The European Union is to offer Tanzania 51.51 million Euros (about 67.67 million U.S. dollars) for the improvement of access to drinking water and hygiene in the framework of Millennium Development Goals Initiative, local newspaper reported on Tuesday."As we approach the deadline for achieving MDGs in 2015, the fund will play an important role in boosting the efforts to achieve MDG 7 for supporting our government’s program for economic growth and poverty reduction,” Tanzanian Deputy Finance Minister Servacius Likwelile was quoted as saying. Likwelile said Tanzania was on track in attaining MDGs on universal education and reduction of infant mortality, adding that the country still lagged behind in poverty reduction, gender equality, maternal mortality, access to safe drinking water, reduction of malnutrition and prevalence of HIV/AIDS rates. The EU Ambassador to Tanzania Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi said that the agreement signed by the EU and Tanzanian government would help improve access to drinking water for an estimated 500,000 people and access to sanitation service for some 140,000 inhabitants.