Anna Wilson

Coal power has effectively died in the United Kingdom— (This Data Insight was written by @_HannahRitchie, with data work by @parriagadap.) The United Kingdom was the birthplace of coal. It has now, effectively, died there. As shown in the chart, in the late 1980s, around two-thirds of the UK’s electricity came from coal. By the time I was born in the 1990s, this had dropped to just over half. The use of coal has plummeted in my lifetime. It now makes up around 0.1% of the UK’s electricity. Coal was first replaced by gas, but is now being pushed out by wind, solar, and biomass.

Small island, big ideas. At Chumbe Island Coral Park you see what works: protect nature, invest in people, build sustainable livelihoods. Good to see UK support feeding into this through the Blue Planet Fund and the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. 📸@2wsphotography

@AmandMcLoughlin @ozonnia @AmandMcLoughlin and @ozonnia - you will get on famously 👍

Welcome @ozonnia to Ethiopia. A fascinating country in which it’s an honour to serve. Look forward to joining forces to support 🇪🇹’s development priorities 🇬🇧 🇺🇳

Our partners @IrlEmbTanzania 🇮🇪 & @UKinTanzania 🇬🇧 co-hosted a UN donor briefing on Tanzania's #refugee response. Led by @SusanNamondo, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNICEF & WFP presented joint asks for 2026 — plus UNHCR's VolRep Appeal for Burundian refugees. Real dialogue. Real needs. 🤝

@ONS @RailwayChildren Young people thrive when teachers are supported to inspire them. Great hearing about Liverpool FC Foundation’s work in Tanzanian schools -building confidence, motivation and positive learning environments. Different sectors. Same lesson: strong systems create opportunity.

@ONS Protecting children requires systems that work. At Magufuli Bus Station we saw how @RailwayChildren works with authorities and frontline workers to strengthen processes that support children at risk of violence or exploitation. Clear roles. Trusted partnerships. Earlier support

One lesson from this week in Tanzania: lasting progress depends on strong systems. Lovely to gather for a staff iftar with the diverse team behind our work -partnering with Tanzanian institutions to strengthen data, services and protect children. A few examples from the week ⬇️

This week, British High Commission staff from all cultures came together for a memorable iftar, a reminder of the power of unity ✨ Moments like these remind us how special it is to learn from one another, connect, and celebrate our diversity 💛

Yesterday we marked the handover of the Statistical Leadership Training & Women into Leadership programmes – developed by the UK’s @ONS & @ECA_OFFICIAL – to the Eastern Africa Statistical Training Centre. A key step in strengthening statistical leadership across Africa 📉

The number of cancer deaths worldwide has more than doubled since the 1980s. Does that mean we're losing the fight against cancer? Not necessarily, because it depends on how you measure it. On this chart, you can see three ways to look at the same data. The red line shows the total number of cancer deaths. It has increased by about 120%, but this measure doesn't account for the fact that the world's population has also grown enormously over this period. Another approach is to look at the death rate: the number of cancer deaths divided by the total population. That's the brown line, called the crude cancer death rate. It has increased too, but much less — around 20%. But there's still a problem: the world's population has been getting older. Cancer is mostly a disease of old age, so even per capita, we'd expect more cancer deaths simply because there are more older people than before. That's where the method of “age standardization” comes in. It's a way of asking: what would the cancer death rate look like if the age structure of the population hadn't changed? The blue line shows this age-standardized rate: it's fallen by about 25%. At any given age, people are now less likely to die of cancer than they were in the 1980s. The same underlying data gives us three different pictures. The absolute number of deaths is up; the crude rate is up slightly; the age-standardized rate is down. None of these are inaccurate, but they answer different questions. Age standardization is one of the most important statistical methods for making sense of health data. Without it, population aging can hide progress or mask problems.

Strengthening safeguarding where it matters most 🚍 This week we visited Magufuli Bus Terminal to see UK support to frontline teams protecting children and vulnerable adults in high risk transport hubs 🚦 Thank you @RailwayChildren for sharing valuable insights 🤝

Great to host the @LFCFoundation delegation during their visit to Tanzania 🇹🇿   Our Development Director @AnnaWilsonFCDO, Maria Mongi, @RightToPlayIntl 🇹🇿 Country Director and the wider UK in Tanzania team spoke about sport, youth & partnerships in Tanzania 🏐🏆

Last week for #IWD2026 we convened partners advancing women’s economic empowerment in 🇹🇿. Women-impact enterprises — Kazi Yetu, Rosho, EFTA, TAHA, Dark Earth Carbon, Payless Energy & Country Materials — showed how inclusive growth works in practice in shaping 🇹🇿’s future.

This #IWD I’m making women and girls a key priority for the FCDO. Tackling the global emergency of violence and abuse, boosting women’s political and economic participation, and unlocking the potential of girls everywhere will now be at the heart of UK foreign policy.

International Women’s Day is a reminder that opportunity starts with health, choice and dignity In Tanzania, we 🇬🇧 support reproductive health services so women and girls can make informed decisions about their bodies, education and future 📸 Magomeni Health Centre. #IWD2026

Classrooms in Bahi showing system reform in practice: “teaching walls” using local materials, climate-resilient design and rainwater harvesting embedded at district level. Through #ShuleBora 🇬🇧🇹🇿, local authorities, teachers and parents are strengthening schools sustainably.

In Bahi English Medium Primary school meeting the environmental club. They’re leading tree planting, water stewardship and climate awareness across their community. Education reform is strongest when students themselves drive change. Proud to see #ShuleBora 🇬🇧🇹🇿 in action.

The world is changing and development must change too. Countries want more control, more investment and to take charge of their own futures. That’s why with @GovernmentZA @CIFFchild & @BritishIntInv, we’re uniting governments, investors, innovators and civil society. 👇

Partnership. Not paternalism. With @GovernmentZA @CIFFchild & @BritishIntInv the UK will bring together governments, investors, tech innovators and civil society to reshape how we work together. New coalitions. New investment. This is what modern development cooperation looks like.