The Rural Water Sub-Sector programme aimed to support greater access to water supply for the rural populations of Tanzania through the implementation of an innovative payment approach, which incentivised improved service delivery. The process involved Local Government Authorities gathering data and reporting on the number and functionality status of water points in their district on a monthly basis. Annual verification of this data was then conducted by Iwel through a range of mechanisms, including field-based checks.

The Iwel team were engaged in the learning component of the programme that focused on assessing the success of the payment modality in ensuring improvements in water delivery services. Lessons from this were fed back into implementation and helped enhance the resilience and long-term sustainability of these services. They have also contributed to Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2025, which strives to provide a minimum of 90% of the country’s rural popular with access to safe water and sanitation by 2025.