Swiss groups warn over planned Tanzania aid withdrawal

Swiss organisations have warned that the Federal Council’s planned withdrawal from development cooperation in Tanzania could put decades of work at risk. SRF reports that the government’s new aid strategy would shift funding towards humanitarian emergencies and the poorest countries.

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, a research institute known as Swiss TPH, has worked with Tanzania for more than 70 years. Its director, Jürg Utzinger, said the planned change had come as a surprise and caused deep concern. Tanzania still faces significant health challenges, he said, and the partnership also benefits Switzerland.

Swiss TPH conducts research in Tanzania, including work to combat malaria. Utzinger said research there on the tiger mosquito, which has also become established in Switzerland, provides expertise that benefits Switzerland. He described the partnership as a “win-win” and warned that decades of trust with the Tanzanian government, research institutions and development partners could be lost quickly.

Terre des Hommes, which has worked in Tanzania for decades, said it would “very much regret” a withdrawal by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Mission 21, a Swiss aid organisation that has been active in the country for more than 100 years, also said it was uncertain about what would happen next. Its international relations director, Katharina Gfeller, said support remained necessary because many people lacked access to clean water, good education and healthcare.

Under the Federal Council’s plan, the agency would have 330 million francs more for humanitarian emergencies by 2030, while 296 million francs less would be allocated to development cooperation. The overall annual budget for international cooperation would remain practically unchanged at about 2.4 billion francs. The agency said humanitarian emergency assistance could become more important in the coming years, citing a recent flash flood in Nepal that killed several thousand people.

Utzinger said he understood the case for increasing emergency aid but stressed that effective responses depend on strong local systems, including functioning healthcare. He also cited a study estimating that every franc invested in Tanzania returns between 10 and 12 francs to Switzerland. Swiss TPH said the announced withdrawal would affect two of its projects in Tanzania, including a long-running, large-scale malaria-control programme carried out with local partners.