By TZ Business News Staff
The United Kingdom Minister for Africa Vicky Ford visited Tanzania the first week of April, 2022, where she launched an 89 million Pounds education program to improve girls education in the country.
Other matters on her agenda included discussions with Tanzania officials on matters of bilateral trade and investment, the Ukraine Crisis and seeing “first-hand how UK expertise and assistance are helping Tanzanian authorities in the fields of security and justice,” according to a UK Government statement released in London.
The UK Minister has launched “a major new education initiative that will improve the quality and access to education for over 4 million children in Tanzania,” a statement distributed by APO and published on a UK Government website has reported.
The £89 million program called ‘Shule Bora’ (meaning ‘quality education’) will improve learning outcomes for all children, with special emphasis to be given to girls, children living with disabilities, and those living in deprived areas the report says. The Minister has also met Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Minister Vicky Ford MP, said:
The UK is a global leader in Education and we strongly believe that education is crucial to levelling up across the globe. We remain committed to improving access to high-quality education across Africa. That’s why we are launching the Shule Bora programme here in Tanzania, to give the most vulnerable children a chance to learn.
That includes prioritizing girls’ education, who are all too often denied their right to learn. Sadly, it is often girls that are left behind and that is why our top priority is educating girls, which makes the world a safer, more prosperous place for us all, the statement posted on the UK Government website says.
Minister Vicky Ford continues:
I was pleased to meet again with President Samia Suluhu Hassan. I welcomed the President’s commitment to strengthen education across the country and thanked her for her support in the launch of our major education initiative, which will be truly transformative for millions of school children here.
The Shule Bora programme is directly funded by UK Official Development Assistance. It will improve learning outcomes for all children, particularly girls, children living with disabilities, and those living in deprived areas. The programme will strengthen Tanzania’s teaching workforce, and support the Government of Tanzania in strengthening the value for money of education provision at school.
In her first visit to Tanzania, the Minister held high-level talks with President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Foreign Minister Liberata Mulamula, where they were also able to discuss mutual priorities including the Ukraine crisis, the business environment and climate change.
British High Commissioner to Tanzania, David Concar said:
The visit of Minister Ford to Tanzania to launch our flagship education programme and meet with the President are important indications of the rich and ever-expanding relationship between the UK and Tanzania.
The Minister also saw first-hand how UK expertise and assistance are helping Tanzanian authorities in the fields of security and justice.
In Minister Ford’s meeting with officials at the Tanzania Ministry for Investment, Industry and Trade later, the agenda centered on recent developments in the improvement of Tanzania’s business environment, and the potential for increased UK business access to Tanzania.
