World Bank approves funding for Tanzania Strategic Cities Project
The World Bank Group dedication to carry on supporting Tanzania was reaffirmed after it approved US $130 million (Sh275 billion) intended at financing the Tanzania Strategic Cities Project (TSCP).
The Tanzania Strategic Cities Project, which is going on, began in 2010 in different cities and towns across the nation.
At first, the project was expected to cost a sum of US $175.5 million (about Sh370 billion).
A World Bank statement released yesterday showed that the US $130 million was an addition to the US $175.5 million early amount of the project; of which US $163 million was from the World Bank and US $12.5 million was from Denmark.
The funds are for the seven strategically significant cities of Arusha, Dodoma, Tanga, Kigoma, Mwanza, Mtwara and Mbeya, meant to facilitate them to keep up with the pace of quick urbanization.
The project, which at first was intended to be finished by December 2017, received some extra financing in 2014 to the tune of US $50 million from the World Bank and US $6 million from the Danish International Development Agency (Danida).
The present extra financing should cater for the project’s vital objective of boosting the quality of and access to basic urban services in the participating Local Government Authorities (LGAs).
The WB Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Somalia and Burundi, Ms Bella Bird, held that the enhancement of services in Tanzania’s medium-sized cities wanted to provide a chief boost to the triumph of the state’s industrial sector.
“Improving services in Tanzania’s medium-sized cities is serious to supporting the government’s industrialization goals,” she said.
Ms Bird further affirmed that the cities play a key role in strengthening broader regional development, to connect people with markets and offer the foundation to encourage the growth of industries across the nation.
“We have seen noteworthy gains in terms of connectivity, service provision, and institutional capacity for urban management as a consequence of earlier investment through TSCP,” she explained.
