The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), through the Beginnings Fund Programme, convened government, health-sector and development partners in Dar es Salaam from 28 September to 2 October 2026 to agree on how partners will work together to implement the programme.

Held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), the five-day Beginnings Fund Investment Partners Meeting focused on reviewing and finalising the Partners Joint Workplan and the Beginnings Fund Programme Operational Manual.

Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Health, PMO-RALG, IHI, Medical Stores Department (MSD), Hydom Lutheran Hospital, Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF), Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Tanzania Midwives Association (TAMA), Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Tanzania (AGOTA), Pediatric Association of Tanzania (PAT), Results for Development (R4D), InSupply Health, and Thamini Uhai.

The Beginnings Fund investment in Tanzania

Samy Ellouze, Senior Program Officer at the Beginnings Fund, opened the meeting with an overview of the programme, outlining its priorities, approach and areas of focus. The presentation provided a shared basis for partners to discuss implementation and their respective contributions.

Welcoming participants, Dr. Donat Shamba, Beginnings Fund Program Lead at IHI, emphasised the importance of using the meeting to align partners around a common plan.

“The meeting is an important opportunity for partners to come together, align our plans and strengthen the coordination needed to support effective implementation of the Beginnings Fund Programme.”

Government reaffirms commitment to partnership

Lusajo Ndagile, Director of Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Health, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to the programme, while Dr. Rashidi Mfaume, Director of Health, Social Welfare, and Nutrition Services in the Prime Minister’s Office, emphasised the importance of coordination across institutions to support implementation. Dr. Mfaume also thanked partners for their contributions to date and recognised their role in advancing maternal and newborn health.

Connecting investment to national and global priorities

Dr. Mzee Nassoro from the Ministry of Health highlighted partnership as essential to achieving improvements in maternal and newborn health. He noted that progress requires government institutions and partners to combine their expertise and resources around shared priorities.

He connected the Beginnings Fund investment to Tanzania Development Vision 2050, which places health and wellbeing among the country’s long-term development priorities, including reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality and improving access to quality health services.

Dr. Mzee Nassoro from the Ministry of Health highlighted the role of partnership in advancing maternal and newborn health and linked the investment to Tanzania Development Vision 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

He noted the relevance of the investment to Tanzania’s long-term health priorities, including reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality, as well as SDG 3.1, which calls for a global maternal mortality ratio below 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, and SDG 3.2, which calls for an end to preventable deaths of newborns and children under five by 2030.

Dr Paul Chaote, Assistant Director of Health at the Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (TAMISEMI), echoed Dr. Mfaume’s remarks, emphasising the importance of strong coordination between government and implementing partners to support effective delivery of the programme.

The meeting concluded with partners aligned around a joint workplan and operational framework to guide coordinated implementation of the Beginnings Fund investment in Tanzania.