Energy minister for Tanzania Medard Kalemani has confirmed that the construction of power lines between Kinyerezi in Dar es Salaam and Kingorwira in Morogoro was complete and that Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) was set to supply the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) locomotives.

Speaking at a Tanesco workshop on Sunday, he said

“We have invested Tsh71.1 billion (about $30.7 million) in building the necessary power infrastructure for the first phase of the SGR. The project is 100 per cent done,” he said, detailing a number of other projects that the government has implemented in the energy sector.

Dr Kalemani, who doubles as Chato MP dismissed concerns that SGR train operations could be disrupted in times of power cuts. He explained that the locomotives will have inbuilt power-saving systems capable of retaining charge for at least one hour.

He further explained that in an effort to meet the 5,000 megawatts target by 2025, Tanzania was currently undertaking some power generation projects which includes the 2,115 megawatts (MW) Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station.

Tanesco’s managing director Tito Mwinuka said although the country’s current demand is 1,180MW of electricity, Tanzania now produces 1,604 MW.

Mwinuka showed confidence in the progress recorded and promised it will be completed by June 2022.

He further added that the Tsh6.5 trillion ($2.8 billion) Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station had strategic importance to Tanzania’s economic outlook and that the government deserved commendation for its implementation.

As Kenya takes delivery of 1.02 million doses of vaccines through the COVAX facility, the East African nation’s Minister of Health, Mutahi Kagwe remarked rather humorously that the days of fighting COVID-19 with “rubber bullets” have ended.

Kagwe described the vaccines as metaphorical “bazookas and machine guns” as the doses are expected to help the country lead a better charge against the virus.

The World Health Organisation, UNICEF, International Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness were all on hand as the vaccines arrived in the East African country from India.

Kenya became the fourth country on the continent to receive the vaccines following Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, just on Tuesday.

The Kenyan Minister of Health said he expects the vaccine to help limit the spread of the virus and also redirect the nation to economic recovery.

Kenya will vaccinate more than 400,000 medical staff, with frontline health workers and people working in essential services also to be prioritised.

Health workers in the country are, however, unhappy after being forced to resume following a 70-day strike over the lack of Personal Protective Equipment to shield them against the disease.

Kenya has recorded more than 106,000 cases, with a fatality of 1800 recorded. The nation’s case fatality rate of over 1.6% is lower than the African average of 2.6%.

Rwanda has become the first African country to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility.

Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Kenya have all received the AstraZeneca doses through the COVAX facility, after they took delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines from the Serum Institute of India.

Rwanda will get 102,960 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, while also receiving 240,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.

At least five African countries have gotten vaccines from the COVAX facility sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), International Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), UNICEF and others.

Nigeria received 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, while Kenya got 1.02 million doses in its first batch. Ghana and Ivory Coast got 600,000 and 505,000 doses respectively.