Over 170,000 TASAF beneficiaries set for graduation next month

THE first batch of 173,076 Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) beneficiaries will graduate from the programme next month after attaining improved livelihood, economic and financial status.

TASAF’s Executive Director, Ladislaus Mwamanga, told a media conference yesterday that the beneficiaries graduating are the first group since inception of the programme in 2012.

Moreover, Mr Mwamanga said more than 223,418 beneficiaries are also lined up for graduation from the programme in September next year.

He said that of the173,076 beneficiaries lined up for leaving the programme next month, 156,586 were identified after verification of the social, financial and economic status and were informed that they will leave the programme since June this year.

The TASAF boss said the graduating beneficiaries for the January window have been given a smooth exit as they are still benefiting from the unconditional cash transfer until next month.

He said by leaving the programme, it is clear that the government has attained its aim of improving their living standards through TASAF as it has changed their lives and removed them from poverty to better life.

The other 16,490 beneficiaries are those who were registered under the livelihood enhancement grant, getting between 150,000/- and 500,000/- to invest in any income generating project.

The livelihood enhancement grant programme was being implemented in Kibaha, Bagamoyo, Chalinze, Lindi, Mtwara district councils as well as Unguja in Zanzibar.

“TASAF has been innovative in solving challenges facing the fund which has so far transformed the lives of millions of poor Tanzanians, who could still be languishing in abject poverty as hundreds of children fail to get post primary education,” said Mwamanga.

TASAF has made great strides, one of the successes is that beneficiaries have injected into circulation about 6.9bn/- through revolving fund from what they get from the fund.

He said those graduating are a true evidence and reference to others that it is possible to succeed with little support, it only calls for hard work and commitment to prosper.

TASAF was established in 2012 and by the end of the first phase in 2019, it catered for 1,118,752 beneficiaries in 70 percent of all villages in the Mainland and shehia in Zanzibar.

“We have the obligation to perform the task ahead of us and we promise that the committee will do everything possible to realise the goals,” he said.

Mr Mwamanga said the second part of the third phase of TASAF was launched in February 2020, whereas the number of beneficiaries has increased to 1,371,038 households with more than five million people, 50 per cent of them living in poverty.

Since the start of the second phase in 2020, more than 580.2bn/- has been disbursed to poor households under the programme.