Who We Are

MS TCDC is a Pan-African Training Centre for Development Cooperation, situated in Arusha Tanzania. The Centre was founded in 1967 on the basis of a bilateral agreement between the governments of Denmark and Tanzania.  The centre’s program priority areas are democratic governance, human rights, transformational leadership, gender equality, youth voice, participation, and climate governance.

 MS TCDC offers research, learning, technical assistance and capacity building and convening services for state and non-state actors in the global south. The Centre offers a lively international multicultural atmosphere for reflection and learning and sharing of experiences to enhance ability the ability of individuals, groups and institutions to influence democratic governance, equitable, sustainable, and transformative change. Our partners include governments, inter-governmental organisations, development partners, donors, Civil Society Organizations and private sector entities across the African continent with some partnerships often spanning across the global south.

Boasting 55 years of existence, the centre has gained a reputation as the go-to place for short term professional learning and training offers and convenings for thematic multi-stakeholder social dialogues and debates. In addition to the short-term professional training courses and convenings, the centre offers two unique academic programs - the Bachelor’s Degree in Governance and Development and the Master’s Degree in Governance and Leadership.

The Centre is currently pursuing a bold Research Agenda as a responsive approach to emerging learning needs as they become apparent over the years.  Our research work is a bold step towards the centre renewing its position as a Pan-African learning and knowledge hub.  The centre’s Research Agenda, therefore, produces products that are consumed by its various programmatic streams as well as its diverse ecosystem of partners.

Our Vision: 

Confident, determined citizens engaging in popular struggles for a transformed, just, democratic and sustainable world.

Our Mission: 

To facilitate learning that stimulates citizens’ consciousness of their fundamental rights, and builds their ability to contribute towards social cohesion, equitable economic growth and democratic governance.

Our Core Values:

We believe in and promote an open culture of Inclusiveness. We heartily welcome all who visit with us and seek to demonstrate consistency in all we do. We value Integrity, Humility and Innovation and are committed to living these qualities.
1. Inclusiveness: We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to attain their full potential as a human beings. We support actions that promote human dignity, equity, equality and respect for diversity.
2. Welcoming: We are happiest to receive guests, participants, students whose presence in our midst is cherished.
3. Consistency: We try to keep the highest standards in all that we do - all the time
4. Integrity: We are devoted to principles of uprightness, trustworthiness and dependability. We are committed to a culture of zero tolerance to corruption.
5. Humility: Our natural state is one of service to those who accord us this privilege and we approach this privilege with modesty.
6. Innovative: We are constantly looking to maximize our impact by changing our practice and experimenting with new ways of conducting our activities on an ongoing basis.

Our Strategic Areas of Focus:

TCDC has built its repute and will continue to capitalise on its heritage as a learning hub in the fields of Leadership, Governance, Accountability and Community Development. We also recognise there is a wealth of untapped knowledge from cultures, regions and generations to inform resilience mechanisms in times of social and economic shocks and diversity in participation. Our existing capacity and this knowledge which we will foster will inform our approach in the thematic focus on Youth, Gender and Climate Change, which are widely in tandem with both AADK and the AA Federation. 

Youth: Africa’s bulging youth is vastly unemployed, disenfranchised and increasingly disillusioned despite the pertinence of their participation in the discourse on policies. TCDC will develop programs that they can learn from but more importantly, provide them with a platform to galvanise their new thinking and innovation.

Gender: Women endure the most of social injustice and poverty. Systemic marginalisation has to be tackled from the grassroots but also challenging policies that perpetuate their exclusion. TCDC will aim to use its knowledge base and convening programs to petition and stimulate women’s political leadership and participation especially in community movements.

Climate Change: The absence of mitigation will only further exacerbate social injustices on women, children and youth. Mitigating the effects of climate change is an opportunity to grow community resilience from homegrown solutions. It requires broad alliances across communities, invigorating cultural and contemporary innovations and deliberate effort to include the most marginalised in society. Our programs will sensitise social movements, build their ability to engage with leadership structures, and enable the incubation of innovative solutions.