Tanzania’s maternal health gains, gender equality earn accolades

The government’s approach to maternal and newborn care in recent years has been a significant driver of this progress. Tanzania has invested to embed new health facilities directly within communities, created emergency transport systems – like m-mama – to better support women facing labour complications, and expanded national programmes to improve nutrition -- the bedrock of good health.

The Gates Foundation supports Tanzania’s maternal health programmes by working closely with local partners and key stakeholders, like Jhpiego and PATH. Together, we’ve helped to scale up strategies to promote better health for premature infants, like Kangaroo Mother Care, to expand access to skilled birth attendants, and to strengthen emergency obstetric care in rural areas. We’ve funded nutrition programmes aimed at reducing preventable child deaths and improving maternal and newborn health.

These collaborations are critical to making our shared objective of zero preventable deaths a reality.

Also read: President Samia to receive Goalkeepers Award for maternal mortality reduction

Malnutrition remains a significant challenge in many parts of Tanzania. How can the lessons from your global initiatives be applied to address stunting, anaemia and other nutritional issues affecting women and children here?

Malnutrition is devastating for women and children’s health. It causes irreversible, lifelong consequences, to the point where poor nutrition is actually the root cause of one in five maternal deaths.

Malnutrition is devastating for women and children’s health. It causes irreversible, lifelong consequences, to the point where poor nutrition is actually the root cause of one in five maternal deaths.

And, in Tanzania, as you say, the challenge remains daunting: for example, anaemia, an iron deficiency problem that reduces the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood, affects more than half of pregnant women and children under five-years-old.

The good news is, we have better understanding and tools than ever before to help tackle the problem. In fact, the Global Goalkeepers report we released last year highlights a handful of critical, accessible solutions that stand to make a huge difference.

Take a Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS), a complete prenatal vitamin –MMS is more effective than traditional iron and folic acid supplements, easier to take, and could save nearly half a million lives globally by 2040.

Introducing and scaling MMS is a key priority in our partnership with Tanzania, as we see it as an integral step to improve birth outcomes and make sure that moms and their babies get the nutrition they need.

And, in Tanzania, as you say, the challenge remains daunting: for example, anaemia, an iron deficiency problem that reduces the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood, affects more than half of pregnant women and children under five-years-old.

The good news is, we have better understanding and tools than ever before to help tackle the problem. In fact, the Global Goalkeepers report we released last year highlights a handful of critical, accessible solutions that stand to make a huge difference.

Take a Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS), a complete prenatal vitamin – MMS is more effective than traditional iron and folic acid supplements, easier to take, and could save nearly half a million lives globally by 2040. Introducing and scaling MMS is a key priority in our partnership with Tanzania, as we see it as an integral step to improve birth outcomes and make sure that moms and their babies get the nutrition they need.

Women in Tanzania, particularly in rural areas, face barriers to economic empowerment due to limited access to resources and education. What role does economic empowerment play in the foundation’s gender equality agenda, and how can Tanzania accelerate its efforts in this area?

When women can pursue economic opportunities, and earn and control their own money, they have the power to transform their own lives as well as the communities and economies around them.

Women are more likely to invest their earnings into their families, improving their health and increasing their children’s access to education, in turn, unlocking greater opportunity for them in the future.

In Tanzania, specifically, expanding women’s economic opportunities could boost Tanzania’s economy by two billion Tanzania shillings as it could increase GDP growth by almost one percent annually, according to the World Bank.

The foundation’s Gender Equality Division is committed to paving the way for women and girls to lead healthy and productive lives. This simply isn’t possible without economic empowerment. Our work in rural Tanzania, for example, has clearly illustrated this link.

Part of our efforts centre on providing women farmers with quality seeds, tools, training, and market opportunities– which ultimately helps them create better, more sustainable sources of income that they can invest in their businesses, communities, and family. By scaling these types of initiatives, we’re working to guarantee that women in Tanzania are part of country’s journey to unlocking its full potential.

The 2024 Goalkeepers report highlights global progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. What insights from this report are particularly relevant to Tanzania’s efforts in achieving gender equality and improving maternal and child health?

The report drives home how important nutrition is for maternal and child health. That’s something Tanzania has already recognised and is integrating across all levels of its health system.

Besides MMS, the report spotlights strategies like the fortification of staple foods –wheat, oil, and salt, for example– as a way to address malnutrition and prevent health issues linked to vitamin deficiencies.

For example, low levels of vitamin A are the leading cause of blindness in children. Tanzania has committed to including fortified foods in school meals, which will go a long way to guaranteeing that children across the country are getting the nutrients they need.

Decisive steps like these stand to make the greatest difference in moms and babies’ lives – which, as we’ve seen, are necessary to achieve gender equality too.

In the Lake Zone and in southern regions often face higher child mortality rates and limited access to healthcare services. How does the Gates Foundation plan to support targeted interventions in underserved regions to ensure equitable progress?

The Gates Foundation’s mission is to make sure that good health isn’t an accident of birth. Where you live, your gender, your income level– these factors should have nothing to do with your ability to lead a healthy, full life.

But today, they unfortunately do. In Tanzania, this has meant that moms and babies in certain parts of the country face greater health risks than in others. Where these gaps exist, we’re committed to working with the government and other partners to tackle them – making sure that every mother and child has the chance to survive and achieve their full potential.

This includes expanding access to nutrition programs or enhancing prenatal and neonatal care to reduce the threat of complications like preterm birth.

By working together, we can advance even more progress on ending preventable maternal and newborn mortality – and creating the more equitable world that comes with it. Vaccination programs have been a cornerstone of reducing child mortality.

Given your expertise in vaccine development, what innovations or strategies could Tanzania adopt to improve immunization coverage, particularly in remote areas?

Tanzania is a leader in sub-Saharan Africa when it comes to vaccinating children. It has one of the best coverage rates in the region.

But gaps do remain – especially in hard-to-reach corners of the country.

New tools and technologies could go a long way to ensuring that everyone is covered. For example, imagine if an app could remind peoplewhen they’re due to get another vaccine, or if a mobile health clinic could bring boosters directly to the communities that need them.

At the same time, we also need to invest more in training local community health workers, who build trust with communities through shared language and understanding of cultural nuances, to encourage vaccination in areas where coverage is low.

You have championed programmes like WomenLift Health to promote women’s leadership in global health. What advice or strategies can you offer Tanzania to foster more women leaders in health and other sectors?

Gender equality is further along in Tanzania than in many other countries. The statistics are impressive: more than a third of your parliamentary seats are filled by women, and more than three quarters of women participate in the labour force.

These achievements lay a strong foundation. One area where more can be done to support progress is to foster women leaders in important sectors for the country’s economic growth like health and economics.

There are three strategies I recommend. First, addressing systemic barriers is essential. Women in leadership face significant discrimination, limits on training and opportunities, and a lack of support.

Mentorship programmes, like those pioneered by WomenLift Health, are a proven way to equip women with the skills and networks they need to thrive. Second, prioritising data collection is critical. Early insights from McKinsey’s research in Kenya, India and Nigeria show that while leaders value women’s leadership, few measure the outcomes of their efforts. Tanzania could lead by ensuring progress is measurable and scalable.

Finally, engaging diverse champions – including men – who advocate

for women’s leadership is key. Champions are essential partners to make their environments more inclusive and accelerate cultural change.

By breaking barriers, leveraging data, and building diverse coalitions, Tanzania can solidify its leadership in gender equality and create lasting impact in healthcare and advocacy.