TDV 2050 Validation Meeting

On December 16, 2024, representatives from the Women Coalition in Tanzania met with the core team of experts and authors behind the National Development Vision 2050. The aim of the meeting, led by Hon. Stanslaus Nyongo (MP), Deputy Minister of the President's Office – Planning and Investment, was to validate the draft of the National Development Vision 2050, which had already been released.

Speaking at the meeting, held at the WFTT office, Hon. Stanslaus Nyongo said: “The first time you shared your views, we incorporated them into the draft. We have returned now that the draft is out to hear if there are any areas that were missed, so we can refine it and ensure your recommendations are included in the national vision.”

During the meeting, members of the Women Coalition acknowledged that many gender-related issues had been addressed in the draft. However, they noted challenges with the structure of the content and highlighted several gaps. They also made numerous recommendations, emphasizing the prioritization of issues such as the economy, health, education, and safety from violence.

The following are key recommendations that the Women Coalition emphasized should be included in the vision:

• Maternal Mortality: The vision should emphasize efforts to eliminate maternal mortality. It should clearly state that, under no circumstances, should any woman lose her life due to childbirth. The high rate of maternal deaths remains discouraging, and the goal is to eradicate such deaths by 2050.

• Peace and Security: The concept of peace and security should be broadly defined. Peace is more than just the absence of war. The vision should clearly articulate this point, noting that peace starts at home. If there is domestic violence, it becomes difficult for the economy to grow. Strategies should also be included to protect the country from cyber threats.

• Poverty: Poverty affects women more than men. When discussing a strong, inclusive, and competitive economy, we must also consider fairness. While the economy may grow, many people can still remain trapped in extreme poverty.

• Informal Economy: The vision should address the large number of people working in the informal economy. It is unsustainable for more than 60% of the population to be engaged in informal work. Women in this sector face numerous challenges, and the vision should focus on removing barriers that keep women in informal jobs.

• Tourism Sector: Growth in the tourism sector should go hand-in-hand with gender equality. Women still have limited opportunities in this sector and rarely own tourism businesses. Most women in tourism work in low-paying jobs, often relying on tips from tourists, which can be risky.

• Access to Financial Services: The vision should outline strategies to make formal financial services more accessible to women. It should address issues such as restrictive loans, which disproportionately harm women. Many women feel they do not qualify for loans from formal financial institutions. Financial services should be simplified and made accessible to all.

• Zero Tolerance for Corruption, Including Sexual Exploitation: The vision should emphasize that Tanzania is a country that does not tolerate any form of corruption, including sexual exploitation. Schools and other key educational institutions should be safe spaces for all children.

• Universal Health Insurance: Health insurance should be non-discriminatory and benefit everyone equally. Access to healthcare services should eliminate class-based inequalities, particularly within health insurance systems. Women often face challenges in accessing healthcare because many do not have their own income. Strong systems must be put in place to ensure healthcare services are accessible to all.

• Digital Literacy and Security: Goal No. 12 of the vision focuses on creating a digitally literate society that can utilize and develop digital technologies for services and production. However, there is no mention of peace and security in this area. The vision should address online security threats and outline strategies to protect citizens in the digital space.

• Education Retention: The vision should clearly outline strategies to ensure that all children enrolled in school complete their education. Special attention should be paid to encouraging girls to pursue science subjects. While enrollment rates are high, the number of girls reaching higher education remains low.

• Investing in Women: The success of the vision will depend on significant investments in women. Gender should be mainstreamed throughout the entire document.

• Gender-Responsive Budgeting: The vision should promote gender-responsive budgeting and strategies that protect and empower women.

At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister expressed appreciation for the valuable opinions shared by the coalition members and for their advocacy on behalf of women in Tanzania. He commended their openness, thorough analysis, and assured them that their contributions would be considered and acted upon.

He emphasized that the government recognizes the significant contributions made by women and will work on the recommendations presented by the coalition. “We recognize the importance of women’s contributions, which is why the team of experts and authors of the vision has received all your inputs and will process them accordingly,” he said.

The Women Coalition has been involved from the beginning in providing recommendations for the 2050 development vision. This meeting provided an opportunity to review whether their earlier recommendations were incorporated into the draft. The meeting was organized following the opening of the window for stakeholders to review and validate the National Development Vision 2050 draft.