ambassador Pindi Chana.
The ceremony to hand over the equipment was held at the Tarangire National Park in sync with the World Tourism Day 2022.
The Minister called for proper handling of the new equipment whose lifespan solely depends on timely maintenance and discipline in operating them.
“It is vital to train drivers and machinery operators in order to ensure durability of the new equipment,” she said.
The vehicles and equipment have been purchased through the Tanzania Covid-19 Social Economic Response and Recovery Plan (TCRP) hatched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Part of the consignment of vehicles and equipment that were being presented by the Minister to the TANAPA Management include three Isuzu GXZ flatbed Semi-Trailer trucks, 14 Isuzu FVZ Tipper Dumping trucks, and an Isuzu Bowser Tanker all procured from Isuzu East Africa. There are also seven heavy duty construction equipment including 4 Caterpillar (CAT) Bulldozers and 3 Caterpillar Chain Excavators and compactors.
The Tanzania National Park’s Commissioner of Conservation, William Mwakilema says the works accomplished so far include road rehabilitation and construction.
Five airstrips in various National Parks have been constructed in addition to a helicopter pad on top of Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro.
As for the new consignments of vehicles and machinery, Mwakilema says they will be distributed in four sets.
The first set is being commissioned to the Northern Circuit comprising Tarangire, Manyara, Arusha and Mkomazi.
The second set will be deployed to Serengeti National Park and corresponding ecosystem.
The third set goes to the country’s largest reserve, which is the Nyerere National Park.
The fourth will be dispatched to Burigi-Chato, Rubondo, Ugalla River and other Lake Zone’s National Parks.
The Chairperson of TANAPA Board of Trustees, Retired General George Waitara reveals that the parliamentary commitee which recently inspected the ongoing works expressed satisfaction with the development.
“But the work ahead is even tasking which calls for more funds than what the Tanzania National Park has been getting,” points out Retired General Waitara.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Juma Mkomi says the heavy machinery equipment are part of the emergency funds to cushion public institutions from effects of Covid-19 catastrophe.
He said the Tanzania National Park received 46.7 billion/- Tanzania Covid-19 Social Economic Response and Recovery Plan funds that have been invested in upgrading infrastructure in the parks.
Apparently the Tanzania Travel, Tourism and Conservation sectors suffered great loss during the two years of the global pandemic.
As the world recovers from the two years of Coronavirus lockdown, travel resumes across the globe and likewise the tourism industry in Tanzania is currently on rebound.
Tanzania, on the other hand, is currently working to repair and improve infrastructure in the country’s national parks, ready to handle the increasing number of visitors.
In better days, Tanzania has been handling an average of 1.5 million tourists per annum.
TANAPA oversees a total of 22 National Parks across the nation, including the largest, Nyerere and the most popular Serengeti, home to the great migration.
Others are the Mountain steeped parks of Kilimanjaro and Meru and the Island perched Saa-Nane and Rubondo all floating on Lake Victoria.
Tanzania’s other famous Tourist parks in Tanzania are Ruaha, Mikumi, Tarangire, the vast Savannah Mkomazi, the watery flamingo breeding site at Lake Manyara National Park and the Seaside Saadan.
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