Government eyes gas for power boost
WASHINGTON: TANZANIA is ramping up natural gas use in electricity generation as it targets 8,000 megawatts by 2030, placing the resource at the core of its energy expansion strategy.
Energy Minister, Deogratus Ndejembi , said natural gas will play a central role in delivering reliable and sufficient power to meet the country’s growing demand.
Speaking recently at the 2026 World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC which concluded yesterday Ndejembi noted that Tanzania is among African countries prioritising gas-to-power solutions to stabilise electricity supply.
He said the country is already generating over 1,200 megawatts from natural gas, all connected to the national grid, significantly improving power reliability.
To boost output further, the government is advancing gas production, including the drilling of three new wells in the Mnazi Bay Block in Mtwara Region. The move is expected to increase gas supply and strengthen electricity generation capacity.
Ndejembi also reaffirmed Tanzania’s openness to investment in the energy sector, particularly in natural gas, highlighting its strong potential to drive economic growth and national development.
At the same forum, the World Bank called on African nations to expand power generation through natural gas, citing Tanzania as one of the countries making notable progress.
The minister was accompanied by Permanent Secretary for Petroleum and Gas, Dr James Mataragio, and other energy sector experts.
On the sidelines of the spring meetings, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Dr Natu El-maamry Mwamba, chaired a highlevel meeting to deliberate on priority government projects across various sectors to be financed by the World Bank under the 21st replenishment cycle of the International Development Association (IDA-21).
The meeting, which also involved the National Planning Commission led by its Executive Secretary and Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office for Planning, Dr Tausi Kida, was held at the Embassy of Tanzania in the US.
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The Annual and Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group each year bring together central bankers, ministers for finance and development, private sector executives, civil society representatives and academics to discuss the state of the global economy and issues of international concern, such as the growth outlook, financial stability and poverty reduction.
The meetings are the only gathering of its kind in the world and a unique forum for discussion on economic policymaking.
