Tanzanian authorities on Saturday pledged to beef up security in all airports to control smuggling of goods, including natural resources, out of the east African nation.
Hamad Masauni, the deputy minister for home affairs, said the beefing up of security in the airports will involve deployment of enough security personnel and sniffer dogs.
He was speaking at an inspection tour of the newly built terminal 3 of the Julius Nyerere International Airport in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Masauni visited the airport four days after President John Magufuli had lashed out at Tanzania’s security and defense forces for laxity that led to the smuggling out of the country of 35.34 kilograms of gold in February 2018.
The gold was intercepted by Kenyan security officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital Nairobi after it was transported through Mwanza airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania.
“This is a shame to our security and defense organs,” said the head of state, commending the Kenyan security and defense forces for intercepting the gold at the JKIA.
Magufuli ordered the country’s security and defense organs to reinforce security in the country’s airports in order not to repeat what had happened in February 2018.
The Kenyan government has handed over the 35.34 kilograms of gold to Tanzania.
