Tanzania must further strengthen its domestic capacity to finance development programmes as changes in aid and concessional loans increasingly require countries to rely more on their own resources, Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba has said.
Dr Nchemba said development planning should therefore be matched with strategies for mobilising domestic resources to finance the targets being set.
He made the remarks on September 17, 2026, while closing the National Planners’ Conference 2026 in Arusha, held under the theme ‘Delivering Vision 2050: Strengthening Integrated Planning, Execution and Results’. The Prime Minister said many African countries had previously relied heavily on aid to finance their budgets, but the situation was changing as concessional financing became less available and countries increasingly turned to blended and commercial financing.
He said the changes were part of the development process and should prompt Tanzania to consider how its development goals would be financed when planning for their implementation.
‘Tanzania must, when setting its development targets, also plan how to implement them by relying more on domestic resources,’ he said.
Dr Nchemba urged Government officials to support implementation of recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on Tax Reform aimed at increasing domestic revenue.
‘It is therefore important for officials to support the implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Tax Reform aimed at increasing domestic revenue,’ he said.
He, however, said increasing Government revenue could not be achieved through the public sector alone.
The Prime Minister said Tanzania needed to create an environment that allowed the private sector to expand, attract both domestic and foreign investment and increase economic activity.
He said expanding economic activity would broaden the country’s tax base and increase the number of taxpayers contributing to domestic revenue.
According to Dr Nchemba, stronger domestic financing capacity will be essential as Tanzania implements Development Vision 2050 and reduce its dependence on external development finance.
He said development plans should be realistic about the resources required to deliver their targets, ensuring that priorities identified through planning are supported by strategies for raising the funds needed to implement them.
The approach, he said, would help strengthen the connection between development priorities, financing decisions and implementation as countries adjust to changes in international financing.
He also linked stronger domestic revenue mobilisation to the country’s ability to sustain development programmes and pursue its goals.
The remarks came as planners gathered to discuss how Tanzania can translate Development Vision 2050 into effective implementation and measurable results. The conference focused on strengthening integrated planning, execution and results.
Dr Nchemba said the shift towards greater domestic resource mobilisation should be reflected in development planning, rather than treated as a separate issue after targets have been established.
He said this would require Government officials to consider financing alongside development priorities when preparing plans and implementing programmes.
The Prime Minister also emphasised the role of increased economic activity in expanding the revenue base. A growing private sector, higher investment, he said, would create more taxpayers contributing to Government revenue.