TAWA returns 12.17bn/- to tourism communities

MOROGORO: THE Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) has distributed a total of 12.17bn/- to beneficiaries of tourism activities, including district councils, Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and villages across the country during the 2025/2026 financial year.

The Acting Conservation Commissioner, Mr Mlage Kabange, made the statement in Morogoro recently when TAWA distributed 2.47bn/- to district councils, WMAs and villages as part of the July 2026 benefitsharing arrangement.

Mr Kabange said the distribution was part of the government’s established mechanism for ensuring that communities benefit from tourism and wildlife conservation activities in their areas.

He said delays had been experienced in returning funds to beneficiaries from some tourism activities during the 2025/2026 financial year.

However, he said the government had addressed the challenge through amendments to Section 137 of the Finance Act, 2025, which now provides for benefits accruing from all tourism activities to be returned to beneficiaries.

“We have gathered here to inform the public about the implementation of the amendments to Section 137 of the Finance Act, 2025. The beneficiaries receiving these funds are a clear demonstration of the benefits derived from conservation activities,” Mr Kabange said.

He said the benefit-sharing arrangement was aimed at strengthening community participation in the conservation and protection of wildlife resources.

According to him, the approach was also intended to encourage communities to set aside village land for conservation activities.

Another objective was to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, particularly those involving dangerous and destructive wildlife, while promoting economic activities in local communities.

Mr Kabange said the government would continue working with communities to strengthen the protection of conservation areas and improve the control of dangerous and destructive wildlife through increasing the number of rangers, providing modern equipment and enhancing the use of technology.

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“TAWA thanks President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan for providing us with a total of 661 new conservation rangers and budgetary funds that have enabled us to purchase equipment and facilitate 187 village game scouts to participate in controlling dangerous and destructive wildlife,” he said.

The Acting Conservation Commissioner also thanked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism for providing 20 drones through the Tanzania Wildlife Protection Fund (TWPF).

He also commended Bushman Safari Trackers Limited, a hunting company operating in Maswa Game Reserve, for providing two drones to support wildlife management activities.

Mr Kabange added that TAWA had purchased five more drones through its budget, bringing the total number of drones available for wildlife control operations to 27.

Deputy Conservation Commissioner, Maarufu Kombo said the 2.47bn/- distributed during the latest exercise comprised 1.7bn/- for 11 wildlife conservation community organisations, 354.9m/- for 18 villages and 379.2m/- for 21 district councils.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Mbomipa Community Conservation Association in Iringa District, Mr Jonas Mkusa, commended the government for amending the law and assigning TAWA the responsibility of returning the funds to communities.

He said the changes had enabled communities to receive the funds on time, thereby improving their capacity to implement their operational activities.

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