DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzanian Vice President, Deogratius Ndejembi, has witnessed the signing and launch of a landmark financing scheme aimed at helping more Tanzanians access electricity, through a partnership between Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) and CRDB Bank.
The signing ceremony was held on October 2, 2026, at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam, marking a major step towards strengthening public-private sector cooperation in promoting development.
Speaking at the launch, Ndejembi said the partnership was intended to remove financial barriers preventing citizens from accessing electricity, stressing that energy was a fundamental pillar and key driver of national economic growth.
“Electricity is a service closely linked to development. The 2,115 megawatts generated by the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project will only have meaning if they reach the final consumer in hospitals, factories, homes and businesses,” Ndejembi stressed.
Under the scheme, CRDB Bank will cover the 27,000/- electricity connection fee for 500,000 customers in rural and peri-urban areas each year. Customers in urban areas will have access to a special arrangement allowing them to pay the connection costs in instalments through TANESCO.
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Presenting sector statistics, the Vice-President said Tanzania currently leads Africa in electricity connections, with the number of connected customers reaching nine million.
He added that all 12,318 villages in the country had been connected to electricity, compared with only 506 villages in 2007. Of the country’s 64,359 hamlets, 33,657 have already been connected, while the remaining 30,702 are expected to be connected before 2030.
Ndejembi said the government had invested more than 231bn/- in electricity infrastructure in Dar es Salaam alone. The investment includes the construction of the Dege power receiving and substation facility in Kigamboni District and the modern Mabibo substation project, which receives electricity from Kinyerezi.
The measures are part of efforts to achieve the objectives of Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050 and implement the CCM Election Manifesto, including increasing electricity generation capacity to 8,000 megawatts by 2030 and 74,000 megawatts by 2050.
