DODOMA: VICE-PRESIDENT Dr Philip Mpango has asked Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating in Tanzania to say no to individuals or nations that wish to use them as trumpets to penetrate their agenda against the country’s morals.
He also tasked them to observe laws of the country in the course of discharging their duties as he equally underscored the need for the NGOs to heighten transparency on the sources of their funding and resources obtained from donors and as well reveal the purpose of the sponsors.
The VP was speaking in Dodoma on Thursday, when gracing the climax of the Annual NGOs Forum 2023, an event that was attended by diplomats, representatives from NGOs and their stakeholders, government top leaders and representatives from the Private Sector.
Equally, Dr Mpango also asked representatives from the NGOs to respect the country’s morals during the implementation of various programmes in the country.
“I wish to remind you to observe the country’s customs, traditions and norms when undertaking several projects, and, at all times, you should not agree to be used as stepping stones by persons who have ill motives with this country “, said Dr Mpango adding:
“This country is ours, therefore, let us not allow NGOs to penetrate issues that are against our morals,” he said.
In his directives, the VP also tasked NGOs to consider the issue of climate change as one of their main concerns, insisting that they should collaborate with the government and the private sector to intensify campaign on how to mitigate its effects.
“Our country is among those highly affected by the impacts of climate change and thus is evidenced by droughts that have even prompted power rationing in the country,” he added.
Dr Mpango said climate change had affected almost every sector in the country, including agriculture, mining, livestock and fisheries, water and energy, among others and that this had slowed down the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Therefore, Dr Mpango called for massive capacity building programmes from NGOs on environmental protection, disaster management and sustainable livelihoods.
The VP further asked Regional and District authorities countrywide to collaborate and work closely with NGOs as well as monitoring the activities of the latter.
According to the Minister of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dorothy Gwajima, this was the third NGOs forum where the first and second were conducted in 2021 and 2022 and graced by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa respectively.
At the event, the VP also launched the first ever NGOs Digital Mapping Tool, which won accolades from diplomats who attended, saying that it places Tanzania among a few countries in the continent to have a forum to monitor NGOs digitally.
