MWE Correspondent
Tanzania’s Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, has joined global education leaders at a Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Multiplier Possibility meeting in New York, as efforts intensify to mobilise additional resources for education systems in developing countries.
The meeting was held at the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States, and was chaired by former Tanzanian President and Chair of the GPE Board of Directors, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.
The discussions focused on mobilising financial resources from education partners through the GPE fund to support countries in strengthening and financing programmes aimed at improving access to and the quality of education.
The GPE Multiplier is an innovative financing mechanism designed to leverage additional funding for education by encouraging countries and their partners to mobilise co-financing alongside GPE resources. GPE describes such mechanisms as a way of increasing the amount of financing available for education while supporting more coordinated investment in national education priorities.
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The New York meeting therefore comes at a time when international education financing remains a major focus for governments and development partners seeking to expand opportunities for children and strengthen education systems.
Through the initiative, education stakeholders are being encouraged to increase their financial commitments to the sector, particularly in areas where additional resources are required to address gaps in access, learning and system capacity.
Tanzania is among the countries benefiting from GPE support. According to GPE programme documents, the partnership has supported Tanzania Mainland since 2013, while a 2023–2026/27 programme includes a System Transformation Grant with a maximum country allocation of US$117.59 million for the United Republic of Tanzania. In 2024, Tanzania also received an additional Multiplier Grant allocation of about US$21.99 million.
The funding has been linked to efforts to strengthen Tanzania’s basic education system, including teacher workforce planning and management. GPE financing is generally intended to support national education priorities and reforms, with the organisation emphasizing alignment between external financing and countries’ own education systems and plans.
The participation of Prof. Mkenda in the New York meeting places Tanzania within wider international efforts to address the financing needs facing education systems, as governments, development partners and other stakeholders explore mechanisms for mobilising additional resources.
For Tanzania, continued access to GPE financing provides an additional source of support for implementation of education priorities, while the broader GPE Multiplier initiative seeks to encourage greater investment from partners to expand the resources available for education globally.
