Dar es Salaam. The Assistant Director-General and Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Division of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Ambassador Nicolas Randin, visited Tanzania from December 3 to December 8, 2023, meeting with partners and visiting projects supported by the Government of Switzerland in Tanzania.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the Swiss Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Ambassador Randin met with members of civil society, project partners, government officials and development partners during his stay in the country. 

“The agenda also included visits to Swiss-supported projects in Dodoma, Morogoro and Coast Regions,” the statement explained. “Ambassador Randin was accompanied by the SDC Head of Eastern and Southern Africa Section, Ms Katharina Stocker, and the SDC Head of the Peace, Governance and Equality Section, Ms Christine Schneeberger.”

On December 4, the delegation had a meeting with key partners from the media, anti-corruption and civil society projects. During the meeting, partners shared their views on the evolution of the political context and the role of Civil Society Organisations in the country.

READ MORE: Switzerland-Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Officially Launched

The delegation visited a public works project supported by Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) at Ruvu Darajani Village in Chalinze, Pwani and exchanged with a number of beneficiaries supported by the social protection scheme. 

In Dodoma, they met with peer educators and healthcare providers supported through the Safeguard Young People (SYP) programme and had a chance to interact with young mothers who have received life, sexual health, leadership and entrepreneurship skills.

“The delegation also visited a Folk Development College supported by the Skills for Employment Tanzania (SET) project in Morogoro,” the Embassy statement said. “[It] also visited the Ifakara Health Institute in Bagamoyo.” 

During his visit, Mr Randin also visited Kilimo Fresh, a recipient of an impact-linked loan under the Impact-linked Fund for Eastern and Southern Africa (ILF ESA) project, which, like all the projects he visited, is supported by the Government of Switzerland.

READ MORE: EU, Tanzania Awards NGOs Working on Sustainable Cooking Solutions

Switzerland has supported bilateral and regional projects in Tanzania since the early 1960s. In 1981, Tanzania became a priority country for official Swiss development assistance. 

“The Swiss Cooperation Programme Tanzania 2021-2025 strongly focuses on empowering young people, especially poor young women, to advance socially and economically,” the statement explained. 

“Through the SDC, Switzerland continues to work with its partners to strengthen state institutions, promote civic space and improve youth livelihoods. This year, the SDC allocated CHF 24.5 million to support development projects in Tanzania,” it added.