The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has called for stronger systems to turn environmental innovations from ideas and pilot projects into businesses capable of attracting investment, creating jobs and delivering practical solutions to climate change.
NEMC Acting Director of Environmental Research, Dr Careen Kahangwa, said Tanzania needed a stronger link between innovators, entrepreneurs and communities on one side and markets, finance, technology and development partners on the other.
She made the call on behalf of NEMC Director General Dr Immaculate Sware Semesi during the closing ceremony of the Tanzania Green Summit 2026 at Mlimani City in Dar es Salaam.
Dr Kahangwa said good environmental ideas should not end up being displayed at competitions or exhibitions without a clear path to commercialisation and wider use.
“We should not be satisfied with seeing good ideas remain in competitions, exhibitions or pilot projects. We need to see them transformed into sustainable businesses, jobs, investments and solutions to environmental and climate challenges,” she said.
She said establishing a system to connect innovators with financial institutions, markets, technology and technical expertise would help promising solutions overcome some of the barriers that prevent them from growing.
The approach, she added, could create opportunities for entrepreneurs while enabling communities to benefit from innovations designed to address environmental challenges.
Dr Kahangwa also called for long-term partnerships among stakeholders to ensure that resolutions reached at the summit translate into measurable action.
She said the summit should be viewed as the beginning of a continuous process rather than a two-day event, with stakeholders following up on commitments and measuring their impact.
“We need to follow up on the opportunities discussed, strengthen the partnerships established and measure the results of the actions that will be taken after this summit,” she said.
The Tanzania Green Summit 2026 was held from September 15 to 16 under the theme “Turning Climate Action into Opportunity.”