The merits of increased cooperation between members of the East African Securities Exchanges Association (EASEA) have long been a topic of discussion within the region’s investment community, with authorities from Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda regularly talking through long-term strategies to develop capacity in their respective markets. However, these discussions have yielded little…
Launched in 2013, the Enterprise Growth Market (EGM) serves a dual purpose. For the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE), it acts as a useful feeder to the main board. Companies that cannot meet the listing requirements for the primary market are able to take advantage of the more lenient terms of the EGM, from which they may graduate to the main board after they have grown their capital base…
Tanzania is East Africa’s largest nation and has historically served as a gateway to many of the region’s landlocked states. Following independence in 1961, the country took on a more significant role in the area, becoming an influential mediator in the affairs of neighbouring countries. Today, securing stronger diplomatic and economic ties with its neighbours has become central to Tanzania,…
Widening the tax net is an important part of the government’s attempt to reduce its fiscal deficit and balance the books. Its principal tool in this effort is value-added tax (VAT), which accounted for 63% of consumption taxes in 2013/14, according to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Adjusting the VAT schedule typically has an immediate impact on government revenue streams. However,…
Brokers have played a dominant role in the distribution of insurance products since the birth of the modern sector. In important lines, such as accident, fire and aviation, they account for over 70% of underwriting activity, according to the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA). Many Tanzanian insurers rely on their relationships with local brokers for the bulk of their business,…
The informal sector makes up a large share of activity in most of Africa’s largest economies. The OECD estimates that informal work accounts for two-thirds of non-agricultural employment in sub-Saharan Africa. In the case of Tanzania the figure is even higher, with 76% of the non-agricultural workforce subsisting outside the formal economic framework. There are many benefits of the informal…
One of the focal points of the Tanzanian government’s long-term development strategy is industrialisation. In the five-year development plans (FYDPs) that serve as the foundation for the Tanzania Development Vision 2025, manufacturing is a key component. The second FYDP – covering 2016 to 2021 – set a sectoral growth target of over 10% annually, along with an increase from just under…
The slowing growth rate of credit to the private sector has emerged as a key industry issue in 2016 and 2017. After expanding at a rate in excess of 20% throughout most of 2015, central bank data shows that in January 2016 growth began to decline sharply. By October 2016 credit expansion to the private sector had fallen beneath the 10% level, and by April 2017 it had declined to just over 3%.…
For the government, boosting the proportion of the population with access to financial services is a strategic priority. According to a 2016 IMF report, financial inclusion rose by 42 percentage points to 58% of the population between 2009 and 2013 – a surge which the IMF attributes almost entirely to new distribution channels, such as mobile money. However, the government has been keen…
The government’s process of economic reform is having far-reaching effects on various entries on banks’ balance sheets. Many reform measures, such as the more rigorous implementation of the tax code, are being felt indirectly by the banking sector in the form of rising non-performing loans and slower loan growth. However, a recent decision regarding the finances of parastatal organisations…
