World Bank allocates 42.24bn/- to TSMP II
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Loading... - Sharon Kato
- 23 Sep 2024
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The World Bank has announced an allocation of 42.24 billion Tanzanian shillings (approximately $15.5 million USD) to support the implementation of Tanzania’s Statistical Master Plan Phase Two (TSMP II). This comes as part of a larger low-interest loan agreement, totalling $82 million USD, for the development of the country's statistical infrastructure.
Mr. Dhiraj Sharma, the World Bank’s Senior Economist, shared the news during a meeting with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to review the progress of the TSMP II. Of the 13 criteria set for evaluation, 11 were successfully met, prompting the approval of additional funding for the plan's continuation.
The TSMP II is a five-year initiative (2022-2027) aimed at enhancing Tanzania’s national statistical system, both on the mainland and Zanzibar. The project, managed by the NBS and the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS), seeks to improve the country's capacity in gathering and managing official statistics.
Some delays were noted, particularly due to the overlap with the National Population and Housing Census conducted in 2022, but the overall evaluation yielded positive results.
Zanzibar’s Chief Statistician, Mr. Salum Kassim Ali, acknowledged that the ongoing evaluations, which are conducted biannually, have proven beneficial to the country’s statistical development. James Mbongo, the TSMP II Project Manager, highlighted that the initial funding of $24 million USD has already been used to train 500 statisticians and to plan the construction of new statistical offices in Lindi, Simiyu, and Pemba. The project also focuses on upgrading infrastructure and purchasing equipment like tablets and computers for data collection purposes.
