Category: The Citizen

The Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA) has won two awards at the 2026 Nanenane agricultural exhibitions, emerging third in two separate categories at the national and Lake Zone events.

At the national Nanenane exhibition in Dodoma, COPRA secured third place in the category for government agencies, authorities and commissions providing services and engaging in production.

The authority also finished third in the Lake Zone exhibition in the category for management and regulatory institutions. The awards recognise COPRA’s participation in the eight-day exhibitions, where it engaged farmers, traders and other stakeholders on issues including production, quality, standards, trade and markets for cereals and other produce.

During the exhibitions, COPRA conducted seminars on regulations governing avocado production, contract farming, and quality control and standards.

Stakeholders also used Cocoa Day to discuss opportunities in domestic markets, value addition and the role of young people in the cocoa business, including opportunities in chocolate, cocoa butter and cosmetics production.

COPRA further organised an Agribusiness Influencers Day, bringing content creators together with its officials and experts to discuss production, regulations, trade formalisation, market systems and the COPRA Management Information System (MIS).

The engagement was intended to equip content creators with accurate information to improve public understanding of the cereals and other produce sector.

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The authority also facilitated practical sessions on the use and value addition of pulses, including food-tasting activities and demonstrations of different recipes.

Beyond domestic engagement, COPRA held discussions with regional stakeholders, including officials from South Sudan, on agricultural trade, regional markets and digital systems.

The authority said the recognition would encourage it to continue improving services, strengthening markets, formalising trade and enhancing the competitiveness of Tanzanian agricultural produce in domestic, regional and international markets.

COPRA said the efforts were also in line with the implementation of Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050.

‘Know the Market; Increase Productivity to Implement Vision 2050.’

. The government and development partners have launched a plan to construct 1,000 footbridges within five years to reduce deaths and injuries caused by dangerous river crossings.

Data shared on Thursday, August 13, 2026, by Helvetas Tanzania’s Safe Footbridges Construction project manager, Ms Rosemary Kayanda, show that between 14 and 15 people die every year while crossing the Ruvu River, and a similar number are injured.

Ms Kayanda was speaking at the closing of a 15-day training programme, hinting that the initiative had begun with six model bridges in Morogoro Rural, Mvomero, Malinyi and Ulanga districts. ‘We are looking at 1,000 bridges within five years. We are starting with six bridges in Tanzania, expecting to build as many bridges as possible,’ she said.

Funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the three-year project will start in Morogoro before expanding to other regions.

Ms Kayanda said Helvetas had identified communities facing serious challenges crossing rivers during rainy seasons, limiting access to healthcare, education and markets.

‘Citizens have been unable to reach healthcare services, pupils fail to attend school during rains, and farmers cannot transport their produce to the market,’ she said.

She said some pupils had gone for up to two months without attending classes when rivers swelled, while patients failed to reach health facilities and farmers left produce to rot, noting that crocodiles in some rivers further increase the danger.

Tununguo, where the Ruvu River crossing is located, and Misengele Matuli in Mvomero District, where the Mbamba River is found, are among affected areas.

Ms Kayanda said the bridge technology was cost-effective, allowing several structures to be built simultaneously.

Each bridge costs between Sh50 million and Sh70 million and can last 50 to 100 years with proper maintenance.

‘These are long-lasting, affordable, and safer bridges for the community,’ she said.

Helvetas is working with Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura), local councils, and other stakeholders to expand the programme.

Tanzania could draw on Helvetas’ experience in Nepal and Ethiopia, where thousands of bridges have been built.

The Morogoro training involved 15 engineers and technical experts from Tarura, the Prime Minister’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government, Morogoro and Mvomero councils, and Helvetas.

It comprised 12 classroom days and three days of fieldwork.

Participants covered site selection, surveying, design, foundations, cables, towers, costing, BoQ preparation and quality control.

They also prepared detailed project reports for bridges in Morogoro and Mvomero.

The reports will guide planning, approvals, procurement and implementation.

