On March 26, 2025, the inauguration ceremony for the China-aided Safe Water Supply Project in Zanzibar was held on Pemba Island. Chinese Consul General in Zanzibar, Li Qianghua, Head of the Chinese Schistosomiasis Control Project Team in Zanzibar, Dai Yang, District Commissioner of Chake Chake, Hamad Omar Bakar, District Commissioner of Wete, Abdalla Rashid Abdalla, as well as officials from the Water and Health Authorities, attended the event. The project, covering four villages and featuring two centralized water supply stations, will effectively eliminate residents' dependence on contaminated water sources and block the transmission of schistosomiasis.

During the ceremony, Consul General Li Qianghua highlighted the significant achievements made in schistosomiasis prevention and control through close cooperation in recent years. He emphasized that clean water is a crucial factor in breaking the cycle of schistosomiasis transmission and encouraged villagers to make good use of and maintain the newly built water facilities to free themselves from the disease as soon as possible. He reaffirmed China’s commitment to further sharing schistosomiasis prevention technologies and experiences, strengthening China-Tanzania and China-Zanzibar cooperation, and deepening the friendship between the two nations.

District Commissioners Hamad Omar Bakar and Abdalla Rashid Abdalla highly praised the schistosomiasis control assistance program and expressed their gratitude to the Chinese government for its longstanding support. They noted that the project not only provides local residents with clean and accessible drinking water but also improves their quality of life and reduces the spread of schistosomiasis and other waterborne diseases.

Local resident Omar Khamis expressed his excitement, saying, "Since I was born, water scarcity has been a constant challenge here. Today, we finally have access to clean water, and we no longer need to fetch water from nearby ponds. Thank you to the schistosomiasis control project, and thank you to the Chinese government!"

Following the ceremony, Consul General Li Qianghua conducted an on-site visit to assess the schistosomiasis screening efforts.