“We were very grateful when this project came our way because we didn’t know how to grow bananas—and we are very happy with the results,” said Aligora, leader of a women’s group selected to host one of the banana demonstration sites. “We are very thankful to [the ZJP] donors, Norway, as well as the UN and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar through the Ministry of Agriculture.”Her group is part of 30 banana demonstration farms being established in northern Zanzibar, 15 in Unguja and 15 in Pemba, under the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP): Integrated Innovations for Sustainable Development. The ZJP is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the Tanzania SDG Acceleration Fund and supports climate-resilient value chains as part of its food systems pillar. Implemented by the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the demonstration farms serve as practical learning hubs showing farmers how improved planting, farm management and group-based approaches can rapidly raise productivity and quality. Although the initial pilot site was established only three months ago, early progress is already visible, demonstrating how quickly improved practices can take root when extension support, inputs and farmer organisation come together.“We have initiated this activity as a pilot to see the impact it will be able to have,” said Mohammed Mlekwa Yusuph, Zanzibar Joint Programme Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture. “We started with groups because this approach will allow us to reach more people. We are very thankful to Norway, because this activity is going to have a big impact on food systems and on communities.”The initiative responds to a clear market opportunity. Zanzibar is a net importer of key staple foods, so strengthening domestic production, alongside value addition and market linkages, can help reduce vulnerability to external shocks while creating income opportunities for farming households.The programme also recognises the practical challenge of engaging young people in agriculture when they are seeking faster returns. Demonstration farms therefore promote diversified, climate-smart approaches that can blend longer-cycle crops like bananas with faster-turnover crops (such as leafy greens), supporting near-term income while farmers build more sustainable enterprises over time.Together, these efforts demonstrate how the ZJP’s food systems pillar is strengthening value chains beyond production alone, building skills, confidence and market readiness to improve livelihoods and expand opportunities, especially for women and youth.

“This workshop was important for the Government, as we are responsible for putting in place the policies and regulations that guide carbon financing. It also helped other stakeholders better understand how carbon credits work and we have already received many requests from companies interested in engaging in carbon finance.”— Mr. Salim Hamad Bakar, Head of Climate Change Unit, Department of Environment, Office of the First Vice PresidentThe Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP): Integrated Innovations for Sustainable Development, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the Tanzania SDG Acceleration Fund, is supporting the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar to strengthen resilience and inclusive livelihoods in Unguja and Pemba through integrated action across food systems, climate and social services. Within this approach, carbon financing is being introduced as a practical pathway to sustain climate interventions and strengthen local ownership over time.UNCDF recently convened a two-day stakeholder sensitization and awareness workshop on carbon trading and finance in Zanzibar, bringing together Government counterparts, NGOs, UN agencies and other climate and environment stakeholders. The workshop responded to priorities identified through ZJP coordination mechanisms and was linked to ongoing climate interventions under the programme, including clean cooking solutions that can reduce emissions while improving household wellbeing. Across the sessions, participants learnt how carbon markets work, both voluntary and compliance mechanisms, alongside the enabling policy and regulatory environment, technical requirements, and the standards and methodologies used to generate credible carbon credits. Discussions also looked at opportunities for partnerships across the public and private sectors, and with communities, including areas such as clean cooking and mangrove restoration, where emissions reductions can align with resilience and livelihood benefits. “Carbon finance is sustainability of the projects – the sustainability of the grants that we as UN agencies and other partners, including government, have been implementing,” said Peter Malika, Chief Technical Advisor, UNCDF, highlighting the potential for carbon revenues to help climate solutions endure beyond traditional project cycles.The workshop also emphasised that carbon finance is not a stand-alone solution, but part of a broader package. When combined with inclusive value chain support, community systems strengthening and climate adaptation measures under the ZJP, carbon financing can help create longer-term incentives for climate action so that interventions remain viable, scalable and locally anchored well after initial grant funding ends.

Kigoma, 2 October 2025 – The Kigoma Joint Programme (KJP) Steering Committee met this week to review progress and agree priorities for the coming year. The session was co-chaired by Kigoma Regional Government authorities and the United Nations in Tanzania, bringing together representatives from central and local government, development partners, and participating UN agencies.Representatives of Ireland and Norway were in attendance, alongside government counterparts and UN colleagues. Members reviewed the 2024/25 Progress Report together with the Mid-Term Review, and endorsed joint workplans for 2025/26. Discussions highlighted continued gains enabled through pooled support from Ireland and Norway via the SDG Acceleration Fund. Results noted included: a rise in regional water supply coverage (57% in 2019 to 77% in 2025), improved school attendance where meal provision now lifts attendance to 90%+ in targeted schools, a continued decline in gender-based violence prevalence (from 42.6% in 2016 to 34.1% in 2023), strengthened community health services contributing to fewer severe malaria cases and referrals, increased birth registration coverage, and progress in women’s and youth economic empowerment through formalization, finance, and market access.“The Kigoma Joint Programme shows what is possible when government leadership, development partners and the UN work hand in hand to improve people’s lives,” said Ms. Susan Ngongi Namondo, UN Resident Coordinator. “Building on lessons from the 2024/25 report and the Mid-Term Review, the 2025/26 workplans focus on high-impact priorities and sustainability so communities continue to benefit.” For the remainder of the programme, partners reaffirmed emphasis on Health and Nutrition; Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children; Agriculture and Economic Empowerment; and Governance, with a strong push for government ownership, local financing, and private-sector engagement to sustain results.