Morogoro Regional Administrative Secretary, Dr Mussa Ali Mussa, called for closer institutional cooperation, urging councils to use local resources and expertise to increase bridge construction.

‘We need to collaborate genuinely and practically, not just through words,’ he said.

Tarura consulting engineer, Mr Pharles Ngeeleja, said the agency manages about 144,149.18 kilometres of roads, most of which are unpaved, underscoring the scale of rural connectivity challenges.

‘Our country is still poor, and poverty is sometimes perpetuated by poor road infrastructure,’ he said.

For communities separated by swollen rivers, a footbridge means more than a crossing; it can be a child’s route to school, a patient’s path to hospital, and a farmer’s route to markets.

. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is turning to cooperatives, insurance agents and community-based structures to expand health insurance coverage among farmers and other informal-sector workers.

The approach is part of the government’s efforts to extend health insurance coverage under the Universal Health Insurance programme to people who earn their livelihoods outside formal employment.

NHIF manager for marketing and customer services Angela Mziray said the Fund was using structures already trusted by farmers and other informal workers to take insurance information and registration services closer to communities. ‘Cooperatives bring together large numbers of farmers, creating an established platform through which health insurance information and registration services can be taken closer to communities,’ she said.

Insurance agents are also being used to provide registration and information services, particularly to people who cannot easily access NHIF offices. Ms Mziray urged Tanzanians to enrol in health insurance before falling ill, saying it could protect families from having to use savings or sell assets to meet unexpected medical expenses.

‘Illness comes without warning. You may be healthy today, but tomorrow you will need expensive medical treatment.

That is why we urge people to join health insurance early so they can build financial protection for themselves and their families,’ she said.

She said the Fund was also conducting public education campaigns across the country to increase awareness of the benefits of health insurance and encourage people to avoid paying medical bills entirely from their own pockets.

NHIF members can access healthcare through government, private and faith-based health facilities registered with the Fund, she said.

‘Illness can affect anyone at any time. Having health insurance means that when the need arises, a family can seek medical care without having to bear the full cost of treatment from its own resources,’ she said.

The focus on farmers follows a directive by Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa on February 2, 2026, identifying farmers among the strategic groups to be reached under the Universal Health Insurance programme.

Other groups include livestock keepers, artists, motorcycle taxi operators and small-scale miners.

Mr Mchengerwa said the government would reach such groups in the areas where they live and work, using communication approaches and language suited to their circumstances to increase enrolment.

The government has also begun implementing the Universal Health Insurance programme for households unable to afford contributions, with Sh48.8 billion allocated to support healthcare access for specified groups.

As of the latest figures, 172,297 households had been reached and enrolled, with 463,228 beneficiaries beginning to access medical services at registered health facilities.

Tanzania has just closed a chapter that I spent years watching from the inside, one policy shift at a time. Under the Foreign Exchange (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the Bank of Tanzania has opened Treasury bills and Treasury bonds to non-resident investors of any nationality, not only those from the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, or the Tanzanian diaspora, who previously held exclusive access to this market.

More than a decade ago, I led a benchmarking exercise on Tanzania’s compliance with the EAC Treaty and the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Common Market, with a specific focus on the free movement of capital.

What that exercise found was a capital market that did not honour its regional obligations. Tanzania then added the EAC and SADC residency requirements which gave the appearance of regional openness, while the underlying market remained, in practice, tightly held by Tanzanians and a narrow band of regional and diaspora participants.

Watching that market widen, cautiously and in stages, over the following ten years has been one of the more instructive lessons I have had in how capital account liberalisation unfolds in this region. It rarely arrives as a single dramatic reform. It arrives as a sequence of smaller ones that eventually cross a threshold.

This amendment crosses that threshold. Non resident investors, regardless of nationality, now access Treasury bills and Treasury bonds through approved Central Depository Participants and the Bank of Tanzania’s Central Depository System, the same infrastructure used by domestic banks, brokers and diaspora investors before them.

The reform follows the central bank’s earlier move to market determined bond coupon rates, adopted at the end of 2024 to improve price discovery, a precondition that matters more than it might first appear.

