Photo: Nicole Eley-Carr

Infrastructure improvements are vital to development in Africa. Unfortunately, these projects regularly require the relocation of people living in the area. The term “resettlement” implies this logistical challenge, but even projects run by the most capable and conscientious companies have adversely impacted populations because two fundamental components of resettlement are often overlooked: extensive communication with affected communities throughout the resettlement process and ensuring the restoration of their livelihoods after relocation. Too frequently these elements are considered secondary. To Africare, they are essential.

The minimum standard in resettlement work is to restore the livelihoods of affected persons to pre-project levels. Africare knows resettlement is an opportunity to do more. Resettlement can improve lives. Africare combines logistical proficiency with more than four decades of experience earning the trust of local communities and implementing livelihood-enhancing programs to ensure that infrastructure projects do not negatively impact the       people they often intend to benefit.

Resettling Tanzanians to Improve Electricity Supply

In Tanzania, the lack of modern energy services has inhibited the country’s potential for economic growth and contributes to lingering poverty among rural populations. Lack of energy also affects the country’s provision of essential social services.

Rehabilitation of existing electrical facilities and extension of transmission and distribution (T&D) lines in six key regions in Tanzania will eventually make electricity available to rural and urban areas throughout the country, and the installation of sub-marine cable was necessary to adequately supply electricity to Zanzibar. While critical to the region’s stability and future economic growth, these projects dictated the resettlement of close to 7,000 people. Working in partnership with the engineering firms ESBI and Norconsult, the government of Tanzania and Millennium Challenge Corporation, Africare completed the resettlement planning for all project-affected persons (PAP).

By the end of the project, Africare had successfully identified the corridor of impact and facilitated cash compensation for 6,099 people resettled to make way for the electricity distribution project in the Morogoro, Tanga, Iringa, Mbeya, Dodoma and Mwanza regions, and 587 persons for the Zanzibar Cable Project.

 


Read about Africare's resettlement
fundamental expertise