Category: The Citizen

Cairo/Dubai. Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis ?attacked energy facilities and cities in US ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and underscoring the risk of the Iran escalating into a wider regional war.

The six-month-old conflict, opens new tab in Iran has been marked by a cycle of pauses followed by periodic flare-ups since the US and Israel launched attacks on February 28 that were aimed at ending Tehran’s nuclear programme, halting its ability to attack its neighbours and curtailing its support for regional proxies.

The Houthi attacks came after Iran warned that energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including ?US oil and gas interests, was vulnerable in the wake of a tit-for-tat exchange of attacks on ships in and around the Gulf last weekend. ?The attacks sent oil prices climbing to more than six-week highs.

Fires erupted at some energy facilities and several people were injured as firefighting ?and other emergency teams rushed to the scenes to contain the blazes, the Saudi energy ministry said.

At least 73 people were wounded in attacks on four cities in ?the south of Saudi Arabia, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said.

“The coalition will take all necessary operational measures to deter this terrorist militia and resolutely confronts ?its hostile approach,” Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement on X.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia since they declared a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting its vessels in the Red Sea.

Disruptions to shipping through the Red Sea have added to worries about global oil and gas supplies with ?Iran continuing to limit shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz, with commodity vessel traffic slowing again this week.

‘Maritime exclusion zone’

The Islamic Republic has vowed to announce a new ?restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days, along with maps of a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, though it was unclear when details would emerge.

The new restricted would ?begin from where the U.S. blockade of Iran begins and extend into areas of the Gulf, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told state television on Sunday, adding that any vessel entering the area would be placed on an Iranian sanctions list.

On Tuesday, Rezaei re-issued dual economic and military threats on X.

“In recent days, Washington has received a clear warning from Iran’s new missiles. Economic warfare will be met by a maritime exclusion zone across the Persian Gulf to the blockade perimeter. The operational ?posture toward US warships and bases has ?been fundamentally recalibrated,” Rezaei said.

Rezaei was ?likely referring to the Qassem Basir ballistic missile that Iranian media reported was fired at US warships near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said its warships evaded any missile attacks.

Despite major US barrages that have degraded Iran’s conventional forces and punished its already ?ailing economy, it has maintained missile and drone capabilities to threaten oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz without its ?permission and attack Gulf ?neighbours that are home to US military bases.

About one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait before the war, which enabled Iran to threaten tankers from Gulf neighbours seeking to export oil and gas.

That has lifted energy prices at a time when the war, which opinion polls show is unpopular in the US, has increased the risks ?for President Donald ?Trump’s Republican Party in November congressional elections.

“Oil prices will drop precipitously, like everything else is dropping (but more!), ?when we WIN the war with Iran. Three Dollars a gallon, but ultimately, below Two Dollars a gallon. It will all happen quickly, and Iran will never have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said on social media.

Unguja. The husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mr Hafidh Ameir Hassan has been buried in Kizimkazi, South Unguja Region, leaving behind two widows, four children and 15 grandchildren.

The funeral prayer held on Monday, September 7, 2026, was led by Zanzibar Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh Omar Kaabi.

Government, religious and political leaders attended the funeral, led by Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi, Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi and Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba.

Who was Hafidh Ameir?

Reading the deceased’s biography, Deputy Director of State House Communications, Mr Shabaan Kisu, said the deceased was born on January 1, 1946, in Kisakasaka village, West B District, Urban West Region, Unguja.

He said the deceased began his education at Kombeni Shakani School in West B District, completing primary education in 1960 before proceeding to secondary education at Tumekuja Secondary School in Mkunazini, where he graduated in 1965.

‘Throughout his life, the deceased continued to take advantage of various educational and training opportunities to advance his professional knowledge, particularly in teaching and agriculture,’ he said.

According to Mr Kisu, in 1970 Hafidh joined the Zanzibar Teachers’ College and graduated in 1973.

He was subsequently employed as a teacher and taught at various schools in Tanzania.

He said in 1980 Hafidh was selected to study agriculture at Uyole Agricultural College in Mbeya, enabling him to expand his knowledge and skills in agriculture, which became an important part of his professional life.

In 1982, he was employed as an agriculture instructor at Fidel Castro School in Pemba.

