Turning the tide in Zanzibar

By Derrick Silimina

In the narrow, winding stone-alleys of Zanzibar City, Jamal Ally savours the cool morning sea breeze, all the while aware that the silent menace of “snail fever” still undermines the health of the island’s inhabitants. 

As the midday sun blankets the coastal town in heavy, humid heat, Ally thinks about the inland stream that has always been his cooling refuge, a sanctuary where he can escape the unrelenting Zanzibari sun. 

“Within days of exposure to contaminated freshwater, I developed severe bloody urine and a fever, and soon learned I had schistosomiasis (bilharzia), a serious threat to my health,” Ally told ChinAfrica. 

A fishmonger at Malindi Fish Market, he described his ordeal as excruciating, feeling as if the disease was dragging his vital organs down, leaving him powerless against the invisible parasitic toxin that sapped his strength and vitality. 

He explained that schistosomiasis is a waterborne parasitic disease that has long plagued Zanzibar, especially rural communities where residents depend on rivers and unsafe wells, putting themselves at risk of infection. 

For Natalie Amour, the waters concealed a silent predator: a microscopic fluke that put her motherhood at risk. 

She realised she had schistosomiasis when she began experiencing sharp pain beneath her belly button. Amour, 20, recalls frequently visiting hospitals for treatment of water-related illnesses. 

“I was told it might stop me from having children. I was scared, because I have always wanted to be a mother,” she said. 

The debilitating disease also nearly derailed the academic ambitions of 20-year-old Hamed Abdallaar. 

Painful urination forced him to spend much of his school day in the toilets, making it almost impossible to focus in class. 

“I could hardly concentrate because I was constantly rushing to the toilet, and the pain made it even harder to keep up with my schoolwork,” said Abdallaar, now a second-year student at the State University of Zanzibar. 

The experiences of these residents highlight the real dangers of inadequate access to clean water. Ensuring proper sanitation and effective water management is essential to safeguard the health of the community. 

That’s why the China-supported schistosomiasis control project, carried out in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Zanzibar government, represents a critical push to provide treatment and medical resources - saving lives across Tanzania. 

  

Effective control 

In 2014, China signed a memorandum of understanding on the prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis in Zanzibar at the World Health Assembly, pledging to provide financial and technical support for Tanzania in that regard.  

In 2017, the first batch of experts from the Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases of China was dispatched to Pemba Island to help local people to fight the disease. To date, 34 experts have been dispatched to carry out schistosomiasis control work on the island.  

The second phase of the China-Zanzibar schistosomiasis control and elimination project commenced in September 2023 on the fringes of Pemba Island, where the beauty of the freshwater streams has long been deceptive. 

A key innovation in Phase II has been the construction of safe water supply systems. Five projects, four on Pemba Island and one on Unguja Island, now serve about 30,000 people in total, said Wang Wei, a professor at the Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases. 

Wang, who leads a five-member Chinese expert group, noted that by combining safe water supply systems with disease treatment, snail control and health education, the project has significantly reduced infection rates while improving livelihoods, such that for women, who bore much of the burden of fetching water and caring for children, the change has been transformative. 

Wang said that in Unguja alone, 18,000 residents benefitted from clean, accessible water, cutting off disease transmission at its source while also reducing other water-related illnesses such as intestinal infections and cholera. 

“China’s experience in schistosomiasis control has already proven to be effective and scalable,” said Wang. 

The latest project data reveal that Phase I of the project, implemented on Pemba Island from 2017 to 2020, reduced infection rates in demonstration areas from 8.92 percent to 0.64 percent, meeting WHO standards for eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health problem. Phase II, launched in 2023, expanded coverage to Unguja Island. 

Baseline surveys in Unguja recorded an infection rate of about 1.23 percent. Within two and a half years, that figure dropped to just 0.15 percent, well below the WHO threshold of 1 percent. 

  

Integrated approach 

Beyond infrastructure, Huang Yuzheng, a lead expert of the project, stressed that controlling schistosomiasis requires more than treatment alone. 

He said an effective response depends on a comprehensive approach that brings together health education, information technology and integrated management to tackle the disease at its source. 

Huang said the next milestone is set for 2026, when a fully digital schistosomiasis surveillance and response system will go live. 

“The Chinese expert team’s dedication to saving lives and caring for the sick, along with their deep compassion, will be remembered by the people of Zanzibar,” said Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, Zanzibar’s minister of health. 

Mazrui said the partnership with Chinese experts has helped Zanzibar to establish a community-based model for schistosomiasis control, centred on local hospitals and health volunteers. 

Tanzania’s Zanzibari President Hussein Ali Mwinyi recently thanked the Chinese medical team for their contributions to controlling and eliminating schistosomiasis on the island. 

“Our profound gratitude goes to China for its selfless assistance to Zanzibar in the medical and public health sector over the years,” Mwinyi said.  

A priceless opportunity

By Derrick Silimina

Braving the sweltering afternoon heat in Zambia’s North-Western Province, Teddy Makina harvests organic honey in the lush forests of Kalumbila District, but remains acutely aware of the difficulties of accessing the lucrative global market. 

