Tanzania and Finland sign agreement worth of 9,7 milj. euros in support for the forest development

Tanzania and Finland have signed an agreement for the second phase of the Plantation Forestry Programme. The first phase of the programme started five years ago, which will now be accompanied with another four years. The continuation of the project will further support sustainable development of the forestry sector in the Southern Highland of Tanzania. In addition to the environmental benefits, the project will also generate economic growth and poverty alleviation.

Mr Kari Leppänen from the Embassy of Finland and Mr Doto James from the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

The Programme aims at strengthening and multiplying the remarkable results that were gained through the first phase of the Programme. As a concrete success story of the project, one of the central outcomes was the establishment of more than 12,000 hectares of quality forest plantations owned by more than 9,000 farmers, which represent multimillion-euro assets to the small-scale farmers.

The second and final phase of the project will focus on the consolidation of the already gained achievements, while taking a more people-centred approach through facilitation, communication and inclusiveness. The project will also address the key challenges that were identified in the first phase of the project, which will help us to work towards establishing sustainable and inclusive plantation forestry sector that can contribute notable to Tanzania’s economic growth.