The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) on Friday 24th September 2021, launched its new Strategic Plan for the year 2022 – 2026, with four key interventions on top of its agenda, which are; Governance, Sustainable Livelihoods, Gender Equality & Disability Inclusion, and Peace and Conflict Management.
Dr. Richard Sambaiga, the Chairman of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Coordination Board, who was also the Guest of Honor during the launching ceremony congratulated FCS on the new strategic plan, noting that the key four interventions indicated in the new strategic plan are critical dimensions in nation building, which are also in line with the government priorities and policies.
“We cannot make significant progress as a nation if we do not invest and address issues such as governance,” he underscored.
He continued, “I would therefore like to call upon civic agents in the country to devote themselves and increase productivity in governance, social accountability and anticorruption key areas noted by FCS so as to contribute to the building of our nation.”
Dr. Sambaiga also noted the importance of linking youth with the fourth key intervention of the new strategic plan: peace and conflict management.
“Youth sit at the center of societal transformation. They are movers but can also be breakers if we ignore their agenda and priorities,” he said.
Commenting further, Dr. Sambaiga highlighted the importance of investing in strategic thinking, commending FCS for leading the way, and calling upon other NGOs to follow suit.
Dr. Sambaiga said that it is good that the strategic plan has an element of continuity from the previous one, and a multi-component theory of change not just a single component theory of change, which will help tackle different challenges facing society.
Giving her remarks during the launching ceremony, Dr. Stigmata Tenga, the President of FCS, noted the importance of cooperation and show of mutual support among civil society members.
“We need to work in harmony as civil society to bring change to Tanzanians so that they can become drivers of their own change,” Dr. Tenga said.
“This is a big sector; hence it must be built with many hands. However, in doing so, we must evolve our strategy in building systems, because systematic problems are solved by systematic solutions. We must remove barriers brought by systems,” she noted.
Stressing on the importance of collaboration, Dr. Tenga said that civil society should follow the example of a flock of birds who fly together in harmony and never crash into each other.
“There are many problems and challenges facing Tanzanians. It’s therefore important for the civil society to speak one language so that in implementing the new strategic plan, we can reach and impact more citizens, improve our coordination, be in sync, and build partnerships.
Dr. Tenga also took the opportunity to congratulate the FCS management and staff for their contribution and hard work towards the review of the previous strategic plan and development of the new one.
“I understand that this was not an easy task, most especially during this tough times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, we were still able to work together to review, strategize, and agree as family, what we have achieved and what we would like to continue to do,” said Dr. Tenga.