Tanzania, May 23 -- Unguja. In mid-April, Zanzibar was plunged into a fuel shortage crisis, grinding businesses to a halt for nearly two days.

As the island's economy teetered on the edge, urgent intervention was needed to prevent the situation from spiralling into a full-blown crisis.

Initially, the Zanzibar Utilities and Regulatory Authority (Zura) on April 16, attributed the shortage to delayed imports. However, investigations uncovered a deeper issue; a flawed tendering process that had left oil marketing companies (OMCs) in dire straits.

The root cause of the crisis lay in a tender for bulk fuel importation held under Zura's supervision.

Five companies had vied for the contract, submitting bids in US dollars per metric tonne. The...