Foreign capital tends to avoid markets where pricing is administered rather than discovered. Tanzania removed that obstacle before opening the door, not after.

The timing speaks to a broader fiscal reality. Domestic debt currently makes up close to 30 percent of Tanzania’s total debt stock of just over $50 billion, and until now, retail and foreign holders together accounted for a modest share of that.

As Tanzania moves into the implementation phase of Vision 2050, and as budget financing becomes less reliant on concessional development assistance and more dependent on a mix of domestic revenue, market borrowing and blended finance, a shallow, closed government securities market becomes a genuine constraint.

Widening the investor base is not merely a technical fix to a funding gap. It is a structural requirement for a country that intends to finance its own long term development ambitions rather than borrow them from donors.

There is a currency stability dimension too, and it deserves equal weight. A broader base of non resident holders of shilling denominated government debt creates another channel through which foreign currency enters the economy, easing pressure on the exchange rate and deepening liquidity in the domestic bond market. Analysts have been quick to frame the reform in these terms, and they are right to. However, it is worth stating plainly that opening a market and deepening a market are not the same achievement. The regulation creates access. It does not, on its own, create demand.

Whether this reform delivers the capital inflows Tanzania is counting on will depend on execution that has, in other reform episodes, lagged the ambition of the policy itself: how efficiently Central Depository Participants onboard new foreign clients, how predictably the tax treatment of non resident bondholders is applied, and how consistently regulatory intent is honoured at the operational level once the initial announcement fades from the headlines.

Tanzania has, to its credit, been more disciplined on this front in recent years than it was a decade ago.

However, sophisticated institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and development finance institutions among them, will watch implementation as closely as they watched the announcement itself.

For investors evaluating East African fixed income exposure for the first time, or reconsidering it, this reform deserves attention beyond the headline. It is not the end point of Tanzania’s capital account liberalisation, and it should not be read as one.

It is, however, the clearest signal yet that Tanzania intends to finance its next phase of growth on more diversified terms, and that the market it is offering access to is no longer the closed one I first worked on a decade ago.

Amne Suedi is the Managing Director of Shikana Investment and Advisory, Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Zanzibar, and Chair of the Switzerland-Tanzania Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed are strictly Amne Suedi’s only.

. The Rotary Club of Bahari Dar es Salaam will host its 16th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at the Gymkhana Club, bringing together golfers, corporate leaders, Rotarians and partners to raise support for community development initiatives.

Held under Rotary’s theme, ‘Each One, Engage for Impact,’ the annual tournament has become a key platform for combining sport, fellowship and service, while mobilising resources for projects in health, education, environmental conservation, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Rotary Club of Bahari President Irene Bizere said reaching the 16th edition was an important milestone, noting that the tournament had evolved beyond a sporting event into a platform for corporate partnerships and community service.

‘Over the years, this tournament has grown beyond golf to become a platform where friendship, corporate partnership and a shared commitment to service come together,’ Ms Bizere said.

She thanked sponsors, golfers and partners for their continued support, saying their contributions had enabled the club to make a tangible difference in communities.

The club’s recent projects include a Microforest Project implemented in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation during the 2025/26 Rotary year. The initiative engaged 80 youth volunteers and directly benefited more than 300 students and staff.

The club also planted 1,000 trees around the University of Dar es Salaam campus, provided free cervical cancer screening to at least 150 women and delivered an incinerator to Toangoma Primary School to improve sanitation and waste management.

Several projects are also currently underway, including a Neonatal Global Grant Project in partnership with SolidarMed to support neonatal wards with equipment and training.

Other initiatives include renovating primary school toilets, installing an incinerator at Mtakuja Secondary School to support WASH and girls’ hygiene, and providing 450 desks to improve learning conditions for about 3,030 pupils, including 34 blind pupils at Toangoma Primary School.

Healthcare remains another major area of focus for the club.

In July, the Rotary Club of Bahari, working with Rotaract Tanzania and the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), conducted a blood donation drive in Masaki, Dar es Salaam.