In 1986, he secured an opportunity to further his studies in agriculture in Sri Lanka, where he pursued a diploma and graduated in 1988, specialising in coconut farming.

After returning to Zanzibar in 1988 following his studies in Sri Lanka, the deceased continued working at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr Kisu said that, determined to further his academic qualifications, the deceased pursued a master’s degree in agricultural machinery engineering in Britain in 1990.

After completing his studies in Britain, he returned to Zanzibar and continued working at the Ministry of Agriculture until his retirement in 2005.

After retirement, the deceased continued teaching at Kizimbani Agricultural College in Unguja.

Before his death on September 7, 2026, he had been suffering from heart disease and had received treatment at various hospitals.

Others who attended the funeral included Zanzibar Second Vice President Hemed Suleiman Abdullah, retired fourth-phase President Jakaya Kikwete, former Zanzibar President Amani Abeid Karume, former Zanzibar President, Dr Ali Mohammed Shein, and former First Vice President of Zanzibar Othman Masoud Othman.

Others were CCM Mainland Vice Chairman Stephen Wasira, CCM Zanzibar Deputy Secretary General Abdi Mahmoud Abdi, as well as ministers and deputy ministers from the Union Government and Zanzibar Revolutionary Government.

London. Africa’s private credit market is set for further expansion as companies and infrastructure projects seek alternatives to constrained bank lending, credit ?ratings firm Moody’s said in a report on Tuesday.

The continent’s credit industry remains small but has grown rapidly in recent years, with assets under management rising to $5.6 billion at the end of 2025 from $1.8 billion in ?2020, according to the report.

Moody’s said demand would continue to ?be supported by the region’s persistent financing gap, underdeveloped capital ?markets and limits on banks’ ability and willingness to provide long-term financing, ?particularly for infrastructure projects, medium-sized companies and small businesses.

The report added that ?even after the rapid growth in recent years, Africa accounts for just 0.3% of the global private credit market, which is estimated to be worth at least $1.8 ?trillion.

The ratings agency said development finance institutions would remain a key source ?of funding for the sector in Africa and could help mobilise international capital through credit-enhanced ?and blended-finance structures.

Such arrangements could support highly rated senior loan tranches and broaden the appeal of African private credit to institutional investors including pension funds and insurers.

At the same time, private credit is unlikely to become ?a major competitor ?to African banks, ?as funds often lend through banks or co-finance transactions, particularly in infrastructure, where financing needs remain substantial.

Moody’s said ?achieving significant scale would require the industry to demonstrate ?consistent ?returns that compete with opportunities elsewhere, particularly given investor concerns about frontier-market risk and the mixed historical performance of Africa-focused private investment funds.

The report also ?highlighted ?that stock market capitalisation across the continent ?stood at around 33% of GDP in 2024, well below the respective emerging market and global ?averages of 61% and 113%.

Dar es Salaam. Exim Bank Tanzania has marked its 29th anniversary by taking its celebrations into communities through clean-up campaigns and donations of cleaning equipment across the country.

The bank, which was established in 1997, is marking the anniversary with activities being conducted in selected markets, hospitals and schools within its branch network.

In Dar es Salaam, the celebrations included the donation of cleaning equipment to Kinondoni Municipal Council and a clean-up exercise at Kawe Beach involving bank employees, stakeholders and community members.

Exim Bank Head of Marketing and Communications Stanley Kafu said the anniversary was an opportunity to recognise customers, employees, partners and communities that had contributed to the bank’s growth.

‘Our 29-year journey has been built together with our customers, employees, partners and the communities we serve,” he said.

“Every customer who has trusted us, every business we have supported and every partnership we have built has contributed to the institution Exim Bank is today,’ he added.

Mr Kafu said the decision to focus this year’s celebrations on community activities reflected the bank’s commitment to supporting communities beyond financial services.

‘Environmental cleanliness is a shared responsibility, and through these activities and the donation of cleaning equipment, we are contributing in a practical way while encouraging more people to take ownership of the spaces we all share,’ he said.

Speaking on behalf of Kawe residents, Ward Councillor Benard Fabian Malima commended the bank for selecting the area for its anniversary activities.

‘Kawe Beach is a space that many people in this community use daily, and keeping it clean is something that benefits all of us,’ he said.

Mr Malima said the cleaning equipment donated to the municipal council would support ongoing efforts to maintain a clean environment, calling on other institutions to follow suit.

