The President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, has said that the condition of autism in children is a major challenge in society, so the Government has a responsibility to ensure that it supports efforts to help children affected by the condition.
President Dr. Mwinyi said this, on April 20, 2026, when he met with leaders of the Lukiza Autism Foundation who visited him at the State House to introduce themselves and explain the activities of the institution.
Dr. Mwinyi said that the problem of autism has become a challenge for many citizens, a situation that is largely contributed to the lack of adequate education in the community as well as the shortage of professionals in the field.
He stated that the Government will take deliberate steps to ensure that professionals are available to provide education to the citizens, as well as to establish educational programs in schools with the aim of increasing awareness and helping children with autism.
Dr. Mwinyi has called on the Ministry of Health to collaborate with the experts to learn more about autism, noting that Zanzibar is currently facing the challenge of a lack of experts to identify and address the condition early.
He said the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar will continue to support efforts made by various institutions to ensure that awareness of autism increases and better services are available to affected children.
The Founding Executive and Director of the Lukiza Autism Foundation, Mrs. Hilda Nkabe, said that Zanzibar still faces many challenges in identifying children with autism due to the lack of specialists and specialized centers for the service.
He explained that the institution has planned to provide education to the community at large, from the family level to schools, to increase awareness and support early identification of children with the condition.
However, he added that approximately 2 million children in Tanzania are estimated to show symptoms of autism, with between 14,000 and 20,000 children showing symptoms that can be identified as having the condition.
