Stage is set for CSO Week 2023 in Arusha

Dar es Salaam. The stage is set for this year’s CSO Week, which is expected to involve at least 500 participants in Arusha from October 23 to 27.

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) executive director Francis Kiwanga said the event at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) would bring together about 500 CSO leaders and members from Mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar and other parts of East Africa and participants from Tanzania’s public and private sectors.

He added that the weeklong gathering was an important occasion for multisectoral development actors because they are fundamental in steering the development of the people, communities and nation in general.

“The week brings together key development actors and is aimed at the enhancement of relations and partnerships geared at bolstering civil society's engagement in Tanzania's development, forging new and strengthening existing collectives aimed at addressing key development challenges and generating and exchanging ideas,” Mr Kiwanga said.

This year’s CSO Week will explore the intersections of civil society and technology, taking into account the fact that the digital transformation has drastically changed societal frameworks and has the potential to continue reshaping the world in profound ways.

“Our world is changing rapidly due to the digital revolution we are living through and has the potential to modify society structures even more. Understanding these changes, overcoming the difficulties they create and taking advantage of the opportunities they present need conversations about the junction of technology and society,” Mr Kiwanga said.

Community outreach sessions and discussions between CSOs and communities – a key item in the CSO Week agenda – will take place on October 25.

This year’s CSO Week is sponsored by Stanbic Bank, Vodacom Foundation, Equity Bank, NBC Bank, KCB Bank and NMB Bank Foundation, Mr Kiwanga said, adding that private sector engagement and partnerships with civil society partnership were key in mitigating societal challenges as each actor plays an important role in their sector.

Stanbic Bank Tanzania head of public sector Doreen Dominic said the bank would have various sessions during CSO Week that would discuss, among other topics, technological developments, the role of the private sector in development, gender equality and the importance of environmental conservation to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“Our participation in CSO Week 2023 is driven by our desire to strengthen partnerships and promote innovation. We are aware of the key role technology can play in promoting community development and addressing various challenges the nation is grappling with,” she said.

This year’s gathering is the fifth in a series of similar events held in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and will be held under the theme “Tech and Society: Then, Now and Beyond”.