Tanzania

The Swiss Cooperation Programme 2021-2024 supports Tanzania’s process towards an equitable and stable middle-income country and empowers young people to advance socially and economically. Especially supporting impoverished women, as the main driver of change to contribute to regional stability and prosperity. Switzerland reinforces state institutions and local, national and international civil society organizations in the domains of health, governance, employment and income with gender equality as a cross cutting issue. 

Tanzania is Africa’s sixth-most populous and fastest-urbanising country with a population of 58 million. For the first time in 2020, the World Bank with a GDP per capita of USD 1,080 classified Tanzania as a lower middle-income country. However, economic growth has not been inclusive and not been able to raise incomes of the poor. Approximatively 14 million live below the national poverty line of 21 USD per month. Poverty is more prevalent in rural areas, among young people and women-headed households. 

Politically, Tanzania is at a crossroad after almost two decades of slow but steady progress towards a more inclusive democracy, although civil society organisations and democratic processes currently face increased constraints. While access to health care has improved, the quality of the services is not satisfactory. High and persistent gender inequality, mainly due to traditional social norms and the prevailing legal framework in Tanzania, hinder sustainable development. With most of the GDP based on natural resources, such as agriculture-based exports, climate change will factor into the future development of Tanzania’s economy.

Efficient, Effective and Inclusive State Institutions

Switzerland aims at strengthening core state institutions and local authorities to be more efficient and effective in a systematic and sustainable manner, to be more responsive and accountable to the society, particularly young men’s and women’s needs and less prone to corruption.

Switzerland supports Ministries to formulate and implement inclusive and sustainable policies and foster the ability of the public sector to deliver quality and gender-sensitive basic health and gender-based violence (GBV) services, social protection, market-relevant vocational skills development (VSD), and financial solutions and innovations that leave no one behind. As an example, Swiss support in the health sector has contributed to the improvement of service delivery and the accountability for utilized public funds of around 90% of the 6’000 clinics in the country. Furthermore, the partnership between the government and the private sector has guaranteed the availability of medicines: 80% of clinics report no stock-outs of essential medicines in 2020.

Good governance

Health - A prerequisite for development

Enabling Civic Space

Switzerland aims at protecting and promoting the space that enables citizens, especially poor young women, to express themselves freely and to shape, monitor and influence social, political and economic matters that concern them.

Switzerland supports advocacy activities of accountability actors and human rights defenders to preserve and open new spaces for citizens, especially youth, to engage with institutions at national and local levels and to hold them accountable for their duties. Concretely civil society organizations and national networks have been involved in monitoring exercises to assess the implementation of development actions plans and budgets. Their requests have led to service delivery improvements in education, health and agriculture, benefiting thousands of citizens. Switzerland has maintained its role as a lead agency in the media sector. Supported community radio stations have increased their audience, giving millions of young people the information they need to make decisions affecting their lives. 

Better Youth Livelihoods

Switzerland aims at empowering and improving the livelihoods of the youth, in particular poor young women, by contributing to increased access to market-relevant vocational skills, innovations and financial solutions; sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services; and social protection for those most in need.

Switzerland promotes public services and private sector engagement to expand social and economic options for youths. This allows them to pursue new gainful income-generating opportunities and enhances the productivity of their current activities. Thus, supplementing and stabilizing income flows, and contributing to sustainable livelihoods and reduced income poverty. Thanks to the recent modest initial support of Switzerland to vocational skills development projects, nearly 90% of the targeted disadvantaged youth and young adults entered (self) employment in agribusiness and renewable energy.

Basic Education and Vocational Skills Development

Private sector development and financial services

Transversal Themes

Gender and Governance

Switzerland seeks to promote more gender-inclusive governance and public institutions; increase the participation of women in decision- and opinion-making; and improve poor young women’s livelihood. Switzerland will address gender in its policy dialogue, planning and monitoring, capacity building and communication.

Switzerland aims to influence power relations and supports duty bearers to deliver services in an efficient and effective manner to create enabling spaces for citizen participation and right holders to hold decision-makers accountable at different governance levels.

Gender equality

Other Themes

Climate change and Culture

Switzerland will address climate change in its projects as an amplifier of existing stressors in the areas where it is engaged, for instance in connection with malaria, agriculture and especially forest management. It will also continue to allocate 1% of its operational budget to the promotion of local artists and culture to contribute to building a strong, dynamic and innovative arts and culture sector.

Climate change and the environment

Art and culture – drivers of social change

Approach and Partners

Switzerland has a set of various instruments to support the Government of Tanzania and Tanzanian non-state actors and to partner with Swiss and international NGOS. The main responsibility for implementing the Swiss Cooperation Programme Tanzania 2021-2024 lies with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), at the country level represented by the Swiss Embassy. SDC closely collaborates with the Political Division and the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and with Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

History of Cooperation

Swiss tradition, interests, and added value

Switzerland has been involved in development cooperation in Tanzania since 1960. Its activities were stepped up in 1981 when it opened a cooperation office in Dar es Salaam, now an integral part of the Swiss Embassy. Swiss cooperation is aligned with the goals of the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and coordinated with the work of other countries and international organizations. It is guided by the Swiss Foreign Policy Strategy 2020-23 and Switzerland’s Strategy for International Cooperation 2021-24 that pursues key objectives in the areas of economic development; the environment; human development; peacebuilding gender equality and governance.