Handeni

Handeni is one of the eight districts of the Tanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Kilindi District, to the north by the Korogwe District , to the east by the Pangani District, and to the south by the Pwani Region.

According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Handeni District was 248,633. [http://www.nbs.go.tz/Census2002/MainLand/District/tanga.htm]

Wards and Villages

The Handeni District is administratively divided into 7 dvisions, 19 wards and 112 Villages.

The Government at the District level is led by Retired Liuetenant Winfred Francis Ligubi as District Commissioner since 2006 succeeding Manju Salum Omar Msambya who became a Member of Parliament for Kigoma South in 2005. The Handeni District Council is led by Hon. Jabir Manyendi Kigoda (Chairman), Mr. Xavier Tilweselekwa (Council Director).The district has a population increase of 4% per year.The dramatic open area to the North of Handeni at the foot of the Maasai Steppe was the setting for Earnest Hemminway's classic hunting book, The Green Hills of Africa.

SPECIFIC AREAS FOR INVESTMENT

Introduction

Handeni District Council has earmarked a number of specific types and areas for investment based on a study conducted by a consultant. These are in fruit growing, vegetable farming, dairying, sheep rearing, rubber production, honey production and processing, small-scale mining, cultural tourism, tourist hotel development and marketing.

This chapter first discusses the categories of investment opportunities identified and then presents more details on specific types and locations for investment. A map shows the opportunities by type and locations.

The Main Categories of Investments

The identification of the investment opportunities is divided in two categories, namely direct investment and market linkages.

Direct investment involves attracting investors, both local and foreign, to bring in capital to invest in the District by setting up facilities either to process raw materials into finished products or carry out large scale farming and livestock keeping by using the available land which is presently underutilized in the District.

Market linkages involve connecting farmers and other producers with companies that have access to markets and so are willing to buy the products from them. In the market linkage approach, it is expected that the market dealer/facilitator will be in a position to support the farmers/livestock keepers and beekeepers with skills on crop husbandry, post harvest, processing and quality control. Farmers and producers are easier to work with when organized in groups than when acting individually. Access to markets is one of the problems facing rural communities, particularly to farmers, as they lack good information on where the markets can be found and the prices that can be obtained. This has been the case, for example, with mango production where farmers cannot realize good economic benefits due to marketing problems. Similarly, citrus and bananas are grown in large amounts in such areas like Segera, Mailikumi, Michungwani, Kabuku, Mgambo, Chogo and Gendagenda villages but marketing is a bottleneck. Villagers are unable to obtain better incomes and reduce spoilage because of poor road networks and little knowledge on processing.

Beekeeping for honey production is not a major problem, but accessibility to good and stable markets is a bottleneck. Beekeepers are organized in associations, which make it easy to mobilize production and provide extension services. The local communities have the skills to undertake the activity; while what is most required is for them to be linked with the buyers of honey and wax.

"Pongwe"

Pogwe is a village within Kang'ata ward in Handeni District. In ponge village there is a natural spring water place called Kwekibaya. Kwekibaya is the only source of water for thousands of people and animals from neaby villages: Msaje, Kwaluwala, Kwedinguzu, Kwamagome, Komwale, Kwavulata, etc. The original people from this place are called Wapongwe (Samwepongwe for male and Mnamweponge for women).

Kwekibaya is without its miracle. For example, if a person not belonging to Wapongwe clean the water source (the place where water is actually coming out to the surface), kwekibaya dries out. If such incident happens, it is only wapongwe family member who can please the natural spring to give out water again.

Because of the importance of kwekibaya, there is a chain of family leaders among the wapongwe who guide the community in managing the kibaya in particular and general resources such as deforestation issues (which forest is a reserved one). The last leader of wapongwe is Mkulago (1942-2006). Mkulago died on the 28th April 2006 and lied to rest on the 30th April 2006 in the Mtonger forest.

ources

* Population of Handeni [http://www.nbs.go.tz/Census2002/MainLand/District/tanga.htm]
* Handeni District Investment Profile 2007: can be sent to you by Email: "Contact: [e-mail]"