Since its establishment, Exim Bank has expanded from serving a relatively small customer base to having more than 30 branches in Tanzania and operations in Comoros, Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia.

The bank says it was the first Tanzanian bank to open branches outside the country and currently serves more than 170,000 customers.

Beyond banking, the lender has also invested in community programmes through its Exim Cares platform, focusing on health, education, youth development, women’s empowerment and environmental conservation.

Its initiatives include blood donation campaigns, support for Young Scientists Tanzania, the Women Empowerment Programme and environmental conservation activities.

Through the women’s programme, the bank aims to reach more than 600,000 women by 2028.

As it approaches its 30th anniversary, Exim Bank said it would continue focusing on innovation, customer experience, business support and community development.

Dar es Salaam. More than 100,000 smallholder, medium and large-scale farmers are expected to gain access to agricultural drone technology for crop spraying and monitoring under a new partnership between Mati Technologies Company Limited and Mazao Hub.

On Monday, September 7, 2026, the two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expanding access to locally manufactured agricultural drones, particularly among smallholder farmers.

Speaking after the signing, Mati Technologies Managing Director Benjamin Mollel said the company had been working with various farmer platforms to expand access to drone services and improve efficiency in agricultural production.

He said Mazao Hub reaches a large number of farmers through agricultural extension services and its agricultural inputs supply network, making it a strategic partner in expanding access to the technology.

‘Through this partnership, we aim to reach more than 100,000 farmers across the country by 2027,’ Mr Mollel said.

He said the use of drones could help farmers improve the efficiency of crop spraying and increase productivity.

Mazao Hub Public Relations Officer Alexandra Ngaiza said agricultural drones had traditionally been associated with large-scale farmers, but the partnership would make the technology more accessible to smallholder farmers through service-based models.

She said drones could improve the efficiency of crop spraying while reducing farmers’ direct exposure to agricultural chemicals compared with conventional spraying methods.

Mazao Hub is an agri-tech company that provides agricultural extension services and supplies inputs, connecting farmers with agricultural products and services.

Under the agreement, Mati Technologies’ locally manufactured drones will be made available to farmers through Mazao Hub’s existing network, with the two companies seeking to expand the use of technology in agricultural production.

Unguja. Legal debates and a special report on the drug situation in the Isles are expected to dominate the fourth meeting of the 11th Zanzibar House of Representatives, which begins on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

The session scheduled to run from September 9 to September 18, 2026 is considered to hold unique importance due to the nature of the bills and reports.

Addressing journalists on Monday, September 7, 2026, the Zanzibar House of Representatives acting clerk, Mr Ramadhan Khamis Juma, said the House has received 302 questions to be asked and answered.

On legislative matters, he stated that the House will deliberate on two major bills that cleared the first reading stage during the previous sitting.

‘The first is the Zanzibar Newspapers Corporation Bill, aimed at repealing the 2008 law to establish a new entity capable of operating commercially,’ he said.

The other legislation is the Fisheries Development and Marine Conservation Authority Bill, which seeks to repeal the 2010 fisheries law.

It aims to create a new authority to manage and conserve marine resources more efficiently, a critical component of Zanzibar’s blue economy.

House Operations Director, Mr Othman Ali Haji, explained that the initial agenda schedules 174 questions for processing during this week-and-a-half session.

Mr Othman noted that the number of questions may fluctuate depending on the pace of debate and management of daily business.

‘Every member has a constitutional right to ask questions without limit, provided they comply with procedures requiring submissions to the Clerk at least 21 days before the commencement of the sitting,’ he stated.

Speaking on the Fisheries Development and Marine Conservation Authority Bill, Legal Advisory Services Director, Ms Nasra Awadh Salmin, noted that it aims to replace the 2010 legislation to enhance efficiency and bolster Zanzibar’s blue economy.

Regarding the newspaper legislation, Ms Salmin explained that the amendments aim to empower the corporation to own printing presses, expand content distribution, and achieve commercial sustainability.

Despite the significance of these bills, the House recorded low public participation during the consultation period.

Ms Salmin expressed regret that despite publishing the bills on the House website pursuant to Standing Order 89, no public feedback was received before the committee convened.

‘Unfortunately, we received no feedback for either bill prior to the committee sitting. There was zero input from the public,’ said Ms Salmin.

