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| Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Tanzania) | |
|---|---|
| Agency name | Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries |
| Formed | 2015 |
| Jurisdiction | Dodoma Region |
| Headquarters | Dodoma |
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Tanzania) is a Tanzanian executive agency responsible for oversight of the nation's fisheries and livestock sectors. The ministry administers policy, regulation, and service delivery across mainland Tanzania and coordinates with semi-autonomous bodies and regional authorities in Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and the Lake Victoria basin. It interacts with regional institutions, multilateral agencies, and private stakeholders to support commodity chains linked to International Monetary Fund, World Bank, African Development Bank, and bilateral partners.
The ministry emerged from a reorganization following cabinet reshuffles under Presidents Jakaya Kikwete and John Magufuli, reflecting policy priorities set by the National Development Vision 2025 and the Second Five-Year Development Plan. Its antecedents included ministries responsible for Agriculture and Natural Resources and agencies such as the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute and the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency. Reforms responded to crises including overfishing in Lake Victoria, outbreaks like Rift Valley fever and Foot-and-mouth disease, and trade disputes affecting access to markets such as the European Union and Middle East.
The ministry's statutory remit covers regulation of capture fisheries, promotion of aquaculture, animal health surveillance, breed improvement, and value-chain facilitation for commodities such as beef, goat meat, dairy, tilapia, and shrimp. It develops standards aligned with the World Organisation for Animal Health and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations guidelines, negotiates sanitary and phytosanitary measures with trading partners including China, India, Kenya, and South Africa, and enforces legal frameworks derived from acts such as national fisheries legislation and veterinary statutes. The ministry also administers licensing, extension services, and emergency response for events comparable to the 1997 East African drought and disease outbreaks linked to transboundary movement along the Northern Corridor.
The ministry is structured into departments and agencies including a Directorate of Fisheries Resources, Directorate of Livestock Development, Veterinary Services Directorate, and statutory bodies like the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency, and regional livestock development boards. It liaises with subnational offices in Arusha, Mwanza, Iringa, and Mbeya and collaborates with research institutions such as the Sokoine University of Agriculture and international research centers like the International Livestock Research Institute and WorldFish. Senior leadership comprises a minister, deputy ministers, permanent secretary, and directors who coordinate with parliamentary committees such as the Parliament of Tanzania's committee on agriculture and natural resources.
Key policy frameworks include national aquaculture strategies, livestock master plans, and programs to increase export competitiveness for products destined for markets like the European Union, Gulf Cooperation Council, and East African Community. Programs emphasize value addition through initiatives involving stakeholders such as private processors from DSM Food Group-type firms, cooperatives modeled after Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission affiliates, and NGOs including Heifer International and World Vision. Fiscal measures and donor-funded projects have leveraged financing from the World Bank, African Development Bank, and bilateral agencies like USAID and DFID to support cold-chain investments, farmer training, and biosecurity.
Fisheries management covers inland fisheries in Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and coastal zones of the Indian Ocean along the Zanzibar Archipelago, with regulatory tools such as licensing, closed seasons, gear restrictions, and marine protected areas akin to initiatives in Kenya and Mozambique. The ministry promotes cage culture, pond farming, and hatchery development to increase production of species such as Nile tilapia and Penaeus monodon while working with research partners including WorldFish and the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute on stock assessment and post-harvest loss reduction. Enforcement is coordinated with agencies like the Tanzania People’s Defence Force maritime units and local authorities to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing that impacts regional fisheries governance mechanisms in the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission.
Livestock programs target breed improvement, artificial insemination, veterinary extension, and control of transboundary diseases such as Rift Valley fever, Newcastle disease, and Brucellosis. The ministry implements surveillance systems in collaboration with institutions like the International Livestock Research Institute and regional diagnostic networks, and supports vaccination campaigns, mobile veterinary clinics, and community-based animal health worker programs modeled after successful interventions in Ethiopia and Uganda. Market access initiatives align production with standards required by importers in European Union markets and regional trading blocs such as the East African Community.
The ministry engages multilateral partners including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Bank, African Development Bank, and bilateral donors such as USAID, DFID, and JICA. It participates in regional platforms including the East African Community, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and basin organizations like the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization to coordinate cross-border resource management, emergency response, and trade facilitation. Collaboration with research centers—Sokoine University of Agriculture, International Livestock Research Institute, and WorldFish—and NGOs such as Heifer International underpins capacity building, technology transfer, and investment promotion aimed at sustainable growth of Tanzania's livestock and fisheries sectors.
Category:Government ministries of Tanzania