UN Climate Change News, 29 September 2026 - Across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, the effects of climate change are already being felt. Floods, droughts and rising seas threaten communities and the agriculture, fisheries and livestock on which millions of people depend. Weather-related risks cost Tanzania's agriculture sector at least USD 200 million each year in lost harvests.
The country has developed a ten-year National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to boost resilience to these impacts across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat in January 2026, the plan covers 36 programmes across 18 sectors. The challenge now is to turn it into action in the places where climate risks are already affecting lives and livelihoods. Before submission, the UN Climate Change Regional Collaboration Centre for East and Southern Africa (RCC EASA) helped review the draft plan. It later shared Tanzania's experience with other countries in the region developing their own adaptation plans.
Putting Tanzania's adaptation plan to work
That work has begun. Sector-related ministries are developing more detailed vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans for coastal and marine areas, health and water. Local governments, supported by the United Nations Capital Development Fund and CARE International Tanzania, have started community-level vulnerability assessments. Tanzania's Vice President's Office is preparing a concept note to seek Green Climate Fund support for the next phase.
The country has also established a permanent climate finance mechanism within its Ministry of Finance to track and mobilize adaptation funding. The NAP estimates implementation costs at USD 37 billion, making access to finance central to the work ahead.
"Development of the NAP is not the end of the process, but the beginning of the long-term national transition towards climate-resilient development," said Asia Akule, Environmental Officer and NAP Coordinator in Mainland Tanzania's Vice President's Office.
Building a plan across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar
The NAP grew out of nearly a decade of work. Early assessments in 2016 identified gaps in adaptation planning. From October 2022, with Green Climate Fund financing and support from the United Nations Development Programme, Tanzania's Vice President's Office brought together ministries, civil society, academia, the private sector and development partners to develop the NAP. The process included vulnerability assessments across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, while civil society organizations helped connect national planning with communities and local governments.
Funding delays and gaps in climate data complicated the work. Feedback from RCC EASA, the UN Climate Change NAP team and the Least Developed Countries Expert Group helped strengthen the draft before submission. Akule described the Expert Group's feedback as "very productive and helpful."
Sharing lessons across the region
RCC EASA subsequently co-convened a peer exchange webinar in August 2026 with the Government of Tanzania and the United Nations Development Programme. Tanzania's team discussed what had worked, what had caused delays and what they would do differently, giving other countries developing NAPs a practical account of the process.
Tanzania's experience highlights the value of sustained engagement across government, civil society and communities, as well as small, dedicated teams to keep planning on track. It also shows why countries need to address data gaps and financing constraints as they move from national plans to action on the ground.
Read the full case study here.
