Meeting the Water and Sanitation MDGs: A Study of Human Resource Development Requirements in Tanzania
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Date
2013-10
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Abstract
In the Tanzanian water and sanitation (WatSan) sector, the human resource (HR) requirements for meeting the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets have so far been relatively unknown. This study was therefore conducted
with a focus on determining HR requirements in the public sector and parastatal institutions, in the private
sector (private consultancy companies, individual contractors, etc.), and in non-governmental organizations and
community-based organizations active in the broader water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. The competences
assessed were: design and construction of new infrastructure, operation and maintenance (O&M),
community mobilization, sanitation, and hygiene promotion. The study found a greater HR shortage in rural
areas than in urban areas. The smallest HR need is for social development professionals (estimated at 320 in
the urban areas). In the water supply and sanitation sectors, the average number of water supply engineers that
will be required to achieve MDGs is estimated at 3,864, compared to the sanitation sector, which will need
637 engineers. In terms of the demand for competences in the water supply sector, the highest need is for
O&M professionals (7,589) and the lowest for mobilization professionals (447). The study recommends increasing
the HR supply in the WatSan sector through the following measures: increasing support for training institutions
offering relevant courses in WatSan; focusing on skills required for asset management and O&M; and giving
specific attention to HR capacity development in small towns and rural areas.
Description
Keywords
Competences, Human resource demand, Human resource gap, Human resource requirements, Human resource supply, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), WASH, WatSan
Citation
Kimwaga, R., Nobert, J., Kongo, V. and Ngwisa, M., 2013. Meeting the water and sanitation MDGs: a study of human resource development requirements in Tanzania. Water Policy, 15(S2), pp.61-78.