On 31 July 2024, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, accompanied by Zanzibar President Hussein Ally Mwinyi visited various booths, including that of the Ifakara Health Institute’s NEST360 program, showcasing their initiatives on the sidelines of the Mkapa Legacy Summit. 

The summit, commemorating the life of the late President Benjamin Mkapa and organized by the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF), was held for three days at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Dar es Salaam. It came to a conclusion today.

Dr. Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro, Chief Executive Officer of the BMF, announced that the three-day event, which happened from July 29 to 31, was held under the theme ‘Taking Local Sustainability to New Horizons’. It has attracted over 500 participants, reflecting Mkapa’s vision of leveraging internal resources for domestic development.

The summit follows a two-day Human Resources for Health (HRH) Conference, in which the NEST360 program participated and showcased a range of innovative technologies and human resource strategies designed to improve hospital-based newborn care in Tanzania.

These efforts align with the conference theme, "Health Workforce: A Cornerstone to Resilient and Sustainable Development Agenda." Attendees got the opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of these innovations on newborn care, underscoring the program's dedication to saving lives and improving health outcomes.

More about the Summit
The summit began with a two-day National Human Resource for Health (HRH) Conference, which focused on addressing human resource challenges within the health sector. This year's commemoration was expected to include notable attendees such as Vice President Dr. Philip Mpango, Zanzibar Second Vice President Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, and Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, among others.

The HRH Conference highlighted the critical issue of Tanzania's estimated 66 percent shortage of healthcare workers. Dr. Mkondya-Senkoro emphasized the importance of collaboration among government, private sector, and non-state actors to tackle this deficiency. The conference aimed to foster discussions on policy, technical aspects, and strategies to enhance the health workforce.

This commemoration marks the third since Mkapa’s passing in July 2020, following previous events in 2021 and 2022. The BMF's Board of Trustees has decided to hold the commemoration biennially, reinforcing the legacy of President Mkapa and his contributions to Tanzania’s development.