Zanzibar inflation rate climbs as food prices soar

ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR’S inflation rate climbed to 5.27 per cent in January 2025, up from 4.90 per cent in December 2024, primarily due to escalating food prices, according to the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS)- Zanzibar.

Statistician Salma Saleh Ali reported that key food items, including various rice types (Mapembe, Mbeya, Basmati), wheat flour, bananas, cooking oil and non-alcoholic beverages, saw a 7.21 per cent price increase, slightly lower than the 7.90 per cent rise in December 2024.

Mr Shami Chamicha from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) noted that alongside the stabilising global economy and declining commodity prices, the government’s effective implementation of monetary and economic policies has played a contributing role.

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Meanwhile, the Urban District Commissioner, Mr Hamid Seif Said called on the Zanzibar Youth Council to develop strategies to rehabilitate young people involved in drug abuse and criminal activities and reintegrate them into society.

Speaking to a delegation from the Zanzibar Youth Council at his office in Amani, he pointed out that many young people are currently involved in unlawful groups, drug use, theft and other misconduct.

He stressed on the council’s responsibility to educate the youth on self-awareness and pledged his office’s support in reaching out to street youth to help them become self-reliant.

The Executive Secretary of the Zanzibar Youth Council, Mr Ali Haji Hassan affirmed the council’s commitment to collaborating with the government to develop strategies aimed at helping young people break free from these negative influences.

He added that rescuing youth from harmful activities requires collective efforts from the community, private institutions and the government