The campaign registered 77 donors and mobilised 41 volunteers, resulting in the collection of 44 units of blood, which could potentially save more than 130 lives.

Service Project Director Gladyness Mkumbo said the results demonstrated the impact that could be achieved through collective action and partnerships.

‘Forty-four units is a strong start, but our ambition is to go further,’ Ms Mkumbo said, adding that partnerships built around initiatives such as the golf tournament could help mobilise more people and resources for community projects.

The tournament has attracted support from a range of corporate partners, including Toyota, Ecobank, TotalEnergies, ASAS, GSM, Minet Insurance, SBC (T) Ltd, Allmol Freight Services, Neelkanth Group, Lodhia Group, Tanfoam, Abbas Autos, V One Ahead Insurance, Blueberry Travel and NCBA.

The Rotary Club of Bahari has invited golfers, companies, organisations and friends of Rotary to participate in the tournament and support its efforts to create lasting positive change in communities.

The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGZ) has assured private sector investors seeking opportunities in the archipelago of a conducive investment environment, emphasising that economic growth cannot be driven by the government alone.

The government said its primary role is to formulate policies, laws and regulations that create certainty, comfort and ease for investors, enabling the private sector to play a leading role in economic development.

These remarks were made on Thursday, August 13, 2026, by Zanzibar’s Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Juma Malik Akil, during a meeting on private sector participation in the implementation of the Zanzibar Development Plan (ZADEP II) 2026/31.

Held at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Unguja’s Urban West Region, the meeting was organised by the Zanzibar Planning Commission.

Minister Malik stated that there has been a perception that when the government formulates short- and long-term plans, it excludes the private sector, and they want to eliminate that notion because it is incorrect.

‘A country’s economy is built by the private sector; the government has one major task: to formulate policies, laws, and procedures that make it easier for them to invest, and to create regulations that give them comfort in executing the projects they wish to invest in,’ he said.

He noted that the old mindset of expecting the government to handle everything was what created hesitation and fear around investing.

Consequently, Dr Malik stated that because the government is ready to collaborate with the private sector, it has resolved to amend laws that cause delays and create bottlenecks in enabling them to conduct business or invest.

The minister added that the aim of these measures is to provide stability and peace of mind.

He reassured investors that past obstacles no longer exist, noting that even the registration process for investors has been streamlined to prevent long delays and make operations easier.

The Zanzibar Planning Commission executive secretary, Dr Josephine Kimaro, stated that ZADEP II is a medium-term development framework building on where ZADEP I (2021-2026) concluded, forming part of the implementation of the Zanzibar Development Vision 2050.

She explained that the main objective of the plan is to boost the economy and individual incomes, develop human capital through skills and employment, and ensure the economy built is sustainable, resilient, and inclusive of ordinary citizens.

‘The private sector is ready to participate in raising citizen incomes to ensure that development reaches ordinary people and enhances individual livelihoods,’ she said.

She emphasised that the private sector is a key stakeholder, given that the Commission bears the primary responsibility of planning, overseeing, and monitoring implementation to ensure tangible results.

A stakeholder from the Africa Pension Fund (APeF), Mr Mfaume Kimario, advised the RGZ to list and register companies and projects executed in Zanzibar on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and in collective investment schemes.

He noted that such a step would offer Tanzanians and Zanzibaris a full opportunity to participate by purchasing shares and becoming owners or investors in these strategic government projects.

m. American R and B star Trey Songz has arrived in Tanzania promising Dar es Salaam music lovers a performance to remember, while also using his maiden visit to the country to take part in a humanitarian engagement.

The concert will take place at the TTCL Grounds, popularly known as Posta Grounds, in Kijitonyama, Dar es Salaam. Unlike events that charge individual entrance fees at the gate, fans will access the venue through table bookings, with tables available at different prices depending on the package. There will be no individual entrance fee for fans at the gate.

The Grammy-nominated singer touched down at Julius Nyerere International Airport shortly after midnight yesterday ahead of the Imbeju Sauti Moja Concert, which will be held tomorrow, August 14, at TTCL Grounds, popularly known as Posta Grounds, in Dar es Salaam.

