Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Mwananchi Communications Limitted
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s civil society sector is preparing for a major push toward domestic financing as growing uncertainty in global aid flows forces non-governmental organisations to rethink how they fund their operations and sustain development programmes.
More than 3,000 participants are expected to gather in Dodoma in October for the 2026 National NGO Forum, where local resource mobilisation, private-sector partnerships and financial sustainability will dominate discussions, according to the National Council of NGOs (NaCoNGO).
The forum comes as aid organisations worldwide grapple with shrinking development budgets, shifting donor priorities and cuts to international assistance that have left many NGOs searching for alternative sources of funding.
“The conversation is no longer just about securing grants. It is about how NGOs can survive, grow and remain impactful using resources generated within the country,” NaCoNGO chairman Jasper Makala told journalists on Friday while announcing the forum.
Scheduled for October 20-22 at the Jakaya Kikwete Convention Centre in Dodoma, the gathering will be held under the theme: “New Thinking on NGO Sustainability: Innovation, Partnerships and Access to Financial Resources through Domestic Sources.”
The theme reflects a growing concern within the sector that reliance on foreign funding is becoming increasingly risky at a time when governments and donors are redirecting resources toward domestic priorities.
For decades, international donors have been the primary financiers of many Tanzanian NGOs, particularly those working in health, education, governance, gender equality and humanitarian assistance. However, funding disruptions in recent years have exposed vulnerabilities across the sector, prompting calls for new financing models.
Makala said the forum will focus on practical strategies for expanding domestic funding, strengthening collaboration with the private sector, embracing technology-driven solutions and improving accountability to attract local support.
“We want to build a sector that is innovative, resilient and less dependent on external financing,” he said.
The event is being organised by NaCoNGO in partnership with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups.
Beyond financing, discussions will examine the future role of civil society in supporting Tanzania’s long-term development agenda, including implementation of the National Development Vision 2050.
Participants will include government officials, development partners, private-sector executives, researchers, media organisations and representatives of local and international NGOs.
Makala said resolutions from the forum are expected to inform efforts to improve the operating environment for NGOs while strengthening cooperation between civil society, government and business.
Preparations are already underway through district and regional forums scheduled between June and September, which will collect recommendations and policy proposals ahead of the national meeting.
The Dodoma gathering is expected to be one of the largest civil society meetings in East Africa this year, reflecting growing urgency around one question facing the sector: how to sustain development work in an era of declining donor dependence.