Consequently, the committee was forced to engage directly with invited stakeholders to gather input for improving the proposed laws.

Another major item on the agenda is the special report examining the drug situation in Zanzibar for 2025.

Ms Salmin stated that the House awaits the official report from the relevant minister, which will undergo committee review before being presented in the House.

Sharing their perspectives, residents told The Citizen that enthusiasm was high regarding the proposed changes to the fisheries law, citing shortcomings in the current framework.

A fisheries stakeholder, Mr Isham Issa Haji, noted that the existing law is outdated and expressed hope that the new legislation will address current industry challenges.

Specific grievances under the existing law include provisions prohibiting fishers from entering the sea with diving goggles or gas burners.

Another resident, Ms Faumu Mussa, remarked that while citizens lacked sufficient notice to submit formal views, they remain confident the House will enact legislation aligned with modern realities.

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s current political and social challenges cannot be fully understood without examining the erosion of the values that shaped the country at independence, former Prime Minister and First Vice President Joseph Sinde Warioba has said.

His remarks came as the TCD brought together political leaders, diplomats, civil society representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the country’s democratic future.

Speaking at the Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) National Conference in Dar es Salaam today, Mr Warioba said Tanzania’s founders deliberately built the country around national unity, equality, patriotism, honesty and self-reliance, principles he said had helped the country avoid divisions based on tribe and religion.

He said the weakening of those values had contributed to the emergence of political, religious, tribal and regional divisions that now threaten the country’s social cohesion.

‘We need to return to the Tanzania we knew – a Tanzania of peace, equality, patriotism, honesty and self-reliance,’ he said.

Mr Warioba said Tanzania’s experience immediately before and after independence offered important lessons for addressing the problems facing the country today.

He recalled that the objectives of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), formed in 1954, included preparing Tanzanians for self-government and independence while removing tribal discrimination and other practices that could prevent Africans from being united.

‘The first objective was to prepare our people for self-government and independence, and to remove tribal discrimination and anything else that prevented Africans from being united,’ he said.

According to Mr Warioba, the principles were not merely political slogans but formed the basis upon which national unity was deliberately constructed.

He said the country’s founding leadership also established ethical standards for public leaders, including the principle that public office was a trust and that leaders were expected to reject corruption and speak the truth.

‘Leadership was regarded as a trust. Public office was not meant to be a personal possession,’ he said.

He said those principles helped Tanzania develop a strong sense of national identity despite its ethnic and religious diversity.

‘We succeeded in building national unity, but today we are seeing tribal groupings, religious divisions and regionalism returning,’ he said.

Mr Warioba said the re-emergence of such divisions should be treated seriously because they undermine the foundation upon which peace and stability were built.

He particularly warned against the transformation of political parties into vehicles for narrow group interests.

‘The coming of multiparty politics turned the country into new type of discrimination, political parties became new tribes,’ he said.

He said Tanzania should preserve multiparty democracy but ensure that competition between political parties did not turn citizens against one another.

‘We must preserve multiparty democracy while making sure that it does not divide Tanzanians which is one of the prime challenge we have in our country in the past ten years,’ he said.

For Mr Warioba, the solution lies not in abandoning political competition but in strengthening the rules, institutions and values that govern it.

He said Tanzania needed to revisit its constitutional and political history to understand why certain institutions were created and how they were intended to protect national interests.

‘We must look at our history because it is in that history that we can find the foundation of our unity,’ he said.

He also linked the country’s political challenges to weaknesses in the process through which leaders are selected and elected.

Mr Warioba said citizens must have a genuine opportunity to choose their leaders, warning that political systems could lose public legitimacy when the selection of candidates and leaders was driven by money or narrow party interests.

‘If we want to restore the principle that power belongs to the people, then the procedures for choosing leaders must allow citizens to genuinely choose,’ he said.

He called for improvements in the electoral system, saying voter registration, voting, counting, verification and announcement of results must be administered impartially.

He said electoral institutions should be sufficiently independent to command public confidence and ensure that elections are viewed as a genuine expression of citizens’ choices.

The former Prime Minister also called for stronger checks and balances between State institutions, particularly Parliament and the Executive.

‘The Parliament must be able to perform its functions independently; it cannot be effective if it is subordinate to the Executive,’ he said.

