By Munir Shemweta, New York
The Government of Tanzania has outlined three key priorities that will guide the country's implementation of the New Urban Agenda through 2036, focusing on expanding access to affordable and adequate housing, improving basic urban services, and strengthening the participation of local governments and communities in urban development.
The priorities were presented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Engineer Anthony Sanga, while delivering Tanzania's national statement at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) High-Level Meeting reviewing a decade of implementation of the New Urban Agenda at the United Nations Headquarters in New York over the weekend.
Speaking during a panel discussion themed "Delivering for People: Scaling Adequate Housing, Land, Basic Services and Inclusion," Eng. Sanga said Tanzania has made significant progress in expanding access to affordable and decent housing by strengthening land tenure security, formalizing informal settlements, and increasing the availability of planned residential areas.
"The Government of Tanzania has undertaken policy and legal reforms to create an enabling environment for investment in the housing sector, while allowing citizens to construct their homes after obtaining the required urban planning and building permits," Eng. Sanga said.
He added that the government continues to work closely with its institutions, including the National Housing Corporation (NHC), the Tanzania Buildings Agency (TBA) and Watumishi Housing Investments (WHI), to develop a variety of housing units for sale and rental.
Eng. Sanga emphasized that addressing Tanzania's housing challenges requires more than constructing new homes. It also calls for secure land rights, efficient land administration systems, improved access to housing finance, and stronger partnerships between the government, the private sector and local communities.
Meanwhile, Tanzania also highlighted its progress in developing innovative financing mechanisms to support sustainable urban development, saying the initiatives are laying a strong foundation for ensuring that rapid urban growth is matched by quality infrastructure, improved public services and sustainable development.
The remarks were made by the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the President's Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), Sospeter Mtwale, during a presentation titled "Unlocking Delivery: Financing Sustainable Urbanization at Scale in Tanzania."
Mtwale noted that Tanzania continues to experience rapid urbanization, particularly in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mwanza and Arusha, driven by growing opportunities in employment, business, education and healthcare. He said the trend has significantly increased demand for investment in housing, infrastructure and essential urban services.
According to Mtwale, the major challenge facing many developing countries is not urban growth itself, but securing reliable financing to implement inclusive, resilient and sustainable housing and infrastructure projects while advancing the objectives of the New Urban Agenda.
To address this challenge, he said Tanzania has begun adopting innovative financing instruments, including the Tanga Water Infrastructure Green Bond, which raised US$20.8 million to improve water services. The initiative demonstrates that local government authorities can successfully leverage domestic capital markets to finance urban development projects.
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