One million of Tanzania’s poorest households will be supported through a Memorandum of Understanding signed today between the Government of Tanzania and the UK Department for International Development. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Dr Servacius Likwelile signed on behalf of the Government of Tanzania and Mr. Vel Gnanendran the Head of DFID Tanzania, signed on behalf of the UK Government. The funding will flow through the Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) program implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund.

This event is a result of many years of partnership between the UK and Tanzania in the design and early implementation of the PSSN, culminating in today’s agreement underlying the UK commitment to support Tanzania to reduce poverty. A total of £109 million (approximately 367.5 billion Tanzanian Shillings) will be provided over the next 5 years.

The program will support over 1 million of the poorest households in Tanzania, which represents approximately 5 million people who are extremely poor or vulnerable to falling into extreme poverty. The program provides basic income security, guarantees a minimum 60 days of paid labour per year and promotes education and healthcare amongst children to break the cycle of poverty.

In addition to household level benefits, the program is supporting communities to increase their resilience to future shocks through climate smart infrastructure development including coastal protection, forest conservation, road maintenance and irrigation.

PSSN is operational on both the mainland and Zanzibar, providing nationwide social protection coverage to the most poor and vulnerable. It is a key contribution to achieving the Tanzania Development Vision 2025, supporting inclusive economic development and ensuring that no one is left behind