Tanzania and partners review progress on digital agriculture initiative

The Government of Tanzania, the United Nations and partners met today to review progress and discuss next steps under the Joint Programme on Data for Digital Agricultural Transformation. The programme is supported by the Joint SDG Fund and led by the Government in collaboration with UNCDF, FAO and IFAD under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator.

The meeting brought together a broad range of institutions from across government, the United Nations and the European Union. In addition to the Ministry of Agriculture, participants included representatives from the Personal Data Protection Commission, the e-Government Authority, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology, PO-RALG and the Sugar Board of Tanzania. United Nations participants included representatives from UNCDF, IFAD, FAO, UNDP, WFP and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, alongside senior representatives from the European Union Delegation and the EU Twinning Programme.

Discussions focused on the importance of improving how agricultural data is governed, shared and used across the sector. This is an important part of building systems that can support better decision-making and, over time, help digital services respond more effectively to the needs of smallholder farmers, especially women and youth.

"Vision 2050 and FYDP IV place digital transformation and data-driven governance at the centre of Tanzania’s development path. This can help turn national priorities into better agricultural services, higher productivity and more inclusive economic opportunities.”

— Ms Susan Namondo, UN Resident Coordinator

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Gerald Mweli, emphasized that, "The Government of Tanzania places strong emphasis on strengthening agricultural data governance, improving coordination of digital initiatives, and ensuring that digital innovations effectively reach smallholder farmers who form the backbone of our agricultural sector. We therefore expect this programme to contribute to strengthening national platforms such as the farmer registry, digital advisory services, and data-driven planning mechanisms that will improve efficiency and transparency across the agricultural value chain."

The meeting also highlighted the close alignment between the Joint Programme and the European Union’s broader priorities. Ms. Dorota Panczyk-Piqueray, Acting Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation, noted that agriculture and digital transformation are central to the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, including efforts to strengthen supply chains and logistics and expand opportunities for smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Participants also reviewed ongoing work to strengthen the building blocks for better data governance and coordination in the agriculture sector, including support for systems and processes that can improve the quality, use and sharing of agricultural data over time.

The meeting provided an opportunity for partners to review progress and discuss priorities for the next phase of implementation.

About the Joint SDG Fund

All joint programmes of the Joint SDG Fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations development system. With sincere appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and Governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and private sector funding partners, the Fund supports transformative efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.