Unlike conventional concerts, organisers have said there will be no entrance fee charged at the gate. Instead, fans will access the event by purchasing tables offered at different prices, depending on the package.

Trey Songz will headline an international line-up of artistes at the concert, which is expected to attract thousands of music fans eager to watch the American R and B star perform live in Tanzania for the first time.

As part of his Tanzania itinerary, Trey is also expected to visit the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), adding a social and humanitarian dimension to his maiden trip.

The visit will give the artiste an opportunity to learn more about the institute’s work and interact with people connected to its services before turning his attention to the concert stage.

His arrival has already generated excitement among local music fans, with the singer expected to combine his international R and B appeal with a major Tanzanian welcome during his stay in Dar es Salaam.

Speaking shortly after arriving in Dar es Salaam, Trey said he was excited to be in Tanzania and meet his fans. ‘It’s overwhelming but I’m happy and excited to be here. I’m happy to come and perform. I’m very happy,’ he said.

Beyond the concert, the singer said he was interested in experiencing Tanzania, its culture and its people, rather than relying on assumptions about the country.

His arrival was given an added touch of Bongo Flava glamour when Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz showed up at the airport to welcome him.

The two artistes are not strangers, having previously met in the United States, where they also spent time together in a studio. Their reunion in Dar es Salaam quickly became a talking point among music fans.

Trey’s visit comes as Dar es Salaam prepares for the Imbeju Sauti Moja Concert, part of the wider CRDB International Marathon 2026 weekend, which brings together entertainment, sport and social investment.

He will share the stage with Nigerian Afrobeats singer BNXN, formerly known as Buju, South African DJ and producer Kabza De Small, as well as Tanzanian stars Mbosso and G Nako.

For Trey, the show will mark his Tanzanian performance debut and an opportunity to connect directly with an audience that has followed his music over the years.

His catalogue includes fan favourites such as Bottoms Up, Slow Motion, Say Aah, Na Na, Can’t Help but Wait and Heart Attack.

A total of 387 Tanzanian students have received travel documents to enable them to pursue higher education in China and India.

The students, who are preparing to travel for their studies, received the documents in Dar es Salaam in the presence of their parents and guardians.

The documents were handed over by Global Education Link (GEL), with 198 students set to travel to China and 189 to India to begin their studies at various higher education institutions. The travel documents included passports, visas, flight tickets, No Objection Certificates (NOCs), Yellow Fever vaccination certificates and other documents required by the relevant authorities, depending on the destination country, institution and individual travel requirements.

The meetings also provided students, parents and guardians with final briefings on travel arrangements, immigration procedures, accommodation, health insurance, safety, financial management, personal conduct and adapting to life in their respective destination countries.

Speaking at the event, GEL Executive Director Abdulmalik Mollel, who was joined by representatives from colleges in China and India, urged the students to make the most of their time abroad by acquiring knowledge and skills beyond their academic qualifications.

‘I urge you to use your time abroad to gain knowledge and skills beyond your academic qualifications,’ he said.

Mr Mollel encouraged the students not to travel to China and India simply to obtain certificates or degrees, but to take advantage of the technology, laboratories, workshops, innovation centres and international networks available to them.

He challenged them to go beyond classroom learning by visiting laboratories, workshops and innovation centres to understand how technologies and products are developed and applied to address societal challenges.

Using a Business Administration student as an example, Mr Mollel said learning management theories alone was insufficient, urging students to also develop an understanding of products, technology, production processes and industrial systems.

He said such knowledge would help students identify opportunities to establish businesses or contribute to transforming existing enterprises after graduation.

GEL has more than 19 years of experience assisting Tanzanian students, parents and guardians to pursue education opportunities overseas.

Alikiba, Bien, Diamond Platnumz, Marioo and other East African artistes are driving a growing wave of cross-border collaborations, as musicians from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda increasingly join forces to reach new audiences.

