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Press Release
6 October 2005
Tanzanian success in education and health brings further UK support
Tanzania's success in getting many more children into school and reducing the number of children who die before their 5th birthday was welcomed by International Development Secretary Hilary Benn today, as he announced further UK support for the country.
In education, primary school enrolment was stuck at around 50 per cent for
several years. In 2001, the abolition of primary school fees led to a dramatic
increase in enrolment rates, rising to around 95 per cent of all children aged 7
to 13 by 2005.
In health, under-five mortality rates have fallen by almost a quarter in the last five years, while infant mortality (deaths before the age of twelve months) has fallen by almost a third. There has also been progress in preventing and treating malaria - in some parts of the country, estimates show that the proportion of children sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets has risen from 5 per cent to 25 per cent over four years.
Economic growth has also improved in Tanzania over the last decade, rising from 4 per cent in the mid-to-late 1990s to 6.7 per cent in 2004. However, Tanzania remains one of the poorest nations in Africa, with a GDP per person of $290, compared with the Sub-Saharan Africa average of $450.
Welcoming the news about Tanzanian success, Hilary Benn today announced that the UK will provide £85 million of support, to help further reduce poverty in the country.
Hilary Benn said:
"Tanzania's achievements are clear, with almost universal primary education, the number of teachers up by a quarter in the last five years and the number of schools up by a fifth.
"The fall in child mortality rates by almost a quarter shows that where countries take the initiative with malaria prevention, treatment and immunisation schemes, lives can be saved.
"Progress in Africa depends on African governments taking responsibility for their own countries' development, and getting the support they need from the international community. Tanzania has taken great strides in improving the lives of its people, and the UK will continue to support it."
The £85 million announced today will be provided as budget support - it will
be given directly to the Government of Tanzania, to be spent on the priorities
outlined in the country's poverty reduction strategy, including health and
education.
Providing aid through the Government of Tanzania in this way, rather than through individual projects, provides long-term, reliable funding for the Tanzanian government to use in reducing poverty.
Because it goes through government channels, this type of funding also helps to improve the ability of recipient governments to plan and manage spending in areas such as education and health. And because the ultimate responsibility for the way that budget support is spent lies with the Government of Tanzania, it ensures that parliament, citizens and interest groups in Tanzania can hold their government to account.