WB allocates 42.24bn/- for Tanzania statistical master plan phase two

TANZANIA: THE World Bank (WB) announced on Sunday that it will allocate 42.24bn/- for the implementation of the Tanzania Statistical Master Plan Phase Two (TSMP II).

The World Bank’s Senior Economist, Mr Dhiraj Sharma made this announcement during a meeting with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to evaluate the progress of the plan’s implementation.

He revealed that the bank set thirteen criteria for evaluation, of which eleven were met, leading to the approval of an additional funding phase of 15.5 million US dollars (about 42.24bn/-)

“For the World Bank to provide funding for this project, we wanted to assess the progress made in the previous phase. We are satisfied with the results,” Mr Sharma said.

The government, under the coordination of the NBS and the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS), is implementing TSMP II, which provides a comprehensive framework for the development of official statistics in the country.

This five-year plan, covering the period from 2022 to 2027, is being executed on the mainland and in the islands with a low-interest loan of 82 million USD from the World Bank.

Mr Sharma added that the evaluation revealed some delays in the plan’s implementation, notably with the National Population and Housing Census conducted in 2022, which coincided with the planned start of the initiative.

Zanzibar’s Chief Statistician, Mr Salum Kassim Ali, noted that evaluations of the plan’s progress are conducted every six months.

The last assessment was completed in March this year, and this is the third evaluation, which has yielded positive results for the country.

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“We thank the World Bank for their continued support in conducting evaluations and implementing this project. It will lead to improvements in the national statistical system,” he stated.

Mr James Mbongo, the TSMP II Project Manager, emphasised that the project’s purpose is to enhance statistics in the country, and the World Bank’s participation adds significant value. He noted that the plan has already received 24 million US dollars, enabling various activities.

“These activities include training 500 statisticians nationwide and planning the construction of statistical offices in three regions: Lindi, Simiyu and Pemba,” he added.

Furthermore, the project aims to enhance infrastructure and equipment, including information and communication technology, by purchasing tablets, computers and laptops for data collection.

These resources will be distributed across various government offices, including those in Zanzibar.