The National Irrigation Commission (NIRC) is drilling 67,000 boreholes across Tanzania under a smallholder irrigation program expected to create between 2,000 and 4,000 youth jobs while boosting national food security.
The Director General of NIRC, Raymond Mndolwa, presented the programme at the 10th Public Procurement Conference 2026 in Arusha, which took place from July 29th to 31st.
Mndolwa said the drive implements a directive issued by President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan when she launched the smallholder borehole project at the Nanenane agricultural exhibition in Mbeya in 2023.
He explained that the main objective is to give smallholder farmers reliable water for year-round production, noting that the programme targets farmer groups outside the formal irrigation-scheme system, a step meant to raise production, employment and incomes for farmers and the country.
Through the drilling of boreholes and the distribution of pumps, the Commission expects to create between 2,000 and 4,000 jobs for young people.
The Government provides subsidies at two key stages, borehole drilling and the purchase of water pumps, and Installation of the systems will involve young people studying related technical fields.
Each borehole can serve about 16 farmers and irrigate up to 40 acres, with beneficiary areas identified jointly by NIRC and the District Councils.
To date, 415 boreholes have already been drilled across 15 regions.
The Government has also purchased a total of 2,000 pumps, of which 1,000 have been received and distributed to the Mwanza, Mara, Kagera, Kigoma, Simiyu, Geita and Katavi regions.
Beyond the 2,000 pumps already procured, NIRC is procuring a further 500 pumps for the boreholes, of which 100 have been received, another 100 are in transit and the remaining 300 are under procurement.
The Commission also plans to supply an additional 1,000 solar-powered irrigation pumps to areas facing electricity shortages.
So far, 15,022 farmers have benefited, comprising 6,335 women and 8,702 men from 769 groups. The area expected to be irrigated in the initial phase totals 13,518.75 acres.
NIRC is also running 146 construction projects and 634 feasibility-study and detailed-design projects for irrigation schemes and dams nationwide.
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