Thirty-two law-enforcement and government participants, drawn from eighteen Zanzibari institutions, completed a five-day multi-agency taskforce capacity-building programme in Zanzibar from 17 to 21 August 2026, held at Hotel Verde and organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Natural Resources and Livestock in collaboration with ATI.
The programme treated environmental crime as organised financial crime with an environmental target: a predicate offence sitting at the end of a chain that runs through document fraud, undeclared cargo and laundering. Sessions covered illicit financial flows, financial intelligence and network mapping, DNA analysis, evidence handling and chain of custody, case-file development and prosecution readiness, port and border security, and the geospatial tools (GIS, remote sensing, satellite imagery and drones) increasingly used in environmental enforcement.
Participants came from across Zanzibar's enforcement, revenue, environmental and judicial bodies, including the Zanzibar Police Force, the Anti-Smuggling Unit (KMKM), the Tanzania and Zanzibar Revenue Authorities, the Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority, the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Authority, the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, Menai Bay Conservation Area, airport security and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
On the final days participants worked in four groups, each developing and presenting a complete investigation built from a complex scenario. In the closing evaluation, 92% of respondents (24 of 26) recorded that the programme fully met their expectations; the most common requests were for a longer session and more practical case work.
The programme was sponsored by the Vranos Family Foundation. That sponsorship covered this event.
Photographs
Discussion during the Zanzibar drone training session. A programme instructor leads a session on adaptive law enforcement and collaborative governance. Programme instructor demonstrating a drone during classroom instruction. Participants attending a drone training session, with drones displayed at the front of the classroom. Programme instructors discussing the outdoor field demonstration. Programme instructor preparing drone equipment outdoors. Participants, instructors and programme representatives at the Zanzibar Multi-Agency Task Force Capacity Building Program, August 2026.