PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has inaugurated two presidential commissions to address land conflict issues and the voluntary relocation of residents from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA).

Sharifa Nyanga, the director of presidential communications, said in a statement issued yesterday that the commissions are directed at assessing land conflict issues in NCA and another for evaluating the voluntary relocation of residents from the area.

The inauguration ceremony in Dar es Salaam fulfilled a promise the president made on December 1, in Arusha, at a meeting with community leaders and elected representatives for Ngorongoro and neighbouring areas to listen to their concerns.

The commissions will be chaired by Justice Dr Gerald Ndika, who leads the first commission and Musa Iyombe, a former permanent secretary for Regional Administration and Local Governments in the President's Office (PO-RALG), who heads the second commission.

Representatives from the Ngorongoro community are included in both commissions, whose work is slated to take three months, the statement indicated, noting that in her remarks, the president expressed confidence that the commissions' work would lead to a lasting solution to the challenges raised by community leaders and residents.

At the December 1 meeting, the president informed the community leaders that the government would form two commissions to investigate the complicated issues in Ngorongoro, which have led to grievances among local residents.

Addressing community elders known as Laigwanan hailing from the area, the president reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving their concerns. She emphasized the importance of protecting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) while fostering better relations between the government and local communities.

She pointed at the need for community participation in planning and implementing development projects in their areas, as well as the government’s commitment to national unity and inclusivity. The Regional Administration and Local Governments wing of the President’s Office (PO-RALG) to address critical challenges including the lack of essential social services in Ngorongoro, the president had instructed.