The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved International Development Association financing for the initiatives, marking a major investment in Tanzania’s human capital.
The programmes are the Second Education and Skills for Productive Jobs Program and the Tanzania Productive Social Safety Net III. Together, they are designed to equip young people with job‑relevant skills, expand access to industry‑led training and reinforce social protection systems to help households withstand economic and climate‑related shocks.
“Earlier phases of these programmes have shown that investing in people delivers results,” said Nathan Belete, World Bank Division Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. “Jobs do more than generate income. They create hope and dignity. These new operations will help deliver on that promise for more Tanzanians.”
The Education and Skills for Productive Jobs II programme is a $300 million results‑based operation that aims to increase the number of graduates with skills aligned to labour‑market needs. It is expected to benefit about one million people, including at least 45% women. The programme targets support for more than 656 000 graduates to secure new or better jobs, a 10% real income increase for individuals re‑entering the labour market and alignment of about 80% of targeted technical programmes with industry priorities.
The programme builds on earlier World Bank initiatives, including the Higher Education for Economic Transformation project and the East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project, addressing skills mismatches and unequal access to technical and vocational education.
The Productive Social Safety Net III is a $250 million project focused on strengthening livelihoods and resilience among poor households. It is expected to benefit around 2.2 million people through productive cash transfers and climate‑smart public works. The programme will also promote savings, access to finance and training to diversify income sources, while improving employment pathways for 10 000 young people.
Digital systems, including a national social registry, will be expanded to improve delivery and better link social protection to employment opportunities.
Together, the two programmes form a central pillar of Tanzania’s strategy to promote inclusive growth, job creation and resilience in the face of economic and climate challenges.
–WorldBank/ChannelAfrica–
