Tanzania Set to Expand Access to Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Services to 10 Million Citizens
WASHINGTON — Up to 10 million Tanzanian citizens will gain access to improved water supply and nine million to better sanitation facilities through additional financing approved today by the World Bank.
A new $300 million International Development Association (IDA)* credit and a $4.9 million Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) grant for the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program (SRWSSP) will support the program’s expansion from 86 district councils in 17 regions to 137 district councils in 25 regions of the country. It will enable up to 1,850 public primary schools and 2,600 healthcare facilities (HCFs) to be reached with improved sanitation and hygiene facilities. The funding will also support a pilot of 206 water schemes that will be built under public-private arrangements.
“We are very encouraged by the results of the original financing for the program through which more than 3.3 million people were provided with access to improved water supply and significant advancement in sanitation access for households, schools and healthcare facilities,” said Nathan Belete, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. “These services are boosting human capital and social inclusion as they help to free up women’s time for productive ventures, while also improving student performance.”
The original credit of $350 million for the SRWSSP was approved in June 2018, with the objective of increasing access to rural water supply and sanitation services in participating districts and strengthening the capacity of select sector institutions to sustain service delivery. Program implementation began in 2019 by supporting the establishment of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), as a specialized rural water services delivery agency, mandated to ensure the sustainability of services. The implementation is led by the Ministry of Water in close coordination with RUWASA, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health and the President’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government.
“The speed and magnitude of results that have been achieved by the parent program can be attributed to several factors, with the most important one being the establishment of RUWASA,” said Ruth Kennedy-Walker, World Bank Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist. “This institutional reform has provided the needed focus on service delivery and sustainability of water supply, leading to improved staffing capacity, improved processes and guidance for service delivery and improved availability and accuracy of real-time data on access and sustainability.”
The additional financing supports the Government of Tanzania’s ambitious Water Sector Development Program (WSDP) phase 3 which was launched in 2022 and runs to 2025. WSDP phase 3 has specific targets including connecting 9.7 million people to new water supply and 3.87 million people to rehabilitated water points. It also aims to provide basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure to 1,500 HCFs and 2,800 primary schools through rehabilitation, and 2,000 HCFs and 1,000 primary schools through new infrastructure. The WSDP phase 3 also aims to reach 95%of the target population through social behavior change communication campaign, in addition to ensuring all primary schools are supported with emergency sanitary materials which are critical for school retention of adolescent girls.
*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 74 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.3 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has provided $496 billion to 114 countries. Annual commitments have increased steadily and averaged about $34.7 billion over the last three years (FY20-FY22), with about 70 percent going to Africa. Learn more online: IDA.worldbank.org.