Transforming Seaweed Farming Through Integrated Financial Solutions for Enhanced Food Systems in Zanzibar

The Joint Programme “Transforming Seaweed Farming through Integrated Financial Solutions for Enhanced Food Systems in Zanzibar” is part of the UN Joint SDG Fund’s High-Impact Initiative on SDG Localization. Implemented by the United Nations in Tanzania in close collaboration with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, it aims to transform seaweed farming from a subsistence activity into a dynamic, sustainable economic sector.   

The first phase of the programme, launched in August 2025 with a budget of USD 1.965 million, is designed to catalyse additional public and private investment in production, value addition, and market systems. It complements the UN’s ongoing work to strengthen women’s cooperatives, improve post-harvest infrastructure, and promote inclusive market access, while contributing to the broader development of Zanzibar’s seaweed ecosystem as a cornerstone of its blue economy. 

Focusing on Northern Unguja and Pemba (i.e. Kaskazini Unguja and Kaskazini Pemba regions), the initiative targets 15,000 farming households—most of whom are women and youth—to achieve a 40% average increase in income by 2028.