Workshop participants group photo taken at Oceanic Bay Hotel, Bagamoyo Tanzania.
The TrustAfrica Agriculture Advocacy Program working with Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) held a workshop for livestock stakeholders to sharpen policy advocacy skills and to validate a strategic communication and advocacy plan, developed after several months of stakeholder consultations and research. The workshop was held from the 8th to the 11th of August, as a follow-up to the groundwork that saw the emergence of a loose network of livestock policy advocates upon seeing the need to come together to promote accountable, inclusive and equitable livestock policies and investments in Tanzania.
The network is made up of wide range of stakeholders from civil society organisations, pastoralists, research private organisations, farmers unions, private sector companies, development partners as well as government.
Workshop participants group photo taken at Oceanic Bay Hotel, Bagamoyo Tanzania.
The TrustAfrica Agriculture Advocacy Program working with Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) held a workshop for livestock stakeholders to sharpen policy advocacy skills and to validate a strategic communication and advocacy plan, developed after several months of stakeholder consultations and research. The workshop was held from the 8th to the 11th of August, as a follow-up to the groundwork that saw the emergence of a loose network of livestock policy advocates upon seeing the need to come together to promote accountable, inclusive and equitable livestock policies and investments in Tanzania.
The network is made up of wide range of stakeholders from civil society organisations, pastoralists, research private organisations, farmers unions, private sector companies, development partners as well as government.
The workshop aimed to build the advocacy capacity of the livestock policy forum in targeted and strategic policy and budget advocacy for the implementation of key reforms in the sector. The workshop provided an opportunity to encourage deeper engagement, coordination and collaboration amongst the network members to work together on championing and advancing livestock sector development.
Dr Bethule Nyamambi, who leads the TrustAfrica Agriculture Advocacy Program highlighted that a strong, coordinated advocacy network of stakeholders was necessary to important in livestock policymaking and providing evidence to ensure strategic investments and problem-solving in small-scale livestock sector development. Noting that the Tanzania livestock sector, though significant due to its large livestock numbers, was still under developed and underperforming in terms of contribution to GDP, it was therefore important to engage government on investments and better policies. Opportunities presented in National development plans (FYDP 2015-2020) and Agriculture development plans, ASDP2 (2016-2021), Tanzania Livestock Modernisation Initiative and Livestock Master Plan should be leveraged to make a case for increased investment and solving challenges impeding the sector currently.
Opening the workshop, Dr S Mlote, Principal Economist M&E in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MALF) said “the forum was coming at the right time, when the Ministry is finalizing the Livestock Master Plan, to guide interventions and investments in the sub-sector”. She emphasized that it is time for stakeholders to work together, advocate for issues and policies that will enable Tanzania to benefit from the large number of livestock through significant economic contribution to the GDP, CAADP goals and even industrialization.
*Dr Mlote, Principal Economist M&E, MALF giving opening remarks
Tanzania livestock sector’s potential contribution to achieving many of the national development goals represents a unique opportunity for far-reaching transformation. However, the 60% of the rural population, that relies on livestock herding for income and food security, are marginalized. Whilst livestock production is a fast-growing sector globally, due in part to changing diets because of increasing disposable incomes, investment in small scale livestock and mobile livestock keeping is still minimal and not inclusive. There is recognition that small-scale livestock farming should be supported for its additional positive and sustainable effects on the environment.
The workshop took time to review the advocacy and communication strategy whose vision is to improve production and productivity of the sector. The plan is to advocate for interventions that address 4 specific challenges impeding; increased public and private investments; low access to feeds; better regulatory environment and reduction in prohibitive taxes, improved access to resources including finance, land, and equipment. This advocacy and communication strategy will serve as a roadmap for the forum’s advocacy and communication engagement to achieve these objectives. Post workshop, the strategy will be finalised and launched in September 2017.
Participants engaging in a facilitated discussion on the livestock policy-making processes
By the end of the workshop, participants acknowledged that they had gained new knowledge and improved their skills on analysing and identifying the policy issues and gaps, and developing alternate policy positions, tracking and monitoring budget allocations and public expenditure, understanding strategies to work with and deepen political will and interventions to increase the visibility of livestock sector initiatives.
TrustAfrica’s agriculture advocacy initiative, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative seeks to strengthen the policy advocacy capacities of unions, associations and intermediary organizations that represent the interests of smallholders. It currently focuses on six countries in West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso), East Africa (Tanzania and Uganda) and Southern Africa (Malawi) with a combined population of about 160 million people. TrustAfrica’s work on sustainable, inclusive and equitable agriculture development aims to help such groups as the livestock policy advocacy forum to build the capacity to engage more effectively for better policies. The initiative incorporates knowledge building, grant making and technical assistance, strengthening civil society’s capacity to engage in policy-making processes and advocacy for more inclusive platforms to formulate agricultural policies.
