Tanzania makes great strides in fulfilling UN’s 2030 Agenda

At its heart were the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)'s brief on SDGs Indicators show the achievements that Tanzania has recorded in implementing the goals, with seven years left to the set deadline.

For instance, the report says, Tanzania has made a remarkable milestone in implementing the goal number 3 which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.

For mainland Tanzania, the brief indicates that maternal mortality rate was recorded to be 220 in 2021 from 556 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded in 2015-16.

“Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel has risen from 64 percent as reported in the 2015-16, to 85 percent in 2022. Under-5 mortality rate declined from 67 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births,” it states in part.

On the other hand, the brief show neonatal mortality rate declined slightly from 25 to 24 per 1,000 live births. The decrease in mortality is due to the improvements made in health services delivery across the country.

Regsarding SDG six which calls countries to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, the brief show Tanzania has made notable progress since 2019 on improving access to both clean water and sanitation for its population.

In the mainland, the report shows the proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services in rural areas increased from 70.1 percent in 2019 to 74.3 percent in 2021.

“Proportion of the households with improved sanitation facilities in rural areas increased from 36 percent in 2015 to 57.0 percent in 2019,” it partly shows.

Experts told The Citizen that the country was out for a good result because of the measures being taken to achieve the SDGs. The measures include the adoption of the generic material for training health workers on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI).

“The construction of health centres close to people including in the remote areas, training of nurses, medical attendants, clinical officers and medical doctors has played a significant role towards this progress,” said Dr Aneth Sekei of the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Bugando.

She said the country had reduced under five mortality rates because of good coverage of cost-effective interventions like immunisations.

Regarding the availability of water and sanitation, Mr Ayub Martine, an employee in the Tarime Rural District Council, said in recent years, clean and safe water has been available in abundance due to a massive campaign conducted by the government.