TANZANIA · INFRASTRUCTURE
Key Facts
- The country Tanzania is an East African nation of tens of millions whose official capital is Dodoma, not the larger port city of Dar es Salaam.
- What happened On Friday 30 October 2026, President Samia Suluhu Hassan opened ministry buildings and roads at the Government City in Dodoma.
- The cost The project cost about 700 billion shillings (about US$265 million), which the president says came from domestic funds.
- The guest President João Lourenço of Angola attended the opening and discussed direct flights and a rail link.
- Still open The government has not published a line-by-line cost breakdown or an audited final bill for the project.
Tanzania has opened its Government City in Dodoma, a project of 700 billion shillings (about US$265 million). President Samia Suluhu Hassan says it was paid for without a single loan, and she cut the ribbon on Friday 30 October 2026.
For US readers, the opening shows a large East African economy building its capital without borrowing. It also points to future contracts for roads, power, water and digital systems around Dodoma.
What Opened on Friday in Mtumba
President Samia Suluhu Hassan opened ministry and institutional buildings and newly paved roads at the Government City in Mtumba, a district of Dodoma. State House photographs show her cutting ribbons with Angola’s President João Lourenço on Friday 30 October 2026.
The works include at least 28 government buildings and a 59.1-kilometre network of paved roads. Officials call the opening a milestone in moving all government work to the capital.
700 Billion Shillings and No Loans
The president said the buildings and roads cost about 700 billion Tanzanian shillings (about US$265 million at 2,638 shillings per dollar on 31 October 2026). She said the money came from domestic resources, with no loan from any institution.
“We have mobilised our resources and built them using our own funds as Tanzanians,” she said at the ceremony. She added that the buildings and roads were built without borrowing from any financial institution.
Roads, Dams and a Smart City Label
Professor Riziki Shemdoe, a Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said the road network runs for 59.1 kilometres and includes 52 bus stops. He added that three dams control flooding and that 1,635 streetlights now light the roads at night.
Kitila Mkumbo, the Minister of State for Planning and Investment, said the Government City has charging points for electric vehicles and natural gas refuelling. He said the aim is cleaner public transport.
Why Dodoma Is the Capital
Tanzania decided in 1973 to move its capital from Dar es Salaam, the largest city, to Dodoma in the centre of the country. The late President John Magufuli took the decision forward in 2016.
Government offices began moving in December 2017, and the transfer was completed in October 2019, Minister Mkumbo said. The Government City is the next step, giving ministries permanent offices in one place.
A Demand for Better Service
The president told civil servants that the investment will be judged by how well they serve citizens, not by how the buildings look. She ordered government bodies to link their computer systems so that people do not hand the same papers to several offices.
She also warned against making Dodoma a compulsory stop for people who need services that could be provided in their home regions. The public service office block formally opened cost about 28 billion shillings (about US$10.6 million), Professor Shemdoe said.
Planning Rules and Private Investors
President Hassan told officials in charge of regional administration and land to enforce the Dodoma master plan. She said nobody should build on land reserved for roads and public use, and green spaces between ministry buildings must be kept.
She directed the planning and investment ministry to find private investors, saying public money alone cannot deliver the city’s full potential. That fits a wider push described in Tanzania’s call for private firms to fund US$24 billion of its next plan.
Angola Eyes Flights and a Rail Link
President Lourenço said Tanzania and Angola are studying direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Luanda. He also said they are looking at joining the Tazara railway, which links Tanzania and Zambia, to Angola’s Benguela Railway.
Such a link would create a transport corridor from the Indian Ocean coast across Zambia towards Angola, he said. For more on the people running the state, see who holds power in Tanzania.
What It Means for US Readers
US companies that sell construction equipment, engineering services, power systems, water technology and software may find new demand around Dodoma. The government has said it wants private partners, which opens a path for American investors and lenders.
The no-loan claim also matters for debt watchers, because it suggests lower new borrowing for the Government City. Investors will still want to see how the 700 billion shillings (about US$265 million) fits into the national budget.
What Is Not Known
The government has not released a full breakdown of what the 700 billion shillings (about US$265 million) paid for, or which contractors received the work. It is also unclear how many civil servants have already moved into the new offices.
No date has been given for the next phase of the Government City or for the private projects the president requested. The cost of running and maintaining the complex each year has not been stated either.
More: Tanzania news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Tanzania spend on the Government City?
President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the project cost about 700 billion Tanzanian shillings (about US$265 million). She said it was paid from domestic resources with no loans.
Where is the Government City?
It is in Mtumba, part of Dodoma, the official capital in central Tanzania. It brings ministries together in one place.
When did the opening take place?
The ceremony took place on Friday 30 October 2026. President Samia Suluhu Hassan led it, with Angola’s President João Lourenço as guest.
Is Dodoma or Dar es Salaam the capital of Tanzania?
Dodoma is the official capital, and the government moved there between 2017 and 2019. Dar es Salaam remains the largest city and main port.
What did the president ask civil servants to do?
She asked them to improve service, link their computer systems and protect green spaces. She also told them not to force citizens to travel to Dodoma for routine services.
Sources: State House of Tanzania (Ikulu), photographs and statements on the opening of the Government City, Mtumba, 30 October 2026; Prime Minister’s Office of Tanzania, news and statements, 30 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error