In her weathered hands, she carries bundles of rope that will soon become underwater gardens of hope. For Halima, like thousands of other women across Zanzibar's coastline, these submerged plots represent far more than agriculture, they are tickets to independence, education for her children, and dignity for her community."From this seaweed, I pay my children's school fees and provide food for my family," Halima explains, her fingers working with practiced precision as she ties delicate seaweed strands to cultivation ropes. "If we can grow our income, we can invest more in our homes and our community."Her story echoes across 23,000 farming families throughout this semi-autonomous archipelago, where over 80 percent of seaweed cultivators are women. What began as a humble coastal farming practice has blossomed into Tanzania's second-largest export crop, creating ripples of economic empowerment that extend far beyond the shoreline. More Than a CropSusan Ngongi Namondo discovered this shortly after arriving as UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania. "It wasn't long after I arrived that I realized that seaweed is actually more than a crop here," she reflects. "Seaweed is a means of livelihood, sustaining families. Supporting women over generations."Walking through coastal villages where drying seaweed carpets the beaches in vibrant greens and browns, it becomes clear that this is not just farming, it is a lifeline. While the global seaweed market booms with demand for everything from food products to cosmetics, these women have been quietly perfecting their craft, generation by generation, in the crystal-clear waters off Africa's eastern coast.Yet despite their expertise and the growing international appetite for seaweed products, many farmers remain trapped in cycles of limited income. Without access to credit, insurance, or investment capital, their ability to scale up operations and tap into lucrative markets has been severely constrained.Breaking the BarriersThe breakthrough came when Zanzibar’s innovative approach caught international attention at the Local2030 Coalition and Joint SDG Fund Design Sprint in Bilbao, Spain. The idea of channelling integrated financial solutions into the seaweed value chain gained recognition and set the stage for a new joint programme.The Joint Programme on Transforming Seaweed Farming through Integrated Financial Solutions, funded by the UN Joint SDG Fund and implemented by FAO, UNDP, IFAD, and WFP in partnership with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, targets one of the most critical bottlenecks in the sector: access to finance. By addressing credit, insurance, and cooperative-based financing, the programme will enable farmers—most of them women—to expand production, diversify products, and connect to new markets.For women who have never had collateral to offer banks or financial literacy training to navigate complex lending systems, this represents a shift. The initiative introduces de-risked lending schemes, microinsurance, and cooperative-based financing tools designed specifically for the realities of seaweed farming."The role of the UN is supporting women to scale up this business, to take seaweed and actually make it into a business," Namondo explains. "Seaweed is extremely lucrative right now, both as a food product and as a cosmetic product."By 2028, organizers aim to reach 15,000 households while raising incomes by 40 percent. But behind those statistics are individual dreams, children who will attend university, homes that will be improved, communities that will thrive.Building on strong foundationsThis new initiative complements the Zanzibar Joint Programme (ZJP): Integrated Innovations for Sustainable Development, co-designed by the Government and the UN with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania. The ZJP addresses the root causes of poverty and inequality in two of Zanzibar’s most left behind regions through four transformative pathways, among them: enhancing seaweed production and quality, strengthening cooperatives, promoting gender equality, and improving post-harvest handling and market access. Together, the two programmes create a stronger ecosystem of support reflective of the Government’s wider blue economy strategy and its vision of seaweed as a driver of inclusive and sustainable growth. Looking aheadThe transformation happening in Zanzibar's seaweed sector reflects something larger, a recognition that sustainable development must be built on the foundations of what communities already do well. Rather than imposing external solutions, this approach amplifies existing expertise while removing systemic barriers."It's always good to be with farmers," Namondo muses after spending time in coastal communities. "I think farmers are among the happiest people on earth, and their work is shaping a better future for all of us."In the gentle ebb and flow of Zanzibar's tides, change is taking root. And for thousands of families across these islands, the future has never looked more promising.Note: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, for a transformative movement towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.