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Family planning: Tanzania prioritizes population control for sustainable growth

Dar es Salaam. Recognizing the strain of a rapidly growing population on resources, the Tanzanian government is prioritising Family Planning (FP) as a key driver for economic and social development.

Zuhura Mbuguni, National Family Planning Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, emphasizes the need for FP to ensure equitable distribution of resources across essential services like education, healthcare, infrastructure, and clean water.

"With the current population growth, providing for our citizens is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited resources," Mbuguni states.

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"Family Planning is crucial not only for individual families but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030."

According to Mbuguni, integrating the 17 SDGs with Family Planning is crucial. Scaling up FP initiatives will contribute significantly to achieving most of these goals, which aim to address global issues like poverty, inequality, and environmental sustainability.

The Tanzanian government is committed to empowering citizens, particularly women, to exercise child spacing and plan their families through various modern and traditional methods. However, the current 31 percent national family planning usage rate, as revealed by the TDHS 2022, highlights the need for further efforts.

Mbuguni emphasizes the importance of equipping healthcare professionals, supervisors, and policymakers with comprehensive knowledge on FP's benefits. This will be instrumental in scaling up FP adoption and realizing the SDGs.

"Providing a wider range of accessible and affordable contraceptive options is essential," she adds. "Every woman in need should be empowered to choose and utilize the method that best suits her needs."

The Population and Housing Census of 2022 indicates a 30 percent population increase within a decade, reaching 60 million people in 2022. Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and family planning trainer James Mlali emphasizes that this rapid growth necessitates further FP efforts to ensure sustainable development and improved living standards for all Tanzanians.


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