Spotify’s Global Impact List for H1 2026 has placed ‘Finale,’ ‘AYAYAAH,’ ‘Lete Sound,’ ‘Pom Pom’ and ‘Nasinzia II’ among East Africa’s leading collaboration tracks, highlighting the growing influence of cross-border partnerships on the region’s music industry.

According to Spotify, the collaborations are helping artistes move beyond their individual national audiences by combining different sounds, cultures and fan bases.

Leading the list is ‘Finale’ by Tanzania’s Alikiba and Kenya’s Bien, bringing together two established names from neighbouring music markets.

At number two is ‘AYAYAAH,’ featuring Bien alongside Uganda’s Joshua Baraka and Rwanda’s ELEMENT EleéeH.

The third-ranked song, ‘Lete Sound,’ brings together Tanzanian singer Ben Pol, Kenyan artiste Juliani and Dutch DJ and producer Don Diablo, adding an international dimension to the regional collaboration trend.

At number four is ‘Pom Pom,’ a collaboration between Rwanda’s Bruce Melodie, Nigeria’s Brown Joel and Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz, showing how East African collaborations are also extending beyond the region.

Completing the top five is ‘Nasinzia II,’ by Kenya’s Nameless and Tanzania’s Marioo.

Spotify said the growing number of such collaborations points to a music scene that is becoming increasingly interconnected.

‘Collaboration is driving East Africa’s biggest global songs,’ the platform said, noting that artistes are increasingly blending sounds and audiences across national borders.

For artistes seeking to grow beyond their home markets, collaborations offer a direct way to tap into established audiences in other countries. A listener who discovers Alikiba through ‘Finale,’ for example, may go on to explore Bien’s catalogue, while Bien’s audience gets an introduction to Alikiba’s music.

The same dynamic can be seen in ‘AYAYAAH,’ which brings together artistes from three East African countries on one track, giving each performer access to audiences beyond their usual markets.

The list also reflects the diversity of East Africa’s music landscape. Bongo Flava from Tanzania, Kenya’s Afropop and urban sounds, Uganda’s contemporary R and B and Rwanda’s growing urban music scene are increasingly finding space on the same records.

Rather than erasing national identities, Spotify said such collaborations allow artistes to showcase their distinct sounds while reaching wider audiences.

Streaming platforms have accelerated that process by making it easier for listeners to discover music beyond their home countries. A song released in Dar es Salaam can quickly find listeners in Nairobi, Kampala or Kigali, while a cross-border collaboration can give artistes a foothold in markets that may previously have been difficult to access.

The five songs on Spotify’s list offer a snapshot of an East African music industry in which geographical borders are becoming less important in determining how far a song can travel.

As more artistes join forces across countries, collaboration is increasingly emerging as one of the region’s strongest tools for turning local sounds into a wider African and global conversation.

In today’s world, where employment challenges and social changes are accelerat­ing, World Vision Tanzania has emerged as a true partner for Tanzanian youth.

Through its ambitious AHADI, BLOOM, and Youth Ready projects, implemented with the partnership with; the government of Tanzania, Niajiri Africa, Babawatoto, KIWO­HEDE, TAHEA, The Barett Fami­ly Foundation and Government of Canada, the organization has been implementing strategies aimed not only at providing youth with job skills but transforming them into heroes of change within their com­munities.

As Tanzania joins the world in cel­ebrating International Youth Day, World Vision Tanzania is show­casing the significant milestones achieved through these initiatives. Currently active in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Tanga, these projects highlight the immense potential of young people to contribute to national development.

The organization is fully prepared to use various platforms to show­case the significant milestones of development and transformation achieved by young people through the implementation of the AHADI, BLOOM, and Youth Ready projects.

The Youth Expo: Bridging the skills gap

A cornerstone of this strategy is the Youth Expo, a unique platform that connects young people with development stakeholders, employ­ers, and training institutions.

The expo serves as a critical forum to address labor market challenges while providing direct employment links for youth who have passed through World Vision Tanzania’s programmes.

