Private sector wooed into the water sector

What you need to know:

  • Mr Lwenge who launched the national multi-sectoral water resource management forum yesterday said given the increasing challenges in water –degradation of sources and inefficient use of water for irrigation due to climate change impacts – the private sector has a big role to play especially investment.

Dar es Salaam. The Minister for Water and Irrigation Mr Gerson Lwenge has encouraged the private sector to participate in the water resource management to help the public sector ensure efficient use especially for irrigation.

Mr Lwenge who launched the national multi-sectoral water resource management forum yesterday said given the increasing challenges in water –degradation of sources and inefficient use of water for irrigation due to climate change impacts – the private sector has a big role to play especially investment.

“For a very long time, water resource sub-sector has remained largely a domain of public sector with very limited participation of private entities,” said Mr Lwenge adding that they have a big role to play. The minister also witnessed signing of a memorandum of understanding between Pangani Basin Water Board and some private organisations including the Tanzania Horticultural Association (Taha); 2030 Water Resource Group – an international organization under the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation; and the International Water Stewardship Pgrogramme on how the organisations would partner in water management in the area.

“This is a very good example of the public-private partnership,” he said.

The director of membership services at Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) Mr Louis Accaro told the participants yesterday that the private sector was willing to participate in the projects that would generate profits.

“So, the government needs to classify the water projects for companies to see the opportunity for making profits…profits is all they want,” he said.

Irrigation financing facility

“We can also assist in creating the irrigation financing facility by talking to commercial banks and other financial institutions,” added Mr Accaro.

The executive director of the 2030 Water Resources Group Mr Anders Berntell said they were working with some local organisations including the Financial Sector Deepening Trust to establish the irrigation financing facility as a way of helping smallholder farmers as well as enable efficient use of water for agriculture.

The multi-sectoral water resource management forum elected former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Water Mr Mbogo Futakamba the chairman of the platform and Dr Subira Munishi the deputy chairperson.