DAR ES SALAAM: THE third phase of the Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN III) under the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) is set to start in early 2026, targeting more than 500,000 vulnerable households across the country.
Speaking recently during a press briefing at Information Services in Dar es Salaam, Minister of State in the President’s Office (Public Service Management and Good Governance), Mr Ridhiwani Kikwete said the programme will commence following the completion of PSSN II in September this year.
“Based on available resources, PSSN III will target about 575,000 of the most vulnerable households, with 500,000 expected to benefit from various economic empowerment interventions,” Mr Ridhiwani said. He noted that out of the 500,000 households, about 100,000 will receive capital to strengthen their businesses, including 10,000 households targeting young people.
The remaining 75,000 households will participate in Public Works Programmes, which will provide income to support and expand their economic activities.
The public works initiatives will particularly focus on areas vulnerable to climate change impacts and disasters. The Minister added that PSSN III will cost a total of 296 million US dollars, pledged by the World Bank, other development partners and the government.
“The main objective of PSSN III is to increase access to social protection services and decent employment opportunities for beneficiaries, while building sustainable and resilient systems for delivering social protection services,” he said.
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Mr Ridhiwani said that the programme is expected to run for four years and has been designed to align with the National Development Vision 2050. He added that PSSN III will strengthen operational systems to improve efficiency, reduce costs and ensure better service delivery to citizens.
Additionally, the programme will support the establishment of a National Non-Contributory Social Protection Registry, aimed at creating a permanent national system for identifying, storing and managing data on people living in vulnerable conditions.
In the 2025/2026 financial year budget, the then Minister George Simbachawene highlighted that the government will continue strengthening social protection programmes through TASAF to protect and improve the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable households.
He said TASAF has remained a key pillar in the government’s efforts to reduce poverty and promote social welfare, particularly in rural and marginalised areas.
Mr Simbachawene further noted that the 2025/2026 financial year will place greater emphasis on preparing and implementing PSSN III, which aims to expand the number of beneficiaries, enhance the efficiency of cash transfers through digital systems, and strengthen programme monitoring and evaluation.
“The programme will more closely integrate social protection with economic opportunities to enable poor households to build self-reliance,” he said.
The Minister also stressed that the government will continue to strengthen cooperation between the President’s Office, Prime Minister’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (RALG) and development partners in managing TASAF to ensure efficient use of resources, transparency and accountability.
He added that improvements in administrative and public service systems would enhance efficiency in implementing TASAF projects and ensure timely and accurate delivery of benefits to beneficiaries.