Construction Industry, World Bank, and the HIV Agenda in Tanzania.

Construction Industry, World Bank, and the HIV Agenda in Tanzania

Tanzania is a developing country in terms of infrastructure. Since gaining independence in 1961, our nation has focused on constructing various facilities to enable society to access essential services. This includes road construction to connect regions, districts, and villages, as well as the construction of buildings such as schools, hospitals, markets, airports, and offices.

Construction is expensive, and as Tanzania is among the countries with a low economy, it faces challenges in financing construction while still needing to provide other social services.

This situation has led Tanzania to seek aid and loans from development partners, particularly the World Bank, which has been its key and long-term partner.


The World Bank has been Tanzania's development and social partner for many years. As of March 2025, the World Bank has provided Tanzania with significant financial support. For instance, in December 2023, the World Bank approved two financing operations totaling $1.135 billion: a $750 million Development Policy Financing (DPF) operation to support private-sector-led recovery and $385 million for the second phase of the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) aimed at improving urban services and climate resilience in Dar es Salaam.

Additionally, in March 2024, the World Bank approved $200 million for the second phase of the Tanzania Intermodal and Rail Development Project (TIRP-2) to enhance safety, climate resilience, and operational efficiency along the railway segment connecting Dar es Salaam to Isaka.

These funds have been allocated primarily to infrastructure development and strategic projects. Beyond providing financial support, the World Bank closely monitors these projects during implementation to ensure they meet required standards, do not negatively impact society and the environment, and uplift the local economy by creating jobs and business opportunities such as material supply.

Construction in Tanzania is an ongoing activity since the government is constantly building various projects, and private individuals are also constructing their properties. The majority of the workforce in these projects consists of young people—ranging from skilled, semi-skilled, to unskilled laborers.


Tanzanian youth face numerous challenges, mostly due to financial instability. The unemployment rate is high, those who are employed earn meager salaries, and those who are self-employed struggle with their businesses due to limited capital, insufficient financial knowledge, and unsupportive policies.

For the past 30–35 years, HIV/AIDS has been one of the deadliest diseases worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where Tanzania is located. As of December 2024, Tanzania has made significant strides in combating HIV/AIDS. The national HIV prevalence rate stands at 4.4%, with approximately 1.5 million people living with HIV. Notably, 82.7% of individuals aged 15 and above living with HIV are aware of their status, a 22% increase from five years prior. Furthermore, 97.9% of those aware have begun antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 94.3% of individuals on ART have achieved viral suppression.


The primary reasons why youth are more affected remain unclear, but poverty stands out as the underlying cause. The lack of a stable income and economic activities makes young people vulnerable to engaging in risky sexual behaviors. The consequences include early marriages, teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), prostitution, drug abuse, and increased dependency.

For many years now, the Tanzanian government and development partners like the World Bank have enacted laws and regulations aimed at providing education and awareness on HIV/AIDS at construction sites. Every construction project site must have a program to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and distribute condoms as one of the preventive measures.

This guideline was introduced when HIV/AIDS was at its peak across the country. Since construction sites bring together people from various regions, they can serve as hotspots for the spread of the disease, making it crucial to educate workers on prevention measures.

Years have passed, Tanzania's population has increased, construction projects have expanded, youth challenges have multiplied, and HIV/AIDS is still present.

However, in reality, HIV/AIDS is no longer the biggest threat today. Although a cure has yet to be discovered, young people now face more pressing challenges that concern them more than HIV/AIDS.

The most significant challenge is unemployment and lack of adequate education on economic productivity. While this might be a problem in many parts of the world, it is a severe issue in Tanzania. Even the youth involved in construction projects find themselves jobless once the projects are completed, as they lack sufficient economic education, forcing them back into poverty.


Without delving too deeply into why financial education is crucial today, I would like to propose that the time, resources, and expertise currently dedicated to HIV/AIDS education be redirected toward financial literacy training. The government and the World Bank must recognize that young people need this education more than condoms.

Since development should be people-centered, it would be beneficial to initiate discussions on youth priorities and actively involve them in the decision-making process.

Nobel was here
Health and Safety Expert.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KIFUA KIKUU. UPO KAMA HAUPO.

