Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, keeps the town of Moshi, Tanzania, alive with trade and tourism. 

 

The mountain is a source of income for many people here, including porters like 37-year-old Sintia Mwita.

A mother of three, Mwita says the job helps her a lot.

Mwita says, "I am the one who pays for their school fees and daily expenses in my family.”

 

While authorities say the cable car will provide to the physically disabled, the elderly and children, it will also help tourists get up the mountain faster.

Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro every year, bringing tens of millions of dollars to the region.

 

Tanzanian authorities say running cable cars will boost and improve tourist numbers by as much as 50 percent by providing easier access to the mountain. 

 

Constantine Kanyasu, the deputy minister for natural resources and tourism, believes the project will be a big plus for the tourism industry in Tanzania.

 

Tanzania is carrying out a social and environmental impact assessment before construction on the Kilimanjaro cable car system begins. 

 

Kanyasu said, “We expect more camping on top of the mountain than this year, and that should not worry our people that they are going to lose their jobs.  Of course, changes come with some effects, we should not expect Tanzania to be the same in one hundred years to come, and we should not have a nation that is prepared to be porters for lifetime.  We need to have changes.”

 

The country wants to boost tourist numbers.

Source : newzmart