Norway, Sweden & UN Visit KJP

In early October, the United Nations carried out a monitoring mission of the Kigoma Joint Programme (KJP) in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Embassy of Sweden in Tanzania. The monitoring mission consisted of field visits to KJP projects in three Kigoma districts (Kakonko, Kibondo and Kasulu) to assess key results being achieved by the UN and other partners in the region.

In each district, the delegation began by paying a courtesy call to the Acting District Executive Directors (DEDs) in which they discussed the progress and implementation status of KJP. The mission started in Kakonko where the delegation met with the District Protection Committee to understand how the child protection system works in Kakonko district. They then visited the ongoing construction site of the Kakonko Police Gender and Children’s Desk and thereafter made a brief stop at Itumbuko Primary School and met with a student club to hear how they have been empowered to identify and report on VAC –. While in Kakonko, the mission also met local residents who have been trained by FAO and WFP on good agricultural practices and post-harvest loss management. 5,000 farmers have benefitted from these interventions.

On the second day, the mission paid a courtesy call to the acting District Executive Director of Kibondo, Dr. Gabriel Chitupila before visiting the ongoing construction site of Mukarazi Border market. The market is being constructed at the border of Tanzania and Burundi and will benefit communities in both countries while also enhancing co-existence. The delegation then visited BRIMA Factory - BRIMA is a greenfield project and is enhancing cassava and maize value chains and has been supported by UNCDF. All of the factory’s inputs come from farmers from the surrounding local communities.

The visit to BRIMA was followed by a visit to a Multipurpose Community Centre (MCC) and Vocational Training Centre (VTC) at Maloregwa where the delegation got to see local residents participating in a variety of different classes such as carpentry, financial inclusion and sowing. The MCC and VTC were funded by Norway.

In Kasulu, the delegation visited the IOM Shelter which hosts women and children who are victims of violence. To mark the end of the visit, the delegation paid a courtesy call to the acting Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS) followed by a visit to Petro and Sons factory in Kigoma town. Petro and Sons Industries is a small private company which deals with processing, packaging and marketing of fish and sardines from Lake Tanganyika. The company has been supported by UNCDF. It contributes to the empowerment of women and youth and provides a stable market for women traders and creates business opportunities and jobs for people in Kigoma.