PRESIDENT Hussein Ali Mwinyi has commended the strong relations between his government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), especially in health and education, as he bade farewell to outgoing UNICEF Country Representative, Ms Shalin Bahuguna.

Dr Mwinyi said the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar is satisfied with great work carried out by the entire team of the UNICEF under Ms Bahuguna.

"UNICEF has done a lot for Tanzania, especially in supporting our development programmes," Dr Mwinyi said.

He praised Ms Bahuguna for her efforts in implementing the development projects and that Zanzibar will continue working with UNICEF in various areas, particularly in improving health and education for the interest of Zanzibaris.

Ms Bahuguna was at the State House in Zanzibar City for a farewell meeting with President Mwinyi, as she was preparing to leave Tanzania after serving in the country.

Ms Bahuguna commended Dr Mwinyi for good leadership that enabled Zanzibar to move forward, including major reforms for better provision of health and education services, reflecting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Commenting on the welfare of children, the UNICEF Representative thanked the Government for improving schools and ensuring that more than 75 per cent of children who were out of school or drop outs due to various reasons return to school.

UNICEF, originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.