The President Office at the Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) in collaboration with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) launched the national guideline for preparation of Local Government Authorities (LGA) strategic investments, in Dodoma, Tanzania. This is a new manual for LGA project teams that provides a step-by-step technical guidance on how to identify, develop, finance and manage their income-generating infrastructure investments.

During the launching event, UNCDF handed over 300 copies of the national guideline to the guest of honor, the Minister of State, PO-RALG Hon. Ummy Mwalimu. PO-RALG as the owner and disseminator of the guideline has distributed the copies to all 185 LGA Directors ready for immediate use.

The launch ceremony was preceded by official opening of the PO-RALG’s working session for the recently appointed Local Government Directors and presided by various leaders from the government Ministries and other UN agencies.

In her keynote launch speech, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of State, PO-RALG, commented: “This guide is a historic book, and it’s very important to our LGAs, because it has directly aligned a 5-year development plan. UNCDF has been doing different investments to support investment in Local Government Authorities."

She added “I am pleased to be part of this book launch; I believe investments and Innovation are a key to development of any country. I would like to congratulate and acknowledge UNCDF for their unconditional support in making sure the guide has reached to this stage."

Stressing UNCDF’s commitment to the government of United Republic of Tanzania, Peter Malika, Head of UNCDF in Tanzania said that UNCDF has prioritized its support towards attainment of the country’s objectives by working with the government to build national capacities and investing in local development.

“As we all understand, Tanzania has set a target of becoming a middle-income country by 2025, to ensure its implementation we are supporting the government to localize sustainable development by solving the most critical development challenges of today.”

He added “the guideline we launched will pave the way for improved number of investment-ready projects that will access development capital,” said Peter Malika, Head of UNCDF in Tanzania.

Malika further added that, “UNCDF together with the UN system in Tanzania, and the Government of Sweden shall continue working with the government to achieve inclusive economic growth.”

“It is it’s important for PO-RALG to strengthen ties with UNCDF through their collaborative approaches towards development. I would like to assure you of our full support as you embark on launching this book for the benefits of our local authorities and the entire country as whole,” said Hon. Ummy Malimu while closing the launch event.