UN agencies hail Kigoma for projects sustainability

DEOGRATIUS KAMAGI

The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Tanzania, Mr Alvaro Rodriguez.

UNITED Nations (UN) agencies working in Kigoma have applauded the government and communities in the region for taking ownership and ensuring the sustainability of projects handed over to them by the agencies.

The comment was made recently by the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Alvaro Rodriguez, during his visit to Kigoma to oversee progress of the projects; he was accompanied by other delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other members from UN agencies.

Such projects include youth entrepreneurship which is under the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Nyarugusu refugees’ camp for Burundians under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“We are very excited to be at this ILO supported initiative that promotes youth entrepreneurship. We all know that in Tanzania we have many young men and women that are educated but do not have jobs, what can be done is to develop entrepreneurial skills to prepare them for self employment,” he said.

He also went to assess the work that is taking place in Nyarugusu camp that support Burundian refugees. Right now, Nyarugusu is the third largest refugee camp in the world, having about 150,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundians.

“The refugees as well as the local government require additional support and we appeal to the international donor community to remember the incredible contributions that Tanzania has made over many decades hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees,” he said.

“I’m pleased to see that young women are taking leadership in their communities, I have met women who have dedicated their lives and energy to transmitting what they know to the people of Kigoma,” said the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) National Representative Dr Natalia Kanem.

A representative from the UNHCR Mission, Ms Zenobia Mushi, said the agency will continue to partner with central and local government to ensure the needs of refugees are met in all aspects.

Kigoma’s Regional Commissioner, Lt Col (Rtd) Issa Machibya thanked the United Nations and urged for further support from the international agencies to improve lives and economic status of Kigoma residencies.

“We are grateful for the work that the United Nations is doing in our region and we will continue working jointly in a spirit of partnership to ensure that together we end poverty and end inequalities as we develop Kigoma’s economy,” he said.