Published in the African Journal of Climate Change and Resource Sustainability

By: Elifadhili Vicent Shaidi, Veronika Gerald Kimario, Mkama Thomas Manyama, PhD, Boniventure Herman Mchomvu & Sixbert Simon Mwanga, PhD 

Climate services, which translate climate information into actionable decision-making, have become critical tools for preparedness and vulnerability reduction. However, their integration into political processes, particularly electoral platforms, remains underexplored. This study investigates how climate services are articulated, prioritised, or omitted within the political party manifestos of Tanzania across three general election cycles: 2015–2020, 2020–2025, and 2025–2030. Guided by agenda-setting theory and principles from the Global Framework for Climate Services, the research employs qualitative content analysis of party manifestos, complemented by expert perspectives gathered during the 2025–2030 election cycle. The analysis focuses on three major political parties that shape national electoral competition and policy debates in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar: Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Alliance for Change and Transparency –Wazalendo (ACT-Wazalendo), and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA). Findings reveal uneven integration of climate services across parties and election periods. CCM demonstrates incremental progress, increasingly embedding climate change within its development agenda, though its approach risks being supply-driven, limiting user relevance and uptake. ACT-Wazalendo shows the most substantive advancement, embedding climate services comprehensively in its 2025–2030 manifesto through proposals for district-level climate service centres, enhanced information systems, and user-centred approaches. In contrast, CHADEMA’s 2020–2025 manifesto acknowledges climate resilience but omits climate services entirely, and its absence from the 2025 election restricts longitudinal comparison. Overall, the study highlights growing but inconsistent political recognition of climate services in Tanzania. It underscores the need for stronger political commitment, institutional capacity, and evidence-based advocacy to ensure climate services are mainstreamed within governance and development agendas, thereby strengthening national resilience to climate risks.

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