Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all national development plans, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen equality, social justice and access to services across Tanzania.
This was emphasized in Dar es Salaam by the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Coordination and Persons with Disabilities), Dr. Jim Yonazi, during a working session that brought together leaders from disability organizations and civil society organizations to review the implementation of inclusive policies, laws and guidelines.
Dr. Yonazi said Tanzania has continued to make progress in building a society where no one is left behind, noting that the National Disability Policy of 2004 and the Persons with Disabilities Act No. 9 of 2010 remain key pillars guiding the protection of rights and promotion of equality for persons with disabilities.
He stressed that inclusion must be integrated at every stage of development planning, from design and implementation to monitoring and evaluation.
He noted that all government plans, policies and public services are expected to reflect the needs of persons with disabilities in order to ensure equal access and participation.
According to him, disability inclusion is not an isolated responsibility of a single institution or sector, but a shared obligation that requires coordination among government ministries, development partners, private sector actors and civil society organizations.
He emphasized that stronger collaboration is necessary to improve efficiency in service delivery and ensure that development benefits reach all citizens equally.
He further highlighted the importance of improving communication systems to make information more accessible to persons with disabilities, including sign language interpretation, Braille materials, assistive technologies and other inclusive communication tools that enable equal access to public information and services.
Dr. Yonazi acknowledged the important role played by organizations of persons with disabilities and non-governmental organizations in advocating for rights, raising awareness, providing capacity-building programmes, supporting economic empowerment, and delivering health and education services.
He said these stakeholders remain a crucial bridge between government policies and community-level implementation, especially in ensuring that disability inclusion is practical and not only theoretical.
At the same time, he pointed out that despite significant progress, several challenges still affect the full realization of disability inclusion in the country, including limited understanding of inclusion principles in some sectors, inconsistent implementation of policies and laws, and gaps in the delivery of accessible services.
He said the working session provided an important opportunity for stakeholders to discuss how to strengthen coordination and improve implementation across all sectors, with the aim of building a more inclusive national system.
On her part, the Vice Chairperson of the Federation of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities in Tanzania (SHIVYAWATA), Tungi Mwanjala, called on the government to consider expanding official recognition systems to include children of parents with disabilities so that they can also benefit from development opportunities.
She said such recognition would help children from these families access opportunities such as higher education loans and employment pathways more easily, based on existing government procedures.
Mwanjala also commended the government for improving disability identification systems, saying the progress made has strengthened planning and service delivery, but further reforms are still needed to ensure inclusion reaches all levels of society.
The meeting brought together government officials, disability organizations and development partners, who agreed on the need to accelerate inclusive development efforts and strengthen coordination mechanisms to ensure equal participation of all citizens in national growth.