Foundations of health and informed choices

World Vision Tanzania operates on the principle that a healthy youth is a productive citizen. Through the AHADI project, approximately 294,438 young people have received vital reproductive health education.

This education has been a cata­lyst in helping youth understand themselves, protect themselves against unintended pregnancies, and make informed decisions about their future lives. Furthermore, the AHADI Impact Model (AHADIIM) has been a pillar of change for ado­lescents (aged 10-24), emphasizing peer-to-peer learning.

Youth learn freely about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, protection against violence (GBV/SGBV), and life skills. The confidence of these young people has increased because they now recognize ways to protect themselves from violence and know where to access services.

Youth participants of the AHADI project, being implemented by World Vision Tanzania, engage in discussions.

These positive results have been achieved for youth both in and out of school, fostering a sense of safety and confidence among them.

Economic empowerment and breaking stereotypes

The Youth Ready project has become an engine for econom­ic liberation. To date, 17,211 young people have undergone vocational training, with 8,490 successfully securing jobs or starting their own businesses. Additionally, 610 youth have graduated from TVET and entrepreneurship courses under the AHADI project.

Likewise, through the AHADI project, 610 youth have graduated from vocational training (TVET) and entrepreneurship, which has bolstered their confidence to com­pete in the job market due to the certificates and skills they acquired

Beyond skills, the organisation is successfully dismantling gender stereotypes. Youth are now choos­ing professions from mechanics to culinary arts based on passion and ability rather than traditional gender roles. Financial literacy has also seen a boost, with 51 Savings for Transformation (S4T) groups established, managing a total of Sh 12,417,600

Strategic partnerships for impact

Collaboration remains key. World Vision Tanzania works closely with the government through Youth Integration Forums to facilitate access to loans and opportunities. In the private sector, partnerships with entities like Niajiri Africa pro­vide essential internships, while the Youth Ready Leadership Academy alumni network offers a bridge to the professional world.

World Vision Tanzania also works with local partners includes; Babawatoto and TAHEA to imple­ment these projects. as well as The Barett Family Foundation for Youth Ready and Government of Cana­da for AHADI and Bloom who are funding these projects.

Furthermore, 11 health facilities in Dodoma and Dar es Salaam have been refribshmented to provide youth-friendly, stigma-free services, equipped with digital tools for con­tinued learning.

Service providers have been trained to offer services without stigma or judgment, which has increased youth confidence in vis­iting these centers for reproductive health and nutrition services. These centers have also been equipped with communication tools to enable youth to engage in digital learning.

In technology, a partnership with Apps and Girls has seen 25 girls in Dar es Salaam master coding and web design, who are now training their peers.

Although the challenge of rural infrastructure persists, World Vision Tanzania continues to provide training using a hybrid approach (digital and analog) in approximately 16 regions, following government guidelines.

The MenCare champions the environment

The MenCare Champions mod­ule has brought about a significant transformation in mindsets. Now, men participate fully in domestic duties such as cooking and washing, tasks that were previously viewed as being for women only.

These men have become protec­tors of girls’ rights, opposing child marriage and gender-based vio­lence. Regarding the environment, youth in the Tanga region are using the Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) module to influence environmental policies.

The Empowered Worldview (EWV) module has helped youth move away from a culture of dependency and start using their own resources for entrepreneur­ship. This courage led youth to international platforms like COP27 to represent the voice of Tanzania.

Voices of success

One of the living examples of change brought by World Vision Tanzania is the story of Hussein Rajab Mathayo (22), a young man from Kivule Ward in Dar es Salaam, whose life has transformed from the streets to becoming a respected pro­fessional Chef, along with Mariam Iddi Athumani (22) from Mnadani Ward, Dodoma, who overcame a period of darkness after being una­ble to continue her studies in 2022.

Mariam Iddi: A second chance in life

Mariam Iddi Athumani is a 22-year-old young mother from Mnadani Ward who lives with her 2 visually impaired parents and her younger sibling. After completing her secondary education at Miyuji Secondary School in 2022, Mariam was unable to continue to Advanced Level because of her family’s finan­cial hardships.

