By Dailynews Reporter
Tanzania and Sweden have signed worth 117.8bn/- deal for implementation of the productive social safety net phase II (PSSN II) in the country.
Speaking at a signing ceremony held in Dar es Salaam Thursday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Of Finance And Planning, Emmanuel Tutuba said the implementation of the PSSN II was a continuation of the PSSN I which ended in 2019.
Anders Sjöberg, the Ambassador of Sweden in Tanzania took part in the event.
The following is PS Tutuba's speech he delivered at the meeting.
Your Excellency, Anders Sjöberg, Ambassador of Sweden in the United Republic of Tanzania;
MS. Sandra Diesel, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Tanzania;
Ms. Amina Kh. Shaaban, Deputy Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance and Planning;
Mr. Ladislaus J. Mwamanga, Executive Director - Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF);
Representatives from Embassy of Sweden;
Other Government Officials;
Members of Press;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Good morning.
1. It is my pleasure to sign with you today, a grant Agreement under which the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania will access the grant amounting to Swedish Kronor (SEK) 450 million, equivalent to TZS 117.8 billion to finance Phase II of Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN II). As you are aware, this is a successor of the PSSN I, which started in 2013 and ended in 2019.
2. In recognizing the importance of PSSN II, the Government of Sweden advanced a grant of SEK 100 million equivalent to TZS 26.2 billion in June 2021. This is in addition to SEK 750 million equivalent to TZS 196.4 billion for PSSN I. I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to you personally and through you the Government of Sweden for this valuable support.
3. Your Excellency Ambassador, PSSN II will be implemented for four years from 2020 to September 2023, with the budget of US$ 883.31 million, equivalent to TZS 2.02 trillion. I am pleased to note the Government of Sweden contribution to the PSSN II budget, which has helped to reduce the financing gap.
4. Your Excellency, the main focus of PSSN II is to improve access to income-earning opportunities and socio-economic services for targeted poor households while enhancing and protecting the human capital of their children. Thus, the PSSN II Programme comprises the following activities:
i. Provision of conditional cash benefits (Cash Transfer Program) to eligible and duly registered households.
ii. Carrying out of activities for labor-intensive public works (Public Works Program - PWP) designed to generate temporary employment opportunities to PWP Beneficiaries in eligible households with labor capacity to implement community sub-projects.
iii. Carrying out program activities including basic and enhanced livelihood enhancement program designed to promote self-employment, wage employment, savings and investments, deliver entrepreneurial skills training and the provision of Grants to eligible beneficiaries.
iv. Strengthening Institutional Capacity and Integrated Delivery System, which involves carrying out a program of activities designed to enhance the institutional capacity and develop the systems for delivery of the benefits and services and implementation of the project.
5. Your Excellency, after launching of PSSN II, the immediate exercise was to verify the eligible households. Up to December 2020, a total of 1,013,635 households were verified for their eligibility in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar and the remaining 56,800, verification is ongoing to ensure that no eligible household is left out.
6. For the period from July 2020 to July 2021, 871,654 eligible household beneficiaries were paid TZS 171.8 billion in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.
7. Your Excellency, the evaluation of the impact of PSSN was conducted and data was collected in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar, which revealed the following results among others:
i) Absolute poverty was reduced by 8 percent where the ability to afford basic needs has improved.
ii) The number of targeted beneficiaries who participates in modern agricultural activities using fertilizers has increased.
iii) Increase in number of children enrolled and attending to schools from poor households has increased by 6 percent.
iv) Increase of number of targeted beneficiaries who utilize health services and increment of number of children from 0 to 24 months who have access to health centres.
v) Increased family savings.
vi) Increase of improved accommodation for poor households.
vii) Increased self-employment for targeted beneficiaries from the previous state of being day workers.
8. Your Excellency, this is the great achievement as our people are gradually moving out of abject poverty to the level where they can contribute to the economic growth.
9. Your Excellency, our two countries have an outstanding friendly relationship, which is growing as reflected by the increase in the number of bilateral development projects, supported by the Government of Sweden. Tanzania has benefited from Sweden support, mostly in areas of Budget support through Economic and Fiscal Governance Programme (EFGP), Energy Sector, Research Cooperation, Land Development, Education, Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN). The ongoing projects and programmes have a portfolio of about SEK 2.76 billion equivalent to TZS 723.2 billion and the completed projects/programmes have portfolio of about SEK 2.59 billion equivalent to TZS 677.2 billion in form of grants.
10. Your Excellency, on behalf of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the Government of Sweden for this valuable support, which are in line with Five Years Development Plan.
11. Your Excellency, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you personally, your team and Government officials whose dedication and efforts have made possible the signing of this grant agreement today.
12. Your Excellency Ambassador and all Participants, let me conclude my remarks by re-affirming the commitment of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania under Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan to continue cooperating with the Government of Sweden to strengthen our valuable development cooperation. Further, be assured that the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania will take all necessary measures to ensure successful implementation of this programme in order to achieve the intended objectives.
13. I thank you for your kind attention.
No comments :
Post a Comment