The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commended Tanzania for making significant progress in improving child health, nutrition, education and overall well-being, while calling for sustained investment in early childhood development.
UNICEF Representative in Tanzania Elke Wisch said the country had recorded notable gains over the past three decades, including a substantial reduction in under-five mortality and childhood stunting.
Ms Wisch made the remarks during a meeting with Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar in Dar es Salaam, where the two discussed strengthening cooperation on human capital development and the implementation of priorities outlined in the National Development Vision 2050.
“We recognise and commend this progress, but challenges remain that require continued attention, particularly during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, education, nutrition and early childhood development,” Ms Wisch said.
She said Tanzania had reduced the prevalence of stunting from about one in every two children in 1992 to roughly one in every three children in recent years.
According to Ms Wisch, the progress demonstrates the impact of sustained interventions in nutrition and child welfare, but also highlights the need for continued investment to ensure more children benefit from improved services.
She said UNICEF was supporting the government in developing investment cases for early childhood development and nutrition, while proposing a national dialogue on financing early childhood development.
The dialogue, she said, could bring together government institutions, development partners, the private sector and philanthropic organisations to mobilise resources and improve coordination of investments targeting children.
Ms Wisch said the first 1,000 days of a child’s life remained particularly important because interventions during pregnancy and the early years can have long-term implications for a child’s health, learning and future productivity.
She said UNICEF would continue supporting Tanzania in strengthening policies, planning and financing mechanisms that prioritise children’s needs.
The UNICEF representative also commended the government for its cooperation in budget transparency, budget analysis and expenditure monitoring.
She said stronger analysis and monitoring of public spending was important in ensuring that resources allocated to children translated into better services at national and local government levels.
“UNICEF will continue supporting the government to build capacity in budget analysis and monitoring at both national and local government levels, particularly because many services affecting children are delivered at those levels,” she said.
For his part, Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar described UNICEF as an important development partner, given its focus on children and young people below the age of 18, who account for nearly 30 million people in Tanzania.
He said the size of the population made investment in children a critical component of Tanzania’s long-term development strategy.
“The UNICEF agenda in Tanzania is highly important in ensuring that children have access to essential services that enable them to grow in a supportive environment, including maternal and child health, education, nutrition and early childhood development,” Mr Omar said.
He said investment in children should be viewed as an investment in the country’s future workforce, arguing that the quality of Tanzania’s human capital would depend significantly on the conditions in which children grow and develop.
“We must invest in them today for tomorrow’s work and build human capital that will form the foundation of national development. Human capital goes beyond education; it also includes good health, nutrition, care and the overall well-being of children,” he said.
Mr Omar pledged that the Ministry of Finance would continue working closely with UNICEF, particularly in areas linked to government planning and budgeting.
He said effective investment in health, education, nutrition and child welfare was essential to building a productive population capable of contributing to Tanzania’s long-term economic and social development.
The meeting was also attended by Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary and Commissioner for External Finance Rished Bade, Assistant Commissioner for External Finance Robert Mtengule, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Finance and UNICEF.