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Preamble
We the participants, in the Tanzania Higher Education Summit on Enhancing the Contribution of Higher Education in the Industrialization Process of Tanzania, gathered in Dar es Salaam on 21st -22nd November, 2016 confirm our commitment to the objective of developing strategies that will enable the Tanzania Higher Education Sub-sector to produce competent graduates and research outputs which will significantly contribute to the process of industrialization in Tanzania.
The 1st African Higher Education Summit on “Revitalizing Higher Education for Africa’s Future” was held in Dakar, Senegal on March 10 -12, 2015 to confirm commitment to the objective of creating a continental multi-stakeholders’ platform to identify strategies for transforming the African Higher Education sector. The summit was organised by several key pan-African organisations such as the African Union Commission, Trust Africa, Association of African Universities, Association for the Development of Education in Africa and other international partners.
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The Conference on Promoting International Co-operation in TCombating Illicit Financial Flows and Enhancing Asset Recovery to Foster Sustainable Development was held in Abuja, Nigeria from 5 – 7 June, 2017. The Conference was organized under the auspices of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and TrustAfrica, Senegal held a National Summit on Tertiary Education in Ghana on the theme: “Crafting a National Vision and Plan for the 21st Century” in Accra from November 2 to 4, 2016.
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Preamble
We, the participants, in the Nigeria Higher Education Summit on Exploiting Diversity, Differentiation, and Quality Assurance in Revitalising the Nigerian Higher Education System, gathered in Abuja, Nigeria on November 21-23, 2016, affirm our commitment to the objective of creating a national multi-stakeholders' platform to develop strategies for advancing the objectives of the African Union (AU) - adopted Declaration on African Higher Education through renewed commitment to promoting categorisation, legislation, service delivery and quality assurance, leveraging on ICT as driver of rapid and wider revitalisation and sustainable funding of higher education in Nigeria. In this connection, we enact the Nigerian Higher Education Charter hereunder set forth, and also Declare and Adopt the accompanying Action Plans for its actualization.
Coordinator for Africans Rising for peace justice and dignity based in Dakar, she was born and raised in West Africa, Coumba Toure is a writer and a storyteller. She designs and produce a range of education material and programs for children and young people (books, clothes, games) through Falia artist collective and production house. She has and extensive experience in facilitating meetings, engaging young people, and designing and implementing and evaluating programs promoting peace and justice specially for women. She is a certified coach and a strong public speaker. She has more than twenty years of experience working with organizations such as Ashoka supporting social entrepreneurs globally, the Institute for Popular Education in Mali designing alternative education programs, the 21st century youth leadership movement in Selma Alabama connecting Africans across continents, and Youth for environment sanity in California support leadership training for young. She is a member of the African Feminist Forum as well as the Per Ankh writers cooperative. She is a member of African Consultant International board. She is a mother and a sister to many.
Dr. Tawanda Mutasah is Vice President of Global Partnerships and Impact at Oxfam America, with responsibility for overall strategic and operational leadership of Oxfam America’s programs. He has previously served as the Senior Director of International Law and Policy at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, from where he oversaw the global policy-making and international legal interpretations and contributions of the Amnesty world-wide movement, and also established and operationalized the movement’s Sustainable Development Goals engagement and partnerships.
Dr. Mutasah has also previously served as the Global Director of Programs at the Open Society Foundations (OSF), where he stewarded a $400M budget for international programs. Before that, he held a variety of other positions in the OSF complex, including Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, and Chair of the Africa Advisory Board. He also previously worked for Oxfam Great Britain.
Dr. Mutasah has served on governing and advisory boards for global institutions that include the Center for Civilians in Conflict, Open Society Justice Initiative, and Rutgers University’s Center for Women’s Global Leadership; as well as African entities that include the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa. Among other initiatives credited to his leadership over the years, Dr. Mutasah founded the Southern Africa Resource Watch, which researches and advocates on extractive industries.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, New York University Law School, the Graduate School of Public & Development Management at the University of the Witwatersrand, and the University of Zimbabwe, Dr. Mutasah has taught at the Paris School of International Affairs on international humanitarian law and human rights laws.
Dr. Mutasah chairs the Programs Committee of the Board of Trust Africa.
