The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, the United Nations and partners this week visited project sites in Pemba to see how the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP) is beginning to deliver practical results for communities in northern Zanzibar.Launched in 2025, the ZJP is a joint initiative of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and the United Nations, supported by a USD 3.5 million contribution from the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the Tanzania SDG Acceleration Fund. The programme focuses on four interconnected pillars: food systems transformation, climate adaptation, human capital strengthening, and efforts to end violence against women and children in Kaskazini Unguja and Kaskazini Pemba.The field visit was joined by the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Susan Ngongi Namondo, senior Government officials, development partners and the Ambassador of Spain to Tanzania, Ms. Paloma Serra Robles, who visited sites in Micheweni and Wete to see how integrated support is translating into visible community-level results.The visit began in Makangale, Micheweni, where the delegation joined women seaweed farmers for the handover of a boat, equipment, a solar-powered drying facility and a community storage facility. These investments are helping reduce post-harvest losses, improve product quality and strengthen opportunities for value addition in one of Zanzibar’s most important livelihood sectors.Seaweed remains a major focus of the programme’s food systems pillar. Recent results include two modern seaweed storage facilities and two solar drying units, creating 16 tonnes of storage capacity and benefiting 57 farmers, 90 per cent of them women. Across the wider food systems pillar, the programme has also trained 158 seaweed and sea cucumber farmers in Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, trained 471 farmers in climate-smart agriculture and banana production, and supported 26 farmer groups and four cooperatives to strengthen business management and market engagement. The delegation then visited a care centre in Tumbe, where women and the wider community are accessing childcare, digital literacy, food processing skills and information on preventing and reporting violence. The centre is also supporting women to learn more efficient and sustainable briquette-making techniques that can save time on cooking and create products for sale. These efforts reflect the programme’s integrated approach to women’s empowerment, care systems and protection. Results to date include support to 15 women- and youth-led startups, benefiting 300 people, and training for 212 stakeholders to integrate gender-responsive care solutions into climate-resilient livelihoods. At Kinyikani Health Facility, the delegation visited a rainwater harvesting system designed to improve water availability for health services in a context where freshwater resources are under growing pressure. Under the programme, 16 health facilities have been assessed for water demand, six climate-resilient rainwater harvesting systems have been constructed, and around 22,000 beneficiaries have been reached through climate-resilient WASH investments.The final stop was Micheweni A Primary School, where students are being trained on what constitutes gender-based violence, the different forms it can take and how to report it. This forms part of broader programme efforts to strengthen prevention and protection systems for women and children. So far, community outreach involving faith leaders, traditional leaders and male engagement groups has reached 53,676 people, while school outreach in Pemba has directly engaged 635 people and indirectly reached 6,132 others.Reflecting on the visit, UN Resident Coordinator Susan Ngongi Namondo said the field visit showed that the programme is delivering more than visible project outputs. “What we saw is not only project outputs, but also Government-led systems being strengthened — communities adopting climate-resilient livelihoods with clearer market linkages, women and local producers becoming more active economic agents, and local institutions increasingly able to coordinate, deliver and sustain interventions. This is the direction we must now accelerate,” she said. "We are grateful to the Royal Norwegian Embassy and all partners for their continued support," she added.The field mission to Pemba showed that results are beginning to emerge not only through infrastructure and services, but also through stronger local systems, greater community participation and more opportunities for women and young people. By linking support across livelihoods, resilience, protection and local services in the same communities, the Zanzibar Joint Programme is helping turn integrated development into visible, practical change for people in Pemba and Unguja.

In June 2025, the World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Kigoma Region Secretariat, delivered a comprehensive fortification training under the Kigoma Joint Programme Phase II (KJP II), supported by the Governments of Ireland and Norway. The training brought together 25 small-scale millers and 38 government officers from all eight councils in Kigoma. Participants received both theoretical and practical instruction on food fortification, including good manufacturing practices, the nutritional benefits of fortified foods, dosage control, premix handling, and adherence to quality and safety standards. To enable immediate implementation, WFP provided five dosifiers and 100 kg of premix, allowing trained millers to begin production right away and helping government officers enhance routine supervision. Awareness efforts extended beyond the training venues. Fortification education reached communities through radio programs, health facilities, schools, and Village Health and Nutrition Days, supported by distribution of posters and leaflets that explained the importance of fortified foods for children and families.A strong pillar of this progress has been the commitment of the Government of Tanzania. The Ministry of Health procured 20 additional dosifiers, while Local Government Authorities allocated funds for premix procurement and renovation of milling machines in public schools. At the same time, the private sector invested in upgrading mill structures, demonstrating shared ownership and long-term commitment.Today, public schools and surrounding communities have consistent access to fortified maize flour. More than 2800 school children benefit through more nutritious school meals, families can access safer and fortified foods locally, and millers operate with improved equipment and greater efficiency.Kigoma’s experience shows that sustainability grows from strong partnerships that combine capacity building, strategic investment, government leadership, private sector participation, and continued community awareness. As a result, fortification has become an integral and lasting part of the region’s food system.

