Launch of Urban Water Supply and Sanitation project   

Emilio ROSSETTI,

Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union

to Tanzania and to the East African Community

7^th October 2019

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Mheshimiwa Daktari John Pombe Magufuli, Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania [Your Excellency Dr John Pombe Magufuli, President of the United Republic of Tanzania]

Mheshimiwa Prof. Makame Mbarawa, Waziri wa Maji, [Honourable Prof. Makame Mbarawa, Minister for Water]

Waheshimiwa mawaziri na manaibu waziri, [Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers]

Makatibu wakuu [Permanent Secretaries]

Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Rukwa [Dear Regional Commissioner of Rukwa Region]

Wageni Waalikwa [Distinguished Guests]

Wananchi wa Sumbawanga [Citizens of Sumbawanga]

Waandishi wa Habari [Members of the media]

Mabibi na Mabwana [Ladies and Gentleman]

HABARI ZA LEO? [GOOD MORNING]

Naitwa Emilio Rossetti, Kaimu Balozi wa Umoja wa Ulaya. Napenda kuishukuru Serikali ya Tanzania kwa kutualika hapa leo. Hii ni mara yangu ya kwanza kushiriki katika ufunguzi wa mradi wa Umoja wa Ulaya Tanzania, hivyo ni bahati kubwa kushiriki na Mheshimiwa Rais Magufuli na wananchi wa Sumbawanga.

[I am Emilio Rossetti, acting Head of Delegation to the European Union. I would like to thank the Government of Tanzania for inviting the European Union to this event. This is my first launching event of an EU supported project in Tanzania and it is very special to launch it with His Excellency President Magufuli and the citizens of Sumbawanga]

The European Union has actively promoted the universal access to drinking water and sanitation through its development cooperation over the last decade, providing grants of more than € 2.5 billion in 62 countries.  EU aid has made a significant difference in the fight against poverty by providing access to clean water to more than 70 million people and sanitation to over 24 million of people across the world. Support also targets water resource management and governance.

In accordance with the European Consensus for Development, Water demand and water stress will increase significantly over the next decades, making it a major challenge for adaptation to climate change impacts. The EU, and its Member States, supports the most vulnerable communities in improving access for all to water. Safe drinking water and sanitation is a basic service and a pre-requisite for health, growth and productivity. It is also particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation, including climate change. The EU and its Member States will support sustainable and integrated water management through a more strategic approach to regional development and integration, also through Water Diplomacy actions.

Access to water and sanitation has been an important sector of cooperation under our partnership with Tanzania, which is clearly confirmed by the significant number of projects in this sector (more than 40 projects since 2004) funded by EU and their total value (more than EURO 130 Million, including the Sumbawanga project) in the last 15 years.

Maji ni uhai [Water is life]

The European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Government of Tanzania signed in 2012 a cooperation agreement, worth EUR 71 million, to support the achievement of MDGs and continue their long and fruitful collaboration in the water sector. Through the financing agreements, the two development partners and the Government of Tanzania agreed on major improvements in the water and sanitation infrastructure, a project to be implemented by the Ministry of Water (MoW). The project targets 7 Towns Urban Upgrading Programme (7TUUP) which to aims improve the water supply and sanitation. The EU has contributed with EUR 51.26 million to KfW the public German Development Bank, complemented by EUR 20 million to finance the envisaged investments in Kigoma, Lindi and Sumbawanga.

Umoja wa Ulaya ni rafiki wa Tanzania siku nyingi na tutaendelea kuwa hivyo kwa manufaa ya watanzania. Nina furaha sana kuwa pamoja nanyi leo, na kuona matokeo chanya ya mradi huu ya kuwapatia maji wananchi wa Sumbawanga, mji unaovutia/mzuri.

[The European Union is a long standing partner of Tanzania and will continue to be for the benefits of the citizens of this country. I am very honoured to be with you today and to see that with a contribution from the European Union and Germany, the Government of Tanzania and the city Assembly of Sumbawanga have managed to deliver quality water for the habitants of this beautiful city]

ASANTENI SANA! [THANK YOU VERY MUCH]