New Butimba Plant Delivers Safe Water to 450,000 in Mwanza under €150 Million LVWATSAN Programme

New Butimba Plant Delivers Safe Water to 450,000 in Mwanza under €150 Million LVWATSAN Programme

(IN BRIEF) The LVWATSAN project in Northern Tanzania, financed by AFD (€75 million), EIB Global (€45 million plus €4 million technical assistance), the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund (€9.9 million), and the Tanzanian government (€16 million), has inaugurated the Butimba Water Treatment Plant. This new facility supplies 44,000 m³ of potable water per day to roughly 450,000 people in Mwanza and neighboring towns, and improves sanitation for over 150,000 residents. Key stakeholders—including the Tanzanian President, French and EU ambassadors, and AFD, EIB, and EU-Africa Trust Fund representatives—highlighted the project’s impact on public health, regional development, and the deepening of long-standing partnerships. AFD has announced plans for Phase 2 investment, while the EU underscores this success as part of its Global Gateway agenda.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 20-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWATSAN) initiative has reached a pivotal milestone with the inauguration of the Butimba Water Treatment Plant in Mwanza, Tanzania. Jointly funded to the tune of €150 million by the French Development Agency (AFD), EIB Global, the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, and the Government of Tanzania, the project has expanded and upgraded water supply and sanitation networks across Mwanza and its surrounding towns.

France, through AFD, provided a €75 million loan; EIB Global contributed €45 million in financing plus €4 million for technical assistance; and the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund granted €9.9 million to bolster long-term investment planning and strengthen local utility capacity. The Tanzanian government committed €16 million toward implementation.

Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the new Butimba facility delivers 44,000 m³ of treated water daily—serving some 450,000 residents in Mwanza, Misungwi, Magu, Lamadi, Bukoba, and Musoma. Sanitation services have been enhanced for over 150,000 people through tailored solutions such as simplified sewerage systems designed for the region’s challenging terrain.

In her opening remarks, French Ambassador Anne Sophie lauded two decades of Franco-EU collaboration with Tanzania to extend clean water access, highlighting the project’s benefits for health, safety, and future generations. AFD Country Director Celine Robert underscored the comprehensive nature of LVWATSAN—encompassing production, distribution, sanitation, and capacity building—and announced AFD’s readiness to invest in Phase 2. Edward Claessen, Head of the EIB’s East Africa Hub, noted that clean water transforms lives and reiterated the Bank’s global leadership in financing water projects. EU Ambassador Christine Grau framed the achievement as emblematic of Team Europe and the Global Gateway strategy, marking 50 years of EU–Tanzania partnership and a shared commitment to sustainable infrastructure and human development.

About the EIB:

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.

EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner in Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027, around one third of the overall target of this EU initiative. With Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.

About AFD:

AFD group is France’s implementing agency in the areas of cooperation and international solidarity. AFD Group finances and drives the transition to a fairer, safer and more resilient world, working with its partners to support communities all over the world. Drawing on the complementary strengths of its entities – Agence Française de Développement for public financing, Proparco for responsible private investment, and Expertise France for technical expertise – the Group is ideally positioned to meet all sustainable development challenges.

Working in over 160 countries, including France’s Overseas Territories and Departments, the Group adapts its operations to the realities on the ground, actively supporting local initiatives. With over 4,000 projects, whose objectives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AFD Group works on behalf of the French people, together with all stakeholders committed to economic development and the preservation of common goods: climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Working by your side, toward a world in common.

About EU Delegation in Tanzania:

The Delegation of the European Union to Tanzania and the East African Community is a key actor in the relations between the European Union and Tanzania as well as the East African Community. The EU has set out the Global Gateway, a new European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. Global gateway is implemented jointly under the Team Europe banner, meaning the EU institutions and EU Member States.

About Global Gateway:

The Global Gateway strategy is the EU’s positive offer to reduce the worldwide investment disparity and boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems. In a Team Europe approach that brings together the European Union, EU Member States, and European development finance institutions, together we aim to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027, creating essential links rather than dependencies, and closing the global investment gap.

The EU-Africa Global Gateway investment package consists of €150 billion in investments to help accelerate Africa’s digital and green transition as well as support sustainable jobs growth and stronger health systems.

Media contacts:

Harriet Kwamboka
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+ 254 114106871

Press Office
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SOURCE: European Investment Bank