“We’re being exploited here by some ‘briefcase’ honey companies who source our local product at below-market prices for export to China,” Makina, a local beekeeper, told ChinAfrica. 

Recent data indicate that high-quality Zambian honey exported to China or the United Arab Emirates can fetch between $6 and $10 per kg, depending on the trade agreement and organic certification. 

While costs vary significantly based on floral origin, purity, and specific market conditions, the general wholesale price for bulk honey currently ranges between $2.78 and $3.15 per kg, according to the 2026 Global Honey Market Report. 

“What is currently happening in this sector is not fair because the ‘middlemen’ come here and offer us a very low price of about $4 for a 2.5-litre container of honey, and we have no choice but to sell at this price because we need income for our families,” he noted. 

For this reason, the announcement of the zero-tariff policy by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a congratulatory letter to the 39th African Union Summit, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February, has set a transformative tone for 2026. By removing tariffs on 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries, effective 1 May this year, China is shifting from traditional aid towards a more trade-driven development model. 

  

‘Life insurance policy’ 

“With this tariff relief, Africa is better positioned to participate more fully in the global market, increase export volumes, diversify its export basket, and drive domestic value addition,” said Kelvin Chisanga, a social economist based in Lusaka. 

Chisanga described the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China as a “gateway” for African production. 

In the bustling Port of Dar es Salaam, the upbeat mood among local avocado traders reflects a fundamental shift in the Tanzanian economy. For years, the port was seen as a bottleneck for perishable goods; today, it is being reimagined as the launchpad for a “green gold” revolution. 

“In the past, we were price-takers. If the local market in Dar es Salaam was flooded, our avocados rotted. But with the zero-tariff certificate in hand, we are now price-makers. We are shipping to a market of 1.4 billion people where the Hass variety is a premium luxury,” Raheem Ndagire told ChinAfrica. 

Ndagire described the tariff relief as not just a trade deal, but a “life insurance policy” for his horticulture-dependent agribusiness. 

Tanzania has already achieved a major breakthrough in accessing the Chinese avocado market following successful phytosanitary negotiations, with the first shipments of fresh, locally grown avocados arriving in China in late 2024, according to FurtherAfrica, an online platform centralising news and content focusing on the development and growth history of the African continent. 

Industry observers say the zero-tariff policy will facilitate increased exports of agricultural and other goods, boost economic growth, and promote the integration of African countries into global value chains. 

Such measures align with broader efforts to improve market access and support the development of climate-smart and sustainable agriculture by opening new international markets for local producers. 

“We are moving away from being a fragmented sector to becoming a coordinated, standards-driven global force. The 1.4 billion consumers in China are no longer a dream; they are our primary target,” Tanzania Horticultural Association CEO Jacqueline Mkindi said. 

China’s zero-tariff policy for least developed countries with diplomatic ties to China, which became effective in December 2024, is already showing results, with trade rising 15.2 percent year on year to $21.42 billion, according to an official from China’s Ministry of Commerce. 

Arguably, with a sense of collective continental pride spanning 53 nations and one shared open door, the “Made in Africa” brand is no longer a collection of niche products. It is a large and diverse engine finally shifting into high gear. 

Special opportunity 

In the high-altitude hills of Rwanda, the vibrant red of Bird’s Eye chilli has long symbolised untapped potential. For years, local farmers faced a situation often described as “calculated gambles,” where the price of a crate could be eroded by middlemen fees and a 5 to 15 percent import duty before even reaching a shelf in Shanghai. 

However, as of early 2026, that narrative has shifted from a gamble to a strategic opportunity. 

“With a zero-tariff policy, my dried chillies can land in a warehouse in Changsha without the heavy tax burden. I’ve already contacted a cooperative to invest in an irrigation system because now, for the first time, the Chinese market isn’t just for the elite - it’s also for us small-scale farmers,” said Gachau Kabayiza. 

For Kabayiza, as the day ends, his crates are loaded, the manifests are signed, and the consignment is ready to begin its journey across the Indian Ocean. 

Trade analysts say the zero-tariff policy is more than a tax break; it represents Africa’s opportunity to transition from a source of raw materials to a global hub of value-added production. 

The Ugandan government and private sector have since launched a coordinated strategy to capitalise on China’s zero-tariff policy. “The zero-tariff policy for African products to China is a special opportunity for us to increase our exports to China,” Uganda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem said. 

Oryem noted that this special opportunity tells  Ugandan entrepreneurs that the “barrier to entry” (tariffs) has been removed, but the “barrier of quality” (phytosanitary standards) remains. 

Signalling a notable shift in the United Nations’ stance on global trade equity, UN Secretary General António Guterres recently urged that, using China’s unilateral zero-tariff policy as a benchmark, the G7 and other major economies should consider similar measures. 

“Africa needs free trade for its goods, and Africa cannot be penalised by trade policies that are restrictive and by tariffs that do not allow African products to be competitive. I would appeal to all developed countries to take exactly the same measures,” Guterres said during the 39th AU Summit in Addis Ababa.