Her dream of becoming a doctor came to an end, leaving her hope­less and discouraged. With her par­ents unable to earn a stable income, the family relied on support from relatives and the local mosque to survive.

Feeling frustrated and without direction, Mariam became involved in negative peer groups, where she started smoking, drinking alcohol, and engaging in risky sexual behav­ior. In 2024, she gave birth to a baby boy, Abdul-Aziz Athumani, after her partner denied responsibility for the pregnancy. The experience left her emotionally distressed and struggling to care for both herself and her child.

In early 2025, Mariam’s life began to change when a community ambassador introduced her to the AHADI Project. She was linked to the project’s promoter, Mwaija, who encouraged her to attend the AHA­DI learning sessions.

Through these sessions, Mariam gained knowledge on maternal and child health, positive decision-mak­ing, and life skills. She began attend­ing regular child welfare visits and monthly clinic visits at Mipango Dispensary and followed the advice of healthcare providers, which led to significant improvements in her son’s health.

The youth participants of World Vision Tanzania projects share knowledge and skills at Bunju Health Centre.

‘The AHADI Project gave me a second chance in life. It transformed me from a hopeless young mother into a confident and independent woman. Today, I can provide for my child, support my family, make informed decisions, and inspire other young people to believe that change is possible,’ Mariam said with a smile.

From a Street to a chef: Hus­sein Mathayo’s journey

Hussein, who has only a primary education, went through a difficult period after dropping out of school due to his family’s poor economic situation. Raised by a single parent, Hussein found himself losing hope, spending much of his time on the streets under the influence of direc­tionless friends.

‘I had no direction, I had no job, and I had no faith that I could fulfill my dreams,’ Hussein explains. The change began when he met a Youth Ready project animator.

Despite initial doubts about the opportunity, Hussein decided to join and received life skills training through modules like ‘Who am I and Who are We’, ‘Ready for Work’, ‘Ready for Entrepreneurship’, and ‘Ready for Citizenship’

These training sessions helped Hussein understand himself, build confidence, and see his value as a young person capable of fulfilling his dreams. Following the training, Hussein joined vocational training at the KIWOHEDE TVET center in Bunju, where he chose to study Hotel Management due to his pas­sion for cooking

Despite being discouraged by some in the community who claimed that cooking is not a man’s job, Hussein remained firm. ‘I believed that success comes from passion and hard work, not from societal expectations,’ Hussein says.

His efforts led him to the South Beach Resort Hotel in Kigamboni for practical training (field). Due to his discipline and hard work, Hus­sein succeeded in being employed as a professional Chef immediately after his training.

Today, Hussein not only earns an income but also supports his family, parents, and siblings while serving as a source of inspiration for other youth in his neighborhood. Hus­sein now has even bigger dreams of becoming a world-class inter­national chef and opening his own restaurant that will provide jobs for other young people.

Jubilee Strategy FY2026-FY2030: Towards 2030

The ‘Jubilee Strategy FY2026-FY2030’ has been specifically designed to reach even more youth, particularly those in urban areas.

This strategy aims to ensure youth can liberate themselves eco­nomically through vocational train­ing, improvements in reproductive health services, and by addressing youth policy reforms

By the year 2030, this strategy aims to have enabled many urban youth to achieve their economic and social goals. Through this strat­egy, Tanzania is cultivating a new generation of youth who will not only be employed but will be lead­ers, innovators, and catalysts for change in the nation.

International Youth Day, com­bined with the vision of World Vision Tanzania, serves as a remind­er that when a young person is given the opportunity and skills as Hus­sein and Mariam, they can turn darkness into light and transform their community and the nation as a whole.

World Vision Tanzania grate­fully acknowledges the Govern­ment of Canada and The Barrett Family Foundation for making this life-changing work possible. Through their generosity and com­mitment to youth empowerment, thousands of young people are gaining the tools, opportunities, and support needed to unlock their potential, build sustainable liveli­hoods, and shape a more hopeful future.