Suqia UAE’s Tanzania projects surpass goals, benefitting more than one million people

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), announced that the foundation’s projects in Tanzania – backed by a generous grant from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai – have exceeded their intended objectives. Suqia’s projects have benefitted 1,024,000 people, providing access to clean drinking water across various regions and villages in Tanzania. These projects are carried out in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent, through the digging of new artesian wells and maintenance of existing ones.

Al Tayer made the announcement while chairing the third Board of Trustees meeting of 2025. The meeting was attended by HE Dr Sultan Rashid Al Ketbi, Deputy Secretary General for International Aid at the Emirates Red Crescent; HE Prof Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology; Prof Ahmed Ali Al Raeesi, Vice Chancellor of the UAE University; Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA); Waleed bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Excellence at DEWA; Dr Yousef Al Akraf, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Human Resources at DEWA; Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, acting Executive Director of Suqia UAE; and Saoud Aziz Ali Ghalib, acting Secretary of the Board.

The meeting discussed plans to launch the fifth cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award during the last quarter of this year. Suqia supervises the award, with total prizes of USD 1 million. The award promotes innovative projects and technologies that produce, desalinate and purify water using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, osmosis and geothermal.

Al Tayer emphasised Suqia’s commitment to strengthening the UAE’s position at the forefront of global humanitarian work. He pointed out that Suqia’s sustainable projects have benefitted approximately 15 million people in 37 countries since its launch in 2015. The foundation alleviates the suffering of communities most affected by the global water crisis and fosters innovation in finding sustainable solutions to address water scarcity. It works with key partners at home and abroad to implement humanitarian and development projects that provide clean and safe water to millions in need.