He said the Constitution should provide stronger safeguards for ethics, leadership standards and accountability, arguing that institutions were essential to preventing the abuse of power.

‘The Constitution must provide for ethics, leadership standards and accountability,’ he said.

Mr Warioba also addressed the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, warning that unresolved grievances and growing differences between the two sides could weaken the Union if they were not addressed.

‘We have to sit down and discuss the grievances between the Mainland and Zanzibar because the Union cannot be taken for granted,’ he said.

He said dialogue should therefore be regarded as a permanent mechanism for resolving political differences rather than something used only when the country faces a crisis.

His call for dialogue was also linked to the broader question of peace.

‘Peace is not made with guns, and you cannot protect peace with guns,’ he said.

Mr Warioba argued that lasting peace depended on justice, equality, national unity and institutions capable of resolving disputes peacefully.

‘Our problems cannot be solved by force; they must be solved through dialogue, justice, equality and institutions,’ he said.

He urged Tanzanians to draw lessons from the country’s history rather than allowing current political disagreements to erase the achievements of the past.

For him, returning to the founding principles does not mean returning to the past politically, but restoring the values that enabled Tanzanians from different backgrounds to regard themselves as one people.

He said the task ahead was therefore to rebuild trust in political institutions, strengthen constitutional safeguards, improve electoral processes and revive the ethical standards that once guided public leadership.

He said the conference should provide an opportunity for Tanzanians to reflect honestly on the country’s history, recognise the problems that have emerged and agree on practical ways of rebuilding national cohesion.

‘We have to look at where we came from, understand where we are today and decide what kind of Tanzania we want to build,’ he said.

Simba SC and Singida Black Stars made impressive starts to their respective CAF campaigns , with Simba securing a narrow away victory in the Champions League while Singida produced a commanding win in the Confederation Cup.

Simba edged Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers 1-0 at Bingu National Stadium in the first leg of their Caf Champions League first preliminary-round tie, while Singida Black Stars thrashed South Sudan’s Al Ghazala 7-1 at Juba International Stadium in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Simba’s victory came through Anicet Oura, who scored in the 65th minute after receiving a long pass from goalkeeper Djibrilla Kassali. The attacking midfielder showed composure to finish the chance and give Simba a valuable advantage heading into Sunday’s return leg. The result means Simba need a draw or another victory in the second leg to secure their place in the next preliminary round. The return match will be played at the Azam Complex on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 4pm.

Despite the win, Simba could have returned to Tanzania with a bigger advantage after creating several scoring opportunities. Some efforts went wide, while others were saved by the Mighty Wanderers goalkeeper, leaving the Tanzanian side with work to do in front of goal.

Coach and players will therefore need to ensure greater efficiency in the return match, particularly as Mighty Wanderers are expected to attack from the start in an attempt to overturn the deficit.

The Malawian side must win in Tanzania to keep their Champions League campaign alive, while Simba will be keen to avoid complacency and complete the job in front of their home supporters.

The winners of the tie will face either Cameroon’s Colombe Sportive or Mali’s Stade Malien in the next stage. The second preliminary-round first legs are scheduled for October 16-18, with the return matches set for October 23-25.

Singida, meanwhile, enjoyed a far more comfortable evening in Juba, overwhelming Al Ghazala 7-1 to put themselves in a commanding position in their Confederation Cup tie.

Matthew Tegris was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick, while Jonathan Sowah contributed two goals. Shekhan Khamis and Henry David also got on the scoresheet as Singida completed an emphatic away victory.

The seven-goal haul gives Singida a substantial advantage ahead of the return fixture and leaves Al Ghazala with a difficult task if they are to overturn the deficit.

For the Tanzanian representatives, the results provided an encouraging start to their continental campaigns. Simba have a slender advantage to protect in the Champions League, while Singida can approach their return leg with greater confidence after establishing a commanding lead in South Sudan.

Both sides will now turn their attention to the second legs, with Simba looking to finish the job at home and Singida aiming to confirm their progression to the next stage.

Dar es Salaam. For Tanzania’s growing generation of technology entrepreneurs, one of the biggest barriers to growth may not be a shortage of ideas, but the difficulty of convincing those with money and markets to trust young businesses.

