Unlocking Potential: How IrishAid and UNFPA Are Supporting Tanzania’s Journey Toward a Demographic Dividend

“When women and young people are empowered with knowledge, choices, and services, entire communities flourish.” – Mark Bryan Schreiner, UNFPA Representative in Tanzania.

Tanzania stands at a pivotal moment in its development journey. With a rapidly growing youth population and strong government commitment to harness the demographic dividend, the need for reliable data, inclusive health systems, and targeted investments has never been greater. Thanks to the steadfast support of IrishAid, UNFPA Tanzania is helping drive transformative progress in population and development—ensuring that no one is left behind.

In 2022, Tanzania conducted its first fully digital Population and Housing Census—a landmark achievement that provided accurate, real-time data to inform national planning. With IrishAid’s funding, UNFPA supported the Government of Tanzania with technical expertise, digital tools, and capacity-building efforts, ensuring the success and credibility of this crucial exercise. This investment in data is already bearing fruit, enabling policymakers to allocate resources more effectively and respond to the evolving needs of communities. Accurate population data is the cornerstone of effective development—shaping how and where to build schools, deploy health workers, and expand social protections.

In 2024/25, Irish has extended the support in collaboration with UNFPA to develop the Long-Term Perspective Plan and the deep dive study on health focussing on human capital which are pivotal to the Country’s 2050 development vision. 

“With the right investments in health, education, and economic opportunities, Tanzania’s youthful population can be a game-changer,” said Mark Bryan Schreiner, UNFPA Tanzania Representative. “IrishAid’s support enables us to generate the data and deliver the services that turn this potential into reality.”

Beyond data, IrishAid’s contribution is directly improving lives by expanding access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), especially for women and young people in underserved regions like Kigoma. Fatuma Salum, a 28-year-old mother from Kigoma, shared how access to reproductive health services changed her life: “Before, we had to travel many hours to get to a clinic. I didn’t know how to space my pregnancies. But now, we have health workers who visit our village, explain family planning, and treat us with respect. I feel healthier and more in control of my life.”

Fatuma is one of more than 350,000 women and girls who have received essential reproductive health services through UNFPA-supported mobile outreach programmes—services made possible in part by IrishAid’s critical partnership through Ujana Wangu Nguvu Yangu Project Implemented in Kigoma.

IrishAid’s support is fully aligned with Tanzania’s Vision 2050, the global Sustainable Development Agenda (Agenda 2030), and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). These shared frameworks recognize that sustainable development depends on the realization of rights and choices for all, especially women and youth. They emphasize the importance of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, gender equality, and data-driven decision-making to support inclusive and resilient societies.

At its core, the partnership between IrishAid and UNFPA Tanzania is about people: ensuring every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person can reach their full potential. This is development that delivers—driven by data, grounded in human rights, and powered by partnerships.

UNFPA is proud to stand with IrishAid in building a future where every individual, especially women and youth, can thrive and contribute to Tanzania’s development. Together, we are turning potential into progress.