Development Cooperation

  1. Last updated on

In the past 10 years Belgium was the 14th bilateral donor to Tanzania (based on average ODA in the period 2012-2021). In recent years the Belgian Official Development Aid has fluctuated around € 11 million per year (see graph below). 

Image
Development cooperation provisions 2017-2025

The direct bilateral governmental aid is implemented by the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel. Enabel is finishing the implementation of two projects on sustainable agriculture and on water and sanitation in the Kigoma region with a total value of 20 million euro. The implementation of the new bilateral programme “Wezesha binti”, worth € 25 million, for the period 2023-2028 started in the last quarter of 2023. This new programme aims at empowering girls and young women in targeted districts of Kigoma region through secondary education, skills developments, entrepreneurship and the creation of a protective and gender equal environment. In all its projects Enabel cooperates closely with the local government and the relevant line ministries.

Image
Men building bridges

The indirect aid in Tanzania is mainly implemented by ten non-governmental organizations with a different thematic and geographical focus. The organizations work together in Tanzania under the umbrella of a Joint Strategic Framework. The organizations TRIASIles de Paix and Rikolto are based in Arusha and focus mainly on agriculture, entrepreneurship and rural development. In the health sector, Light for the World focuses on children with a visual impairment, the Belgian Red Cross works on blood donation, water and sanitation, and first aid training, and finally Apopo works on tuberculosis detection with rat technology. In the education sector, Via Don Bosco provides vocational training, whereas Plan International focuses on empowering girls. IPIS and Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) work on improving natural resource governance. All these organizations cooperate closely with a wide variety of Tanzanian organizations. These ten organizations receive core funding for five years (2022-2026) with a total budget of €18,7 million.

Image
Woman with bananas

Academic cooperation mainly takes place via VLIR-UOS, an umbrella organization of universities in Flanders. VLIR-UOS offers scholarships and support for research projects. VLIR-UOS also facilitates university cooperation between Belgian an Tanzanian Universities. Important partners of VLIR-UOS are Mzumbe University, NMAIST and Ardhi University.  

Via calls for proposals Belgium also funds a limited number of projects that focus on absolute priorities of the Belgian government. For the moment Belgium funds projects in Tanzania on private sector support through the Business Partnership Facility managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. Belgium is funding projects on solar-powered recycling implemented by IdFabric, on organic fertilizer production for sustainable avocado agriculture implemented by Guavay Company Limited, and on organic honey for export by Third Man and Upendo Honey. Additionally, Belgium is also supporting civil society in their role as actor of sustainable development and vector of human rights (freedom of expression and association), democracy and meaningful participation. Supported organizations include BBC Media Action and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS). 

Via the Trade for Development Centre and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO), Belgium also supports the private sector, respectively through trainings and through investments or loans. 

Belgium is a member of and contributes to many multilateral organizations (EU, UN, WB, IMF) who are active in Tanzania. Belgium is traditionally a relatively large provider of core, non-earmarked funding. Belgium also supports a project of UNHCR (€4 million for the period 2023-2025) which aims at improving climate resilience in refugee hosting districts.

Belgium provides humanitarian aid, directly to Tanzania via the Belgian Red Cross, but also indirectly via flexible funds, for example ICRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, which has been used several times in Tanzania in the past years.