"I really commend Tanzania for its ambition to include 50% of the population in the formal financial system by 2015." - UNSGSA
In her keynote address at the Launch of the National Financial Inclusion Framework the UNSGSA noted the rapid progress in Tanzania since her last visit in 2010, and congratulated the leadership for setting ambitious forward looking goals. She met with H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, H.E. Ms. Saada Salum, Minister of Finance, and Governor Benno Ndulu, Bank of Tanzania and discussed how inclusive finance can help Tanzania achieve its overall economic growth and development goals. In her talks with H.E. Mr. Christopher Kajoro Chiza, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security & Cooperatives she explored the urgent need for financial services tailored to the needs of small holders.
The visit to Tanzania is a part of a two-country program also involving Ethiopia, undertaken by the UNSGSA in concert with the UN’s key food security and agriculture agencies – IFAD, WFP, and FAO. The visits reflect a commitment by the UN to scale up and better align efforts around financial inclusion and agriculture. In Dar es Salaam they met with private sector leaders at a round table on innovations, constraints and opportunities for expansion of financial services to agriculture entrepreneurs. Together with Mrs Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of WFP, and senior leadership from IFAD and FAO, the UNSGSA visited small holder farmers in the Dodoma region to hear more about their needs and experiences with financial services. The delegation also met with the Tanzania Investment Bank, Dodoma District Council, and other stakeholders.