Momentum is building ahead of the launch of the Beginnings Fund Tanzania Mainland Investment Program, a new philanthropic initiative focused on accelerating reductions in preventable maternal and newborn deaths. 

In this spirit, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Prime Minister’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), together with the Beginnings Fund Investment team and the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), convened a two-day Partners Introduction Meeting from 23–24 April 2026 in Dar es Salaam.

The convening brought partners into the same room to connect, align, and lay the groundwork for implementation. Key priorities included introducing implementing partners, co-developing a joint work plan, and initiating an operational manual to clearly define roles, coordination mechanisms, and shared responsibilities across the program.

About Beginnings Fund

Launched in April 2025, the Beginnings Fund is a pan-African initiative committed to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths, with an ambitious target of saving more than 300,000 lives by 2030. The fund invests in strengthening health systems, building workforce capacity, and scaling low-cost, evidence-based innovations across Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

In Tanzania, the program is designed to accelerate progress toward national 2030 targets for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and preventing stillbirths. It is projected to save approximately 51,334 lives by improving access to and quality of maternal and newborn health services nationwide.

Project partners

More than 40 participants, including key implementing partners and stakeholders, attended the meeting. Institutions represented included the Ministry of Health (MoH), Prime Minister’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Medical Stores Department (MSD), Hydom Lutheran Hospital (Hydom), Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF), Doris Mollel Foundation (DMF), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Tanzania (AGOTA), Pediatric Association of Tanzania (PAT), Results for Development (R4D), InSupply Health, and Thamini Uhai.

The session was also attended by the Program Director of the Beginnings Fund Investment in Tanzania, Anne Magege, alongside four members of the investment team (Dr David Gathara, Dr Philip Wanduru, and Karuga Kimani). It was officially opened by Dr Rashid Mfaume, Director of Health and Nutrition at PMO-RALG, who emphasised the importance of coordination, shared accountability, and partnership in improving maternal and newborn health outcomes in Tanzania.

The programme will be implemented across 12 regions in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, focusing on scaling up priority maternal and newborn health interventions, improving access to essential commodities, strengthening the health workforce, and reinforcing health systems through investments in infrastructure, data systems, emergency referral and transport, advocacy, leadership, and management.

Ifakara’s contribution to the initiative

Ifakara Health Institute will serve as the overall lead partner for Beginnings Fund coordination in Tanzania. 

The meeting marked a pivotal step toward building a shared foundation for action, setting the stage for coordinated implementation to improve maternal and newborn survival across Tanzania.