Zanzibar. The Zanzibar Government has expanded budget monitoring to include agriculture and the blue economy, aiming to improve resource allocation and service delivery.
This follows a review of budget performance in key sectors, highlighting progress in financial and physical targets for the 2022/2023 fiscal year.
This was revealed during the second Zanzibar High-Level Budget Monitoring Symposium themed, ‘Investing in Gender and Equity Budgeting to transform social outcomes and service delivery,’ which was held here yesterday.
The review focused on four ministries—Health, Water and Energy, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, and Education—with plans to monitor additional sectors in the 2024/2025 fiscal year.
Budget Commissioner Zena Mahmoud Hassan noted improvements in gender and equity planning, increased capacity for budget monitoring, and better resource prioritization.
She said these efforts align budgets with Zanzibar’s development plan and national priorities.
The review also highlighted progress in linking budgets with measurable outcomes. Ministries have adopted tools to ensure their spending follows Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) indicators.
A key development has been the introduction of gender and equity-sensitive budgeting, identifying specific activities and funding allocations to promote inclusivity.
This has led to a roadmap for gender-responsive fiscal planning. UNICEF Country Representative Elke Wisch emphasized the role of budgeting in delivering tangible results.
“For Zanzibar, this means ensuring that every resource allocation reflects an investment in the future—one where children, women, and vulnerable populations have equitable access to essential services,” she said.
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
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