SERENGETI Breweries Limited (SBL) has injected 380m/- for the renovation and construction of the Kwamizi water dam in Handeni District, Tanga region to provide clean and safe water to the communities.
The project which is being implemented in partnership with Water Aid and the local government in the district commenced last month and is expected to be completed next month.
The water project is expected to bring relief to thousands of residents in the district, following the destruction of previous dams, leaving the community in dire need of clean and safe water.
“SBL has taken the initiative to invest in the water project as part of its renowned ‘Water of Life’ initiative, which advocates for the provision of free clean and safe water for Tanzanian communities,” the SBL Director of Corporate Relations, Mr John Wanyancha said in Handeni District recently.
He said through the initiative, the brewer works in partnership with the government and other stakeholders in implementation to ensure maximum results.
He said the investment in the Kwamizi water dam project in Handeni District is one of over 20 water projects which have been implemented in various regions under the custodianship of SBL in collaboration with Water Aid.
“Under our Water of Life programme, we have been implementing water projects in several regions to ensure the availability of clean and safe water for local communities, this time around we are going to leave a mark in Handeni upon the project completion,” he added.
He said, furthermore, upon completion of the Kwamizi water project SBL plans to engage the local community in Handeni that would benefit from the water project to start barley farming and sell it to SBL at competitive prices to help empower the farmers and spur economic development in the area.
“We normally purchase our raw materials from local farmers, and since Handeni can sustain growing barley, once we complete this water project, we will have our agri-business manager visit this community and work in collaboration with the district’s agriculture officer to identify local farmers who can engage with us in this initiative and we will provide them with seeds free of charge as well as training so that they can produce quality barley for our factories,” said Wanyancha.
Group Corporate Relations Director for East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), a subsidiary of SBL, Mr Eric Kiniti said he was hopeful that the project will be a success and its implementation would go as planned and as per standards, especially because the DC’s office has involved stakeholders from private and public sectors to ensure that implementation goes smoothly.
Speaking during a site visit to Kwamizi water dam, Handeni District Commissioner, Mr Albert Msando said the modus operandi of the partnership between the government, SBL and Water Aid will be productive in terms of time management and standard, pledging to ensure proper management and execution of the project as well as support from his office.
Speaking of the long-standing partnership between SBL and WaterAid Tanzania, the latter’s Country Director, Ms Anna Mzinga said, “I would like to thank SBL who has been one of our key stakeholders for almost five years now, and together we have managed to reach local communities in Hanang, Manyoni and Serengeti districts, and now we here in Handeni.
Through our partnership, we have reached more than 25,000 people in the country, in terms of the provision of clean and safe water,”
