The Zanzibar Planning Commission (ZPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), Policy Innovation Lab-Africa (PIL-Africa), and the Africa School of Economics (ASE) to strengthen collaboration in development planning, research, and capacity building in Zanzibar.
The partnership aims to promote the use of evidence, research, and reliable data in planning and decision-making, with the goal of supporting effective, informed, and sustainable development across Zanzibar.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Executive Secretary of the Zanzibar Planning Commission, Dr. Josephine Rogate Kimaro, underscored the importance of evidence-based planning in achieving meaningful development outcomes.
“Results-driven planning is built on evidence,” Dr. Kimaro emphasized, highlighting the need for institutions to strengthen the generation, analysis, and application of data and research in development planning.
Through the MoU, the participating institutions will work together to strengthen local capacities, promote research and knowledge sharing, and support the implementation of development programmes through evidence-informed approaches.
The collaboration also provides an important platform for strengthening linkages between academic institutions, research organizations, and development planning institutions, enabling research and expertise to contribute more effectively to Zanzibar’s development agenda.
The signing of the MoU marks an important milestone in fostering strategic partnerships and building local expertise to support evidence-based policy formulation, planning, and implementation for sustainable development in Zanzibar.