Dar es Salaam. Norway has signed a new core strategic plan with the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) to support the organisation’s efforts in advancing democratic governance, justice and human rights in Tanzania.
The 2025–2027 strategic plan, valued at NOK 19 million (about Sh4.5 billion), is designed to strengthen LHRC’s work in promoting justice and equity in the country.
Norwegian ambassador to Tanzania, Tone Tinnes, said the support reflects the crucial role that non-state actors play in building an equitable, peaceful and just society in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“We have come a long way to achieve peace in Norway. That is why we are supporting LHRC in these areas, because they know best how to help build an equitable Tanzanian society,” she said.
Norway has been a longstanding partner of LHRC, funding two earlier strategic plans between 2013 and 2024 to the tune of NOK 61.4 million ($6.2 million). The new partnership will finance the first three workplans of LHRC’s latest strategy, with an allocation of NOK 19 million ($2 million).
According to the ambassador, LHRC has for years contributed to Tanzania’s reform agenda through advocacy, strategic litigation and legal aid, benefitting thousands of citizens.
The Centre has also coordinated civil society recommendations to the government during previous United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) sessions and is expected to play a leading role again in the 2026 cycle. In addition, it has drafted reform proposals in areas such as criminal justice and electoral processes.
LHRC’s Acting Executive Director, Mr Fulgence Massawe, said the support comes at the right time, as it will strengthen efforts towards political reconciliation, women’s empowerment and freedom of expression—pillars he described as fundamental to social and economic development.
“Democracy is not a fixed destination; it is a journey. It requires trust, participation and the commitment of both citizens and leaders to nurture it every day. It is through people’s voices and choices that societies grow stronger,” he said.
He added that democracy goes beyond the right to vote, extending to the right to live in peace, security and dignity. “It is about building societies where citizens can fulfil their potential, and where taxpayers’ money is directed towards essential needs such as education, health, water and transport.”
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