The World Bank's Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Victoria Kwakwa, has commended Tanzania for its exemplary role in implementing the water service sustainability and environmental sanitation program in rural areas across Eastern and Southern Africa and globally. This recognition comes under the Program for Results (PforR) initiative, a performance-based payment system executed in over 50 countries and funded by the World Bank.
Speaking with Tanzania's Minister of Finance, Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba, and the Minister of Water, Mr. Jumaa Aweso, Vice President Kwakwa stated that Tanzania is a prime example in the execution of the PforR program. She urged Tanzania to share its success stories and experiences with over 23 countries from the Eastern and Southern African region participating in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Leadership Summit.
Initially, Tanzania received a $350 million grant for a five-year period. Remarkably, within the first three years, the program succeeded in supplying water to more than 4.7 million rural inhabitants across 17 regions. Following these significant achievements, the World Bank augmented Tanzania's funding by an additional $300 million, thereby extending the program's reach to 25 regions. Currently, 970 million Tanzanian Shillings have been allocated to each Council for the initiation of the program.
These accomplishments have effectively paved the way for the sustainability of the program, which is set to conclude in July 2025. In response to Tanzania's proposal for a second phase of PforR, the World Bank has indicated its willingness to continue the program in the period from 2025 to 2030.
The Ministry of Water, through this pay-for-results scheme, has successfully implemented over 1,500 water projects that are now complete and operational. This achievement not only marks a significant milestone in the nation's efforts to enhance water services and sanitation but also cements Tanzania's position as a leader in effective program implementation in the Eastern and Southern African region.