The Ifakara Health Institute, through the Data for Health (D4H) project, successfully hosted the first writing workshop aimed at developing Tanzania’s National Strategy for Communication, Dissemination, and Advocacy of Vital Statistics in the country. 

The three-day workshop took place from February 4-6, 2025, in Morogoro, bringing together key stakeholders from government institutions and development partners. The main writing session will be followed by a series of agency consultation sessions to span across three weeks.

Collaborative effort for data-driven decision-making
This initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the President’s Office - Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and the Registration, Insolvency, and Trusteeship Agency (RITA), seeks to bridge gaps in the communication and use of vital statistics in Tanzania. 

The strategy aims to improve interagency collaboration, ensuring that data on births, deaths, and other essential statistics are effectively shared and utilized for policymaking and development planning.

Driving the process forward
The workshop was facilitated by Bilal Aziz, Head of Communications at Ifakara Health Institute, who played a pivotal role in guiding participants through key aspects of strategy development. He is also scheduled to lead intra-agency consultations to gather more inputs in the next two weeks. 

This workshop marked an important step in refining the framework for communicating vital statistics, following an initial Task Force meeting in December 2024, which among other things, drew a workplan for the strategy development that has been agreed among the partners to happen between January and end of March 2025.

Participants engaged in discussions to define core communication objectives, identify challenges, and draft the foundational elements of the strategy. The workplan implementation is expected to continue with two additional writing workshops scheduled for end of February and March 2025, ultimately leading to a finalized strategy.

Looking Ahead
With support from Vital Strategies – a US program dedicated to supporting initiatives aimed to improve vital statistical information used to inform decision-making – the development of this strategy will enhance the visibility, accessibility, and impact of Tanzania’s vital statistics. 

According to the D4H Principal Investigator, Sigilbert Mrema, the ongoing efforts will ensure that government agencies and policymakers are well-equipped to use this crucial data for better planning, decision-making, and public service delivery.