On a warm afternoon in Makunduchi, a small village on the island of Zanzibar, 38‑year‑old Hanuni Maulid Haji stands proudly holding the briquettes she has just made – compact blocks of coal dust, charcoal, or household waste used as fuel. Only a week earlier, she had never imagined that kitchen waste, crop residues, and discarded paper could become a clean, marketable energy source. Today, for her, these small blocks carry infinite possibilities.“Now I can make these briquettes, use them, and help others learn how to do it too,” she says.Women and Clean Energy in TanzaniaAcross Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, women like Haji play a central role in household energy production and use, from collecting firewood to preparing daily meals. Many women walk long distances to collect fuel, which increases their unpaid care burden and exposes them to protection risks, while the high cost of charcoal strains household incomes. Yet, women are rarely included in the design or leadership of clean‑energy and clean-cooking solutions.To address this, UN Women in Tanzania is implementing targeted initiatives that strengthen clean‑energy capacities and promote women’s meaningful engagement in climate action through the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress Towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), funded by the Governments of Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP), supported by the SDG Acceleration Fund, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, and participating UN agencies.Through these programmes, UN Women worked with the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Zanzibar (FAWE Zanzibar) to run a training workshop in November 2025, bringing together 29 women from 17 Shehias across Zanzibar. The workshop equipped participants with practical skills in briquette production and included additional sessions to strengthen women’s leadership in climate governance, deepen community capacity on gender-responsive adaptation, and enhance understanding of how gender dynamics shape resilience.The initiative was built on successful activities first tested in the Singida Region, carried out in partnership with the Ikungi District Council.Women’s Voices and the Power of Clean-Energy SkillsFor many women, the training shifted perceptions about what clean energy production can look like, turning from something distant and unfamiliar into a practical, community‑led solution.“It supports us in so many ways - protecting the environment, lowering household costs, reducing long trips for firewood, saving cooking time, and producing far less smoke, which is much healthier,” says Nachumu Muhammad Haji, a training participant from a neighbouring village. With charcoal becoming scarce and costly due to deforestation, briquette production also provides a business opportunity for many women.“I’ve seen that with briquette production, I can cut household costs and even earn an income by selling them,” says Nachumu Haji.Beyond reducing household costs and generating income, clean energy opens pathways for women to participate in emerging renewable energy markets and reinforces their roles as environmental stewards. A Future Fueled by Women’s InnovationBack in Makunduchi, Hanuni Haji is already planning her next steps.“I’ll start making them at home to strengthen my skills, and then I’ll share what I’ve learned with the women who couldn’t attend, so the knowledge continues to grow in our community,” she says with determination.The transition to clean energy in Tanzania is influenced not only by national policies, technology, and infrastructure, but also by the everyday choices made in households, farms, markets, and community spaces. Women like Hanuni and Nachumu, innovators, educators, and leaders in their own communities, are playing a central role in shaping this shift.As they gain skills in renewable energy production, climate adaptation, and leadership, they are reshaping the narrative of women’s role in the energy sector, proving that clean cooking is not merely a household task, it is a platform for entrepreneurship, environmental protection, and gender equality.Most importantly, they are showing why investments in capacity building matter.Because when women lead the clean-energy transition, communities become healthier, households become more resilient, and the future becomes more sustainable for everyone.

“Shadidi Oyee, Shadidi Oyee”. The joyful sounds of farmers singing and ululating echoed across the paddy fields of the WAMKO irrigation scheme in Ifakara, Morogoro. For years, the 305 farmers of WAMKO relied on traditional rice‑farming practices. They scattered large amounts of paddy seeds, used large amounts of water, and spent long hours in the field. Despite their hard work, their harvests remained small. “We used to farm big areas but harvest very little,” many recalled.That began to change in 2020, when the Farm to Market Alliance programme, implemented under the World Food Programme in Tanzania, introduced the farmers group to the SRI technique. Through hands‑on training and demonstration plots, farmers learned how to plant single seedlings, space them carefully, and manage water more efficiently. Farmers keep the soil moist rather than flooded and use simple weeders to aerate the field, helping the plants grow stronger roots. With old techniques, farmers used to spend 23 USD for 20 Kg of paddy seeds to plant on one acre but with SRI, they now spend just 3 USD for 3 Kg of seeds. With fewer seeds, less water, and lighter labour, each plant produces higher yields, allowing farmers to harvest and earn more while spending less.

  “Previously, I used traditional farming. I would just throw seeds on the land. After learning SRI, I changed everything. Now I harvest up to 20 sacks per acre. My income has increased, and I can pay school fees comfortably”, Anna Mganga reflected with enthusiasm.Zaina Lutana, a member of WAMKO scheme once harvested just 6 bags per acre, but after adopting SRI, she now harvests up to 22 bags in the same acre of land. With her profits, she has diversified her income by opening a clothes shop and staple foods shop.The success of WAMKO farmers reflects what is possible when farmers have the right knowledge and skills. As they adopt better techniques, they harvest more, earn more, and their households become more food secure.