Zanzibar inaugurates Early Childhood Development Centre for safe childcare
ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR’S Second Vice President Hemed Suleiman Abdulla has inaugurated the Mwanakwerekwe Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre, a Stanbic Bank Tanzania-funded facility that will provide safe childcare and early learning services for children of traders and workers at Mwanakwerekwe Market.
Representing Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the Second Vice President said the centre marks a major step in supporting working families, particularly women, while investing in children’s early development.
The facility was established through a partnership between the government of Zanzibar, Stanbic Bank Tanzania and Save the Children International under the government’s Adopt an ECD initiative.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Second VP commended Stanbic Bank for supporting Zanzibar’s development and called on other financial institutions to invest in similar community-centred initiatives.
“We commend Stanbic Bank for this strategic investment and its continued support for socio-economic development, not only in Zanzibar but across Tanzania. I urge other banks and financial institutions to emulate this contribution to nation-building,” he said.
During the event, Stanbic Bank committed 500m/- to the initiative, with the first 350 million/- tranche financing the construction of the Mwanakwerekwe centre.
Designed to accommodate up to 60 children daily, the centre will offer integrated childcare, early learning, nutrition, healthcare and child protection services, enabling parents to engage more productively in income-generating activities.
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Stanbic Bank Tanzania Chief Financial and Value Officer, Derick Lugemala, said access to quality child care is both a social and economic necessity.
“A child’s future should never be limited by a parent’s need to earn a living. This centre provides children with a safe start in life while enabling working parents, especially women, to participate more fully in the economy,” he said.
Lugemala added that the bank’s 500m/- commitment reflects its long-term investment in people, opportunity and Zanzibar’s future through partnerships that strengthen families and communities.
The inauguration coincided with the launch of the Zanzibar Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme 2026–2031, a government framework aimed at improving the wellbeing of children from birth to eight years through coordinated interventions in health, nutrition, caregiving, early learning and child protection.
Following the ceremony, the Second Vice President also attended a Development Partners Round Table, which brought together stakeholders to mobilise financial, technical and institutional support for implementing the programme over the next five years.
The Mwanakwerekwe ECD Centre is expected to serve as a model of how collaboration between government, the private sector and development partners can simultaneously improve child development and enhance economic participation among working families.
