The purpose of the present Concept Note is to describe the processes for the establishment of the transformation agenda for the agriculture sector in Tanzania, including the policy reviews, the strengthening of national institutions and the engagements with stakeholders involved in the sector. It provides for a phased approach implemented in an inclusive manner to ensure full ownership and an effective implementation of the Agriculture Master Plan.

Following the country prioritization assessment and subsequent endorsement of the Steering Committee members during the Strategic Retreat in April 2023, Tanzania emerged as a priority country. This was followed by an introduction letter from the AATI in May 2023 and strengthened with a bilateral meeting between Honourable Hussein Mohammed Bashe, Minister of Agriculture and Ms. Safia Boly, Executive Director AATI, during the Africa Agricultural Policy Leadership Dialogue in Lusaka, Zambia on 1-2 June 2023.  

Shortly after, a proposed programme of work was sent to the Government and a team was deployed from 12 June 2023 onwards. The Government sent a request for support to BMGF on 9 June 2023 and a formal request for support was received by the AATI on 25 July 2023. Followed by the co-designed project document sent by the AATI on August 29, 2023. The Agriculture Transformation Office was officially launched on September 5, 2023, during the AGRF in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, by Honourable Hussein Mohammed Bashe, Honourable Abdallah Ulega, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, and Ms. Boly, Executive Director of AATI, marking the culmination of dedicated efforts.

AATI’s assistance focuses on three main outcomes to support the successful implementation of sustainable transformation in the agricultural sector:

1. An Agricultural Transformation Master Plan to guide the transformation and growth of the agriculture sector in Tanzania. AATI will support the Government in evaluating and assessing key past and existing strategies and enhancing the country’s agriculture transformation agenda through one cohesive, exhaustive, and actionable Master Plan. The Master Plan is built through sector-wide diagnostics; strategy formulation, prioritization, planning and review; and formulation of flagship & policy priorities to tie projects to strategic pillars. As such, it will leverage existing analysis, capture lessons from past efforts, and integrate best practices from other countries.
2. Enhanced Government capacity to implement the AMP. AATI will support the implementation of suitable governance and coordination mechanisms through an ATO. The ATO will enable and coordinate effective implementation and tracking of the Master Plan, support in capacity building (including digital capabilities and tools) and deploy monitoring and evaluation tools. Appropriate performance management and data/analytics tools will be key to ensuring timely and accurate oversight of progress towards achieving the vision laid out in the Master Plan.
3. Effective and efficient implementation of the AMP. AATI will support the implementation of key flagships through the ATO, including development of implementation plan, coordination of stakeholders for implementation, resource mobilization to ensure appropriate funding of key programs, as well as knowledge and best-practice sharing.

With the completion of the design process for the Agriculture Master Plan and the launch of the ATO, it has become necessary to progress to the next phase for the design of the Transformation Agenda including an implementation plan and the National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP). The objectives of the second phase are as follows:

• Co-create the agriculture transformation agenda with a clear understanding of policy or other reforms, resources mobilization efforts, etc. required by the Government for its successful implementation.
• Strengthen the evidence-based approach to the transformation agenda by defining an overall framework for preparation, production, collection, validation and reporting on records.

• Provide to the government of Tanzania a mechanism to support the implementation of a transformation agenda.

• Suggest additional reviews that can be undertaken by McKinsey for the successful implementation of the transformation agenda and therefore guiding the deepening of analyses.

In order to achieve the above objectives, a consultant will collaborate with the ATO team and representatives from the founding partners, as applicable, to be deployed for the purpose of delivering the following outcomes:

 

1. Deliverables:
   1. Transformation agenda:

• Establish the plan for legislative and other policy reforms required for the successful implementation of the Master Plan;
• Establish the prioritization plan for investments, reforms and engagement for the implementation of each flagship;
• Propose an accountability framework for stakeholders who are engaged in the transformation agenda;
• Propose set of activities to be performed by the founding partners of the AATI to be included in a framework agreement.
• Propose a framework to support evidence-based reporting;
• Propose a governance framework that supports the implementation of the accountability framework.

 

1. Financing and resources mobilization:

• Review of the Agriculture Master Plan and the related 15 flagships and undertake an analysis of the financing available with the aim of determining the gap in financing that exist.
• Propose the main objectives for resource mobilization, suggest a list of activities to be undertaken including an implementation plan linked to the prioritization defined in the Master Plan.

 

• Evidence based decision making
• Design the framework and requirements for the development of the data architecture that support the implementation of the national strategy.
• Utilize data analytics to provide evidence-based insights that inform the implementation of the agriculture transformation agenda and agricultural policy development.
• Develop and implement a cohesive data strategy aligned with objectives, ensuring optimal utilization of data resources.
• Establish and enforce robust data governance policies and standards to maintain data quality and compliance with regulations.
• Design and set-up an efficient data architecture that supports current and future needs, emphasizing seamless integration and migration for enhanced system performance.

 

1. Implementation Plans

• Define the implementation plan of the Master Plan taking into account the prioritization established in the transformation agenda.

Define the annual work plan from the transformation agenda with milestones and activities for the ATO and the ministries.

The co-design of the transformation agenda and its related plans will be undertaken during the months of May and June 2024.