The First Lady of Zanzibar, First Lady and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Zanzibar Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF), Mama Mariam Mwinyi, has visited seaweed farmers and project beneficiaries in the Muungoni area, South Unguja District, South Unguja Region and urged them to increase their efforts to produce the crop in order to bring about overall development.
Mama Mwinyi visited the beneficiaries on April 16, 2026, under the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE).
During the visit, Mama Mariam Mwinyi was accompanied by members of the ZMBF Board of Trustees, where she had the opportunity to witness various activities carried out by the beneficiaries of the programme as well as the development steps achieved.
Speaking to the farmers, Mama Mariam Mwinyi expressed her delight at the visible progress, noting that the training provided has begun to bear fruit.
She said the measure has contributed to increased production and improved quality of seaweed compared to the previous situation.
She stressed the importance of continuing efforts to build the capacity of farmers by providing them with continuous training, in parallel with introducing innovative methods of processing seaweed to increase the value of the crop.
She added that these measures will help improve markets, increase sales prices and ultimately raise farmers’ income.
Mama Mwinyi Mwinyi said the program continues to be an important catalyst in empowering rural women economically, promoting sustainable employment and strengthening the contribution of the seaweed sector in growing the blue economy in Zanzibar.
