National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) of Tanzania: 2021 – 2025

The purpose of this National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP) is to provide a comprehensive technical guidance to stakeholders and development partners for the period of five years (2021-2025), focusing on transitioning to malaria elimination in phases in Tanzania by 2030.

This Strategic Plan is guided by the following principles:

1. Country ownership and leadership – it has ensured that the plan is aligned with the National Development Plan, National Health Sector Strategic Plan and National Planning and Financial Systems,
2. Inclusive and coordinated partnerships – the NMCP is under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children and works in collaboration with several internal and external partners to reduce duplication and fragmentation of efforts,
3. Accountability – the Ministry of Finance and Planning is implementing a performance based financing mechanism; all partners are accountable for their commitments and responsibilities to their beneficiaries through this tool,
4. Evidence based and results oriented – as a result of the recommendations of the 2020 Malaria Program Review the new Strategic Plan aims to achieve the most effective and efficient use of resources as well as ensuring that the implementation of the agreed interventions is scaled up in a well-coordinated manner,
5. Technically sound – targeting of interventions has been evidence-based guided by the malaria epidemiological stratification which has been done up to sub-national level and in line with the WHO’s Global Technical Strategy,
6. Feasibility – the NMSP has taken into consideration the relevance and acceptability of the selected interventions by the communities and assessed the capacity of the health sector to deliver the required health services,
7. Cost effectiveness – the NMSP has also addressed the principle of value for money where the best use of resources available is earmarked for the provision of services that will lead to maximum reduction of morbidity and mortality.

Parallel to the development of NMSP 2021-2025, this document will lead updating and/or developing of different thematic guidelines to roll out this technical strategy. By taking forward this strategy, the country hopes to scale-up malaria interventions for control in high to moderate transmission areas and increase responses in low and very low transmission areas advancing towards malaria elimination. By doing so the strategy will facilitate the country to reach its goal and broad health related targets.