That is the problem the government is now trying to tackle through a new system of officially labelling technology startups – a move that could have implications far beyond the nine companies that received the first certificates.

The ICT Commission (ICTC) launched the ICT Startup Labelling programme in Dar es Salaam on September 5, creating three categories: Silver, Gold and Tanzanite, based on the stage of development reached by a startup.

The initiative is designed to give credible young technology companies a recognised identity while connecting them to opportunities in investment, public procurement, regulation, markets and capacity building.

ICTC Director General, Dr Nkundwe Mwasaga, said the programme is intended to make government support for startups more systematic, particularly by improving their access to procurement, finance and markets. ‘The programme aims to increase the efficiency of enabling ICT startups to meet criteria for investment, supply and public procurement,’ Dr Mwasaga said in the statement.

The Commission also says labelled startups will be supported through programmes covering business, marketing, taxation, ICT and intellectual property, while efforts will be made to build confidence among investors and other potential partners.

For startup founders, the significance is simple: a government-recognised label can become a credibility signal.

One of the startup representatives, Mr Oscar Kusiluka, said young technology businesses have often found it difficult to work with public institutions despite having solutions capable of addressing real problems.

He said startups can be treated like established companies in formal processes, even when they lack the track record, financial strength or institutional relationships of larger firms.

‘The challenge has been that we are young companies, so it is difficult to work with government institutions even when we have solutions with a big impact on society,’ Kusiluka said.

The new recognition, he added, could help change that by giving startups a stronger basis for engaging public institutions and potential partners.

Tanzania already has a growing pool of businesses capable of supplying such solutions and partnerships.

The Tanzania Startup Ecosystem Status Report 2024 identified 1,041 active startups, supported by 95 entrepreneurship and innovation support organisations. The businesses operate across areas including fintech, agritech, healthtech, edtech and e-commerce.

The momentum has continued. Tanzania attracted $52 million in startup funding in the first half of 2026, making it Africa’s fifth-largest startup funding destination during that period, according to reports.

But funding alone will not build a strong startup economy.

The bigger challenge is turning young companies into sustainable businesses that can win contracts, generate revenue, employ people, pay taxes and eventually export their products.

This is where the labelling programme could become economically important.

Startup expert, Dr Valens Msuya, argues that the initiative takes Tanzania closer to the approach used by more developed startup ecosystems. ‘In these systems, governments do not simply encourage innovation but create mechanisms that help promising businesses become formal, credible and commercially viable,’ he said.

In his view, many youth-led startups begin with strong ideas but struggle to navigate procurement rules, financing requirements, taxation, intellectual property and other formal business systems. ‘A recognised framework can give such businesses a clearer path into the formal economy while giving government and investors greater confidence in who they are dealing with,’ Dr Msuya further told The Citizen.

The international experience is instructive.

In India, government-recognised startups receive concessions in public procurement, including exemptions from some prior experience, turnover and earnest-money requirements.

Through the government e-Marketplace, recognised startups can sell directly to public institutions, turning government procurement into a potential route to their first major customers and a track record for future growth.

Singapore’s IMDA Accreditation programme was established to help promising technology companies establish credentials and become credible suppliers to government and large enterprises.

The lesson for Tanzania is therefore not that a certificate automatically creates successful startups. Rather, recognition can become a bridge between innovation and the market.

That bridge will be particularly important in public procurement. ICTC says the labelling programme is intended to improve startups’ access to public supply and procurement opportunities…

For a country seeking to deepen its digital economy, this could have a multiplier effect.

The more startups that move from prototypes to paying customers, the greater their potential contribution through employment, domestic production, tax revenues, productivity, investment and exports.

Dodoma. The planned inauguration of buildings for ministries and government institutions, as well as paved roads at Mtumba Government City in Dodoma, scheduled for Tuesday, September 8, 2026, has been postponed.

The Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Coordination and Persons with Disabilities) announced the postponement in a public notice issued on Monday, September 7, 2026.

The notice said the inauguration had been postponed until a new date is announced.

The ceremony was expected to mark the official launch of infrastructure developed at Mtumba Government City as part of efforts to consolidate government operations in Dodoma.

The Government City hosts offices for ministries and government institutions, alongside supporting infrastructure, including roads and other public utilities.

The postponement means the inauguration will not take place as scheduled on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the public would be informed once a new date for the ceremony is announced.