KEY MESSAGES
• Youth in Tanzania are active at the community level but remain largely absent from formal
governance. There is potential for Tanzanian youth to more actively help Tanzania in its ambition to
achieve a nutrition-sensitive, climate resilient, inclusive food system.
• This policy brief introduces a practical framework to enable meaningful youth engagement in food
systems policymaking and recommends concrete actions to institutionalise youth participation
across national and sub-national governance platforms.
• Institutionalise youth participation in food systems governance through mechanisms such as
Youth Advisory Panel and operationalising the National Youth Council, to ensure youth priorities
are systematically and sustainably integrated into policy decisions.
• Develop structured local-to-national representation pathways, leveraging existing channels such
as Tanzania Youth Alliance in Food Systems (TYAFS) and Youth Development Officers in Local
Government Authorities to strengthen coherence between local priorities, community action and
national decision-making.
• Strengthen cross-ministerial coordination and accountability by aligning youth mandates across
ministries and integrate youth specific objectives and indicators in national frameworks, for efficient
resource mobilisation and sustained youth participation.
• Develop a pipeline of youth leaders through structured fellowships, internships and mentorships;
and integrating capacity-building into vocational curricula and programmes like Building a Better
Tomorrow – Youth and Women Initiative for Agribusiness (BBT-YIA) to equip the next generation
with the necessary skills and networks to transition from community actors to national-level leaders.