Where CEOs see public entities in the next 25 years

DAR ES SALAAM: AS Tanzania accelerates toward its ambition of attaining upper-middle-income status by 2050, the conversation around the future of public entities has never been more critical.

Over the next 25 years, these institutions will determine how efficiently the government delivers services, drives investment and contributes to national prosperity.

At the heart of this transformation is the Office of the Treasury Registrar (OTR)— the custodian of public investments and shareholder on behalf of the government.

With 308 public and statutory corporations, and government minority interest companies under its oversight, the OTR plays a central role in steering reforms aimed at ensuring that public entities become financially sustainable, well-governed and competitive both domestically and globally.

The Treasury Registrar, Mr Nehemiah Mchechu, recently emphasised the office’s long-term vision:

“We envision a future where government investment and State-Owned corporations contribute significantly to the radical economic transformation that Tanzania intends to achieve through our national development vision.”

Adding: “As a driving force, OTR will leverage government investments to stimulate economic growth from existing sectors, revise underdeveloped sectors, drive large-scale industrial growth and propel exponential growth in job opportunities.”

The emerging vision, as shared by sector leaders recently, reflects a clear consensus: public entities must evolve from bureaucratic establishments into agile, citizen-centred, and innovationdriven institutions that can thrive in a digital and interconnected world.

According to PUMA Energy Tanzania Managing Director, Ms Fatma Abdallah, public entities must undergo bold shifts to remain relevant and impactful.

“We need to move from bureaucracy to agility, with streamlined processes and leadership focused on outcomes,” she emphasised.

Her vision calls for entities that are fiscally self-reliant, regionally competitive and digital-first by 2050—organisations that not only deliver reliable services but also generate sustainable revenues for the nation.

Ms Abdallah envisions a decisive move from manual systems to digital-by-default, embedding e-procurement, digital payments and realtime dashboards into the public sector’s DNA.

Transparency, she adds, will be key. “Public entities must evolve from opaque to radically transparent—publishing performance data and building trust with stakeholders.”

Her remarks echo the broader reform agenda championed by the OTR, which has been pushing for financial discipline, improved governance, and enhanced accountability across public enterprises.

The OTR’s long-term strategy focuses on building value-driven, performanceoriented institutions that contribute directly to non-tax revenue generation and national economic transformation.

The Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA) Director General, Gilead Teri, shared this vision of transformation but adds that digitalisation and sustainability must define the next phase of growth.

“Public entities in Tanzania must evolve into modern, digitised institutions that deliver efficient, inclusive and citizen-centred services,” said Mr Teri.

He believes the future demands institutions that are digitally enabled, environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and globally interconnected.

Mr Teri stressed the importance of building institutional resilience and embedding cross-sector collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society in the design and delivery of public services.

“Governance systems must evolve—becoming predictive, transparent and accountable to build both domestic trust and international credibility,” he noted.

His call aligns with the OTR’s ongoing efforts to strengthen governance frameworks and instill corporate discipline across entities under its portfolio.

For the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TANTRADE) Director General, Ms Latifa Khamis, the vision for the future is deeply rooted in productivity and competitiveness.

“We will have public entities that are productive, selfsustaining, and competitively run—institutions that operate with clear performance targets, contribute to national prosperity and generate value through efficiency, innovation and accountability,” she explained.

Her statement reinforces the OTR’s focus on measurable performance indicators and value creation, ensuring that public institutions do not merely exist but perform.

Meanwhile, the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) Director General, Dr James Andilile, highlighted the human dimension of digital transformation.

“Public entities should implement a people-centred digital strategy, leverage Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and launch national campaigns to promote digital literacy, thereby ensuring their long-term relevance,” he advised.

His vision underscores the role of collaboration and capacity-building—two pillars that the OTR has identified as essential for achieving institutional sustainability and innovation in the public sector.

Collectively, these perspectives reflect a unified direction: Tanzania’s public entities must transition from being government-dependent to self-sustaining and performance-led.

They must embrace innovation, adopt modern governance systems and align with national and global development priorities such as climate resilience, gender equity, and inclusive growth.

As the OTR continues to guide this transformation, the next quarter-century will test the capacity of public entities to adapt, compete and lead.

The Tanzania of 2050 will depend heavily on how these institutions reinvent themselves today—moving from rigid bureaucracies to dynamic, self-sustaining, and people-centred organisations that embody accountability, efficiency and national pride.

In the end, the question is not whether public entities can change, but how boldly and effectively they can drive Tanzania’s next phase of economic transformation.