A surge in data-driven social investments is reshaping health services and youth empowerment programmes in Tanzania, where new national figures show rapid improvements in access to reproductive health care and targeted support for vulnerable groups.
According to official data released this year, the number of youth-friendly health facilities has nearly doubled — rising from 37 in 2023 to 68 in 2024 — while more than 910 healthcare providers have been trained to expand access to family planning and reproductive health services.
A further 824 out-of-school adolescent girls and young women have received life-skills and vocational training, with 213completing formal courses through VETA centres in Shinyanga and Mara.
The gains formed the backdrop as UNFPA Tanzania joined the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Office of the Chief Government Statistician in Zanzibar (OCGS) to commemorate African Statistics Day on Monday, highlighting how innovation and data are driving social progress.
The 2025 theme — “Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans” — aligns closely with the agency’s push to strengthen national statistical systems and ensure that government planning is informed by real-time evidence.
NBS used the occasion to present findings from the 2022 Population and Housing Census thematic reports, covering migration, youth, gender, mortality and environmental change.
In Zanzibar, OCGS convened the annual Statistical Forum, bringing together statisticians, policymakers and development partners to review advances in data collection, analysis and dissemination.
“Every reliable statistic represents a life improved,” said Mark Bryan Schreiner, UNFPA Representative in Tanzania.
He added that “When data shapes the decisions made by governments and communities, the impact on maternal health, youth wellbeing and gender equality is both measurable and sustainable.”
UNFPA’s technical support has helped Tanzania upgrade several data systems, including Zanzibar’s JUMUISHI database — a digital platform used to identify and support persons with disabilities and individuals at risk of gender-based violence.
Officials say the system is improving the coordination and delivery of social protection services.
The agency also helped launch a Family Planning Funding Dashboard with the Ministry of Health, offering a real-time view of domestic financing for reproductive health commodities.
The tool is expected to enhance transparency and guide resource allocation as the government works to strengthen reproductive health outcomes nationwide.
Across the country, UNFPA and its partners are increasingly relying on geospatial tools, mobile platforms and interactive dashboards to track service delivery, map vulnerabilities and assess the reach of health interventions.
Development partners, including Ireland, the United Kingdom and Sweden, provided financial and technical support for the statistical work highlighted during this year’s commemoration.
“Data gives visibility to the most vulnerable,” Schreiner said. “When countries invest in evidence, they invest in justice, equity and long-term development.”
