Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) officials are in Uganda for a week-long benchmarking programme with the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), aimed at strengthening performance monitoring, operational efficiency and customer service.
The engagement, held under the theme “Strengthening Performance-Based Monitoring and Evaluation for Improved Utility Performance,” will examine NWSC’s approaches to measuring institutional performance, managing infrastructure and improving service delivery.
Although the two state-owned utilities operate in different sectors, electricity and water, they face similar challenges, including high infrastructure investment costs, regulatory requirements, asset management and growing customer expectations.
Officials said the TANESCO delegation is particularly interested in understanding “how NWSC uses performance-based monitoring and evaluation to assess operations, track institutional targets and improve accountability.”
The benchmarking programme also provides an opportunity for both utilities to “exchange experiences in managing large infrastructure networks, strengthening operational systems and improving financial and service delivery performance.”
The engagement comes as NWSC reports significant growth in revenue, customer connections and service coverage, driven by management reforms and performance-based accountability.
NWSC’s annual turnover rose from Shs385 billion in 2019/20 to Shs649 billion in 2024/25, while customer connections increased from 724,000 to more than one million.
The population served expanded from 15 million to approximately 20 million people, with operations extending to 287 towns.
NWSC Managing Director Dr Silver Mugisha recently attributed the corporation’s performance to “financial discipline, management reforms and measurable institutional targets.”
For TANESCO, the visit comes as electricity utilities across East Africa face increasing pressure to expand access, modernise infrastructure, minimise operational losses and maintain reliable services.
Similarly, water utilities face challenges associated with infrastructure maintenance, revenue collection, non-revenue water and the financing of network expansion.
NWSC officials said the engagement highlights growing cooperation among East African public utilities, with institutions increasingly looking to regional counterparts for practical approaches to improving efficiency, accountability and customer satisfaction.
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