Image
KIFUA KIKUU. UPO KAMA HAUPO. Kifua kikuu ni nini? Watanzania wengi huutambua ugonjwa wa kifua kikuu kama TB, neno ambalo ni kifupisho cha Tuberculosis. Jina la Kiswahili la ugonjwa huu ni kifua Kikuu ambao ni ugonjwa wa kuambukiza unaoathiri mapafu na kusababishwa na bakteria (waitwao Mycrobacterium tuberculosis) . Bakteria/ Vimelea vinavyosababisha ugonjwa wa kifua kikuu huishi katika mapafu na kushambulia mfumo wa upumuaji. Ugonjwa huu husambazwa kwa njia ya hewa wakati watu walioambukizwa wanapokohoa, kupiga chafya au kutema mate. Dalili zake huanza kuonekana siku chache baada ya mtu kuambukizwa, hivyo ni rahisi kueneza ugonjwa huu kutoka kwa mtu mmoja hadi mwingine. Kikohozi cha muda mrefu kinachoweza kuhusisha kukoha damu, Maumivu kifua, uchovu wa mwili, kupungua uzito, Homa, Kutokwa na jasho wakati wa usiku ni baadhi ya dalili za ugonjwa huu. Ikumbukwe kwamba, kuna watu wana maambukizi ya ugonjwa wa kifua kikuu lakini hawaoneshi dalili zozote, hawajaisikii kuumwa na hawaambukizi ...
Read more

Mitindo Yetu Ya Ulaji.

Image
MITINDO YA ULAJI Viumbe hai vyote akiwemo na mwanadamu huitaji chakula ili kuishi. Mwanadamu ana mahitaji makuu matatu na chakula ni hitaji muhimu zaidi ya mengine ambayo ni mavazi na malazi. Kwa umuhimu wa chakula, mwanadamu huitaji kula kila siku. Na inapotokea hajala au kavusha mlo kuna utofauti hujisikia. Utofauti huo waweza kuwa upungufu wa nguvu mwilini, kizunguzungu, na wengine hujisikia uwepesi wa mwili. Wewe ukishikwa na njaa unakuwaje au tabia gani hujitokeza? Watu wanamitindo mbalimbali ya ulaji. Mitindo ya idadi ya milo, wakati wa kula, aina ya vyakula na kiasi cha chakula na hii hutokana na sababu kadhaa. Sababu kama za kiuchumi, mazoea, ratiba ya mtu, sababu za kidini, umri, hali ya mwili na kiafya ya mtu husika pamoja na mazingira na upatikanaji wa vyakula. Kama picha inavyoonyesha hapo watu 4500 walioonyesha wao hula milo mingapi ndani ya masaa 24 yani milo kwa siku. Wapo wa mlo mmoja hadi milo minne na kuendelea. Kwani wewe unakula milo mingapi kwa siku na kwa nini? Wa...
Read more

Nafasi ya Maziwa katika Afya Zetu.

Image
MAZIWA MAZIWA MAZIWA! Tulipokuwa shuleni tulijifunza makundi ya Wanyama kulingana na sifa zao. Moja ya kundi hili ni mamalia ambao sifa yao kuu ni Wanyama wanaonyonyesha akiwemo popo, binadamu, mbwa, ng’ombe, mbuzi, kondoo nk. Wanyama hawa hufanya hivi kwa kipindi fulani na kuacha kunyonyesha mtoto/watoto wao. Kwa mfano, ndama wa ng’ombe huachishwa akiwa na umri wa miezi 4 hadi 5, baadhi ya jamii za nyani huendelea kunyonyesha watoto wao hadi wanapofikia umri wa miaka 4 wakati tembo huendelea kumnyonyesha mtoto wake hata akiwa na umri wa Zaidi ya miaka 2. Hii ina maanisha kila mnyama anaezalisha maziwa ni kwa ajili ya mtoto/watoto wake tu. Pia tutakubali kuwa kila mnyama ana tabia zake katika kumuachisha mtoto wake kunyonya. Kwa binadamu, inashauriwa mtoto anyonyeshwe hadi atakapotimiza umri wa miaka 2 na ikiwezekana aendelee kunyonyeshwa, ingawa watu wengi hawafanyi hivyo. Wengine huishia mwaka mmoja na nusu na kuacha kumnyonyesha mtoto wake. Leo ni kilele cha maadhimisho ya Siku ya m...
Read more