Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous island region of Tanzania. The government of Zanzibar has officially launched a multi-million dollar investment program to ensure a sustainable water supply for its 1.6 million inhabitants

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania whose capital is Zanzibar City. It has an estimated population of 1.6 million and a GDP of about $2 billion ($1,000 per capita). Tourism accounts for around 30% and the services sector around 50% (Government of Zanzibar, World Bank). 

The President of Zanzibar, HE Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, launched the Zanzibar Water Investment Program on March 11, 2022, which will mobilize more than USD 665.5 million in funds over the next six years, between 2022 and 2027, to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, universal access to drinking water and sanitation on the island by 2030.

According to the Ministry of Water, Energy and Minerals of Zanzibar, in the Zanzibar Water Investment Program document, the objective of this project is also to support the implementation of the Zanzibar Development Vision 2050 to achieve a blue economy for the use and sustainable water management.

In Africa, poverty or water scarcity, largely due to climate change, is directly responsible for an estimated $ 520 million economic damage since the beginning of this millennium, as estimated by the African Development Bank and 1,000 or more deaths per year. The bank also noted that the water investment gap in Africa is approximately $ 49-54 billion per year.

Source: ABIConsulting