The Government of Tanzania and the French Development Agency (AFD) signed a financing agreement for a 70M€ concessional loan (approximately 180 bn TZS) aiming at improving water supply and sanitation services for the residents of Morogoro Municipality.
In Morogoro, about 70% of the population is connected to the drinking water network with an average of about 10 hours of water distribution per day, and less than 5% is connected to the sewerage network. The program’s ultimate goal is to improve inhabitants’ living conditions, the environment, as well as the city’s economic development through the extension and renovation of drinking water and sanitation services. In particular, it aims to:
- Give a continuous and sustainable access to a quality water to 90% of the population by 2025 and reduce water losses by 10% through the tripling of the drinking water production capacity of the existing Mafiga water treatment plant and the renovation and extension of storage and distribution network infrastructures
- Guarantee the sustainability of the water resource by conducting a Water Resource Master Plan which will determine the best options to secure the water resource, including the raising of the Mindu Dam providing 70% of the water consumed in the city
- Give access to sanitation services to at least 15% of the population by 2025 through the extension and restoration of sewerage networks and waste water treatment facilities.
- Ensure that specific measures are undertaken for low-income households (standpipes or individual connections)
It will be implemented by Morogoro Urban Water and Sanitation Authority (MORUWASA), who will benefit from technical assistance in managing investment projects, but also in becoming more effective in its fight against water losses.
This event represents an important step forward in AFD’s cooperation with the government of Tanzania, which started more than 20 years ago and has significantly increased since then. The water and sanitation sector has historically been one of AFD’s primary sector of intervention in Tanzania with 258 M€ (655 bn TZS) committed to this sector over the last 10 years.
AFD is working hand-in-hand with the Government of Tanzania to support the achievement of its objectives on Water and Sanitation derived from the 2nd phase of the ambitious Water Sector Development Plan towards reaching Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 aiming to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Mrs. Stéphanie Mouen, Country Director of AFD in Tanzania, reaffirmed France’s commitment to support the Government of Tanzania: “This project appears today, in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic, more useful and urgent than it ever was as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities are major elements in the fight against the propagation of the disease. The signing of this project is an important step forward in our cooperation and it is my sincere hope and belief that it will be followed by similar ceremonies for other projects in water, sanitation and energy sectors which could be signed this year, making 2020 a landmark in our cooperation.”
Mr. Doto M. James, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, pointed out that “Our two nations have an outstanding relationship, which is growing as reflected by the increase in the number of bilateral development projects, both the ongoing and those in the pipeline. Tanzania has benefited and is expected to benefit from the AFD’s support mainly in Energy, Water, Transport and Agriculture sectors”.
