Hunting companies get 12 months to cease operations

MARC NKWAME

Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Khamis Kigwangallah

THE Government has resolved to grant at least 12 months’ grace period for all owners of hunting blocks to sum up their operations before the state reclaims back the precincts ready for new arrangement in which they are to be squarely auctioned.

That was among the agreements reached by the Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, Dr Khamis Kigwangallah, during his roundtable meeting with representatives of hunting companies, which was held at LAPF complex in Dodoma.

Dr Kigwangwallah’s meeting with members of the hunting tourism industry, follows the minister’s recent decision to suspend all hunting block licences, including those issued in this year, pending the proposed new arrangement devised by the government to auction the blocks.

“The government’s decision to start new system of issuing hunting blocs through public auction remains,” insisted Dr Kingwangallah but pointed out that due to requests from operators of many blocs, he has decided to give them one more year for operation.

Speaking through the Tanzania Hunting Operators Association (TAHOA), the current owners of hunting blocks in the country, appealed to the Minister to grant them more time because they had invested a lot in the area in terms of premises and infrastructure.

“Many of us keep investing in the blocks, in terms of new buildings and other tangible features; if the blocks get auctioned now, it means the new buyers will get the already developed infrastructures at our expense,” stated Mr Tallal Abood the Director for TAHOA.

On their part, Dr Licky Abdallah of Malagarasi Hunting Safaris and Mr Benson Kibonde of Mkwawa Hunting Safaris appealed to the government to grant them more time because they are all setting out to market the blocks and seek new hunters during the great ‘Hunters Convention’ at the Dallas State in the United States next week.

“Most of our buyers, that is 70 per cent come from the United States,” they pointed out.Tanzania with a total of 157 hunting blocks found in the 28 game reserves operating under the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), has the highest number of such blocks in Africa.