Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa has revealed that rates of stunting among children under five in Tanzania have fallen from 48 percent in 1992 to 30 percent in 2022. The rate of wasting among the same age group has also dropped from 5 percent to 3.2 percent over the same period.
Majaliwa made the announcement on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, while closing the 11th National Nutrition Stakeholders’ Meeting at the APC conference hall in Bunju, Dar es Salaam.
He said the Sixth Phase Government, led by President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, recognizes that nutrition is not only a health issue but a pillar of human development, economic growth, and social progress.
“The government’s commitment is to ensure that every Tanzanian has access to sufficient food, good health, and proper nutrition,” he said.
Majaliwa highlighted President Samia’s leadership in the fight against malnutrition through budget prioritization, enhanced monitoring systems, and community outreach from national to village level. “These efforts earned her the Global Goalkeeper award from the Gates Foundation for her role in advancing Sustainable Development Goals, especially maternal and child health and nutrition,” he added.
The Prime Minister noted a rising challenge, with overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age increasing from 28 percent in 2015 to 37 percent in 2022. “This trend reflects changes in diets and lifestyles affecting Tanzania and the world at large,” he said.
He urged ministries, public institutions, and private organizations to allocate adequate resources for nutrition interventions and integrate them into annual plans to ensure accountability and sustainability.
Majaliwa also encouraged research institutions and universities to carry out nutrition studies and use findings to improve national policies and strategies.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Employment, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities), Ridhiwan Kikwete, said the government will ensure all stakeholders involved in the National Nutrition Multisectoral Plan continue to implement their responsibilities. “All ministries must incorporate nutrition into their annual budget plans,” he said.
Kikwete added that the Prime Minister’s Office completed a study on the cost of malnutrition, assessing its financial and socio-economic impact.
“The findings will guide senior leaders and policymakers to take decisive action against malnutrition, particularly among children,” he said.
