By Lake Zone Watch writer
President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to arrive in Mwanza tomorrow for an official visit where on Tuesday she will perform a function of handing over modern fishing equipment to fishermen and other beneficiary groups in the Lake Zone operating in the Lake Victoria.
According to Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Amos Makalla, the handing-over ceremony will be held at the Nyamagana Stadium in Mwanza city.
He said the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, which coordinates the event, has completed preparations for the ceremony targeted to benefit the thousands of fishermen who earn their livelihood from the fisheries sector.
Tanzania is one of the largest fishing nations in Africa, according to the UN food agency, FAO. It is ranked in the top 10 countries in terms of total capture fisheries production.
Current fish production is estimated around 376,000 tons a year, with around 97 per cent of fish sourced from small-scale fisheries and the remaining three per cent from large-scale commercial fishing.
The sector employs more than 177,527 full time fishermen and about 4 million people who earn their living from the fisheries sector.
However, lack of modern fishing gear has for decades been hampering the progress of the majority artisanal fishermen — be it in the sprawling Indian Ocean or in the major lakes — Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa, leave alone in the internal rivers.