WASHINGTON, June 26, 2018 – More than three million Tanzanians in rural areas will be connected to safe water supply, while another four million people will gain access to improved sanitation through an International Development Association (IDA)* credit of $350 million approved today by the World Bank.
Through the Sustainable Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program-for-Results, up to 1,250 communities and 1,500 schools in 17 administrative regions will benefit from improved sanitation facilities, which directly supports the government’s National Sanitation Campaign. It will also support the government in building strong institutions to sustain access to rural water supply and help establish the anticipated new government agency for rural water supply.
“The quality and strength of Tanzania’s human capital is critical, especially as it aspires to become a middle-income country,” said Bella Bird, World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia. “There is a strong relationship between water and sanitation access and improved child health outcomes, which is critical for productivity and learning, particularly for girls whose school completion rates are lagging.”
A key issue for Tanzania is the chronic undernutrition which affects one in three children (2.7 million children) and is linked to poor sanitation. Only 11 percent of rural Tanzanians have access to an improved toilet, only 50 percent of public schools in rural areas have the required number of toilets, and only 43 percent with functional handwashing stations.
“Under this new World Bank program, activities will be strategically designed to enhance the capacity of the national, regional, and local governments to monitor, ensure quality and improve and sustain water service delivery,” said Kristoffer Welsien, World Bank co-Task Team Leader for the Program. “The Program will also strengthen environmental management supervision.”
The World Bank-financed program utilizes results-based financing instruments. “The use of a results-based approach for this sector is an ideal opportunity to create the right incentives for institutions to deliver better quality and lasting services to the population, and to institutionalize good practices,” said Iain Menzies, World Bank co-Task Team Leader for the new Program. “It will accelerate and enable a shift from the current focus on constructing water supply infrastructure, to building the institutions that will deliver sustainable water services.”
* 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 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.5 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 percent going to Africa.
