It gives me great honour to welcome YOU, as our most valued customer, to our ESRF Website (www.esrftz.org), hosted and managed by ESRF Staff! In this website, redesigned in October 2007, we attempt to show you what ESRF as an institution stands for as shown under ESRF Vision and Mission.

You are also invited to read our Fourth Medium Term Strategic Plan (2008-2011) launched in October 2007.We are pleading for your financial support to implement the plan (www.esrftz.org/grantsappeal.asp).

You will note that our research agenda is focusing on matters related to growth and wealth creation; governance (of society, natural resources, etc); globalisation and regional integration; and social services and quality of life of our people.

During 2008 we created a dedicated Unit to deal with regional policy issues as coordinated under (Southern and East Africa Policy Research Network (www.SEAPREN.org), Formative Process Research on Integration in Southern Africa (www.FOPRISA.net), a project of SEAPREN) and Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (www.FANRPAN.org).

We have also firmed up plans for another dedicated Unit on sustainable natural resources governance and economic analysis. Work on climate change, land use and alternative fuel development policies, for example, will be coordinated by this Unit.

In addition to research work the institution is actively engaged in capacity building initiatives such as monthly policy dialogue series; online training on poverty analysis (a post-graduate diploma course (www.esrftz.org/pgd) jointly conducted with www.REPOA.or.tz and the www.ISS.nl in the Hague); the International Fellowship Programme (ifptazania.esrftz.org).

We also selectively undertake Commissioned Studies as demanded by the market but take great care to ensure that they are consistent with our defined thematic areas of research.
The generated body of knowledge is aptly managed by our Information Department, which consists of a physical library and virtual one (www.tzonline.or.tz). We also manage Tanzania Development Gateway (www.tanzaniagateway.org) and a newly established discussion forum on development issues (www.taknet.or.tz).

On behalf of the Board of Trustees (www.esrftz.org/board.asp), I would like to thank all those who supported ESRF since its establishment in 1994, most notably the Government of Tanzania, World Bank, ACBF, Ford Foundation, UNDP, DFID, DANIDA, NORAD and AfDB.
We still need your moral and material support and so any kind of assistance is most welcome (www.esrftz.org/grantappeal.asp).