Stockholm. Tanzania is set to benefit from new investments in smart irrigation technology following discussions between the country’s envoy to the Nordic, Baltic and Ukraine states, Ambassador Mobhare Matinyi, and executives from Swedish company SPOWDI.
The meeting, held on September 18, 2025, at the Tanzanian Embassy in Stockholm, brought together SPOWDI Chief Executive Officer Henrik Johanson and company official Christopher Thunell to explore opportunities for introducing the firm’s solar-powered irrigation solutions in Tanzania.
SPOWDI’s technology employs a small solar-driven pump that distributes water through irrigation pipes from a reservoir to fields.
The system can irrigate 500 square metres within 15 minutes, significantly cutting water loss, reducing labour time and enhancing crop growth.
“One acre, equivalent to 4,000 square metres, can be irrigated within a very short period, saving water, time and ensuring healthy crop growth that leads to higher yields,” Mr Johanson explained.
“The outcome is improved incomes, the possibility of multiple harvests annually, and all at an affordable cost without dependence on rainfall.”
The firm said it is keen to expand to Tanzania, citing the country’s favourable investment climate, hardworking population, and supportive government policies, including initiatives to ease farmers’ access to credit.
SPOWDI has already deployed its technology in Sweden, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Switzerland, and in Africa, it has begun operations in Kenya.
Tanzania is set to become the second African country to host the innovation.
Ambassador Matinyi welcomed the company’s plan to visit Tanzania in November 2025 to showcase the technology and conduct initial trials.
He noted that the initiative aligns with government priorities of boosting national income, creating jobs, reducing poverty, and expanding agricultural exports, particularly after Tanzania attained 140 percent food security.
