Smart planning shields Tanzania from urban explosion risks

DAR ES SALAAM: ACROSS Sub-Saharan Africa, cities are increasingly under pressure from rapid urbanisation, with expanding populations often outpacing infrastructure, planning systems, and service delivery. Many urban centres are already grappling with overcrowded settlements, informal housing, traffic congestion, inadequate sanitation, environmental degradation, and rising unemployment.

In response to these challenges, Tanzania is pursuing a deliberate and forward-looking strategy designed to prevent uncontrolled urban growth before it becomes a crisis. Rather than reacting to urban problems after they emerge, the country is focusing on proactive planning, guided development, and infrastructure investment aimed at shaping cities in advance.

This approach is intended to ensure that urban expansion is orderly, inclusive, climate-resilient, and economically productive.

This national vision was outlined during the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Regional Administration and Local Government, Prof Riziki Shemdoe, presented Tanzania’s urban development roadmap.

He emphasised that the government’s priority is to manage urban growth in a structured manner, particularly in rapidly expanding peri-urban areas that surround major cities. These peri-urban zones are often the first to experience unplanned settlements as cities expand outward.

Without proper planning, they can quickly develop into densely populated areas lacking basic infrastructure such as roads, water supply, electricity, drainage systems, and waste management services. Prof Shemdoe noted that Tanzania has intentionally chosen to address this challenge early, rather than waiting for uncontrolled settlements to develop. He explained that the government’s approach is centred on guiding expansion before it becomes unmanageable and costly to correct.

“Preparing for rapid urban expansion in city peripheries resonates most urgently with the Government of Tanzania,” he stated during a ministerial roundtable session at the forum. His remarks reflect a broader concern shared across the African continent, where urban populations are growing faster than the capacity of cities to provide infrastructure and services.

When urbanisation is not properly planned, it often leads to informal settlements, unemployment, strained public services, and environmental stress. In Tanzania, this challenge is particularly significant as key urban centres continue to expand rapidly. Cities such as Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mwanza, Mbeya, and Arusha are experiencing strong population growth driven by internal migration and expanding economic opportunities.

Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial capital and main economic hub, remains one of the fastest-growing cities in the region. However, authorities have raised concerns that unchecked horizontal expansion could result in sprawling settlements with limited access to essential services such as clean water, electricity, roads and sanitation systems. Prof Shemdoe warned that unplanned urban expansion creates long-term structural problems for cities.

“When urban expansion occurs without advance planning, it creates scattered settlements, unemployment, and informal communities that lack basic infrastructure,” he said.

He further emphasised the financial implications of delayed planning, noting that providing infrastructure after settlements have already been established is significantly more expensive than planning and servicing land before construction begins. To address these challenges, Tanzania is shifting from reactive urban management to proactive planning and strict development control.

The government has introduced updated Urban Planning and Development Control Guidelines aimed at ensuring orderly settlement growth, alongside Greening Guidelines designed to protect open spaces and strengthen environmental sustainability.

A key feature of this strategy is the increased use of technology in urban planning. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital planning tools are being deployed to map land use, formalise settlements, and guide the allocation of surveyed plots in an organised manner.

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These systems enable authorities to identify suitable areas for development, monitor land use changes, reduce encroachment into environmentally sensitive zones, and improve coordination of infrastructure projects.

They also play an important role in reducing land disputes, improving transparency, and ensuring that urban development is aligned with long-term sustainability goals.

Beyond planning reforms, Tanzania is also investing heavily in infrastructure development to modernise cities and improve economic opportunities for urban residents. One of the key national programmes supporting this agenda is the Tanzania Cities Transforming Infrastructure and Competitiveness (TACTIC) programme, which is being implemented in 45 towns and cities across the country.

The programme focuses on upgrading essential urban infrastructure, including roads, drainage systems, markets, and flood-control facilities. These improvements are designed to enhance urban resilience, support local economic activity, and improve living conditions for residents. In addition, the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) Phases I and II are supporting largescale infrastructure upgrades in the country’s largest city.

These projects aim to improve transport connectivity, reduce flood risks, and strengthen urban services in rapidly growing neighbourhoods. Tanzania’s urban development vision is not limited to major cities alone.

The government is also prioritising secondary towns and satellite urban centres as part of a broader strategy to promote balanced urbanisation and reduce pressure on Dar es Salaam.

This approach includes the development of economic corridors such as the Kwala Economic Zone, as well as the construction of modern markets and agro-processing centres in various regions. A total of 28 markets and processing facilities are being developed to support local economies and improve access to services.

These investments are intended to generate employment closer to where people live, reduce excessive migration to major cities, and strengthen rural-urban economic linkages. By distributing economic opportunities more evenly, the government aims to ease congestion in major urban centres while promoting industrial growth across the country. Employment creation is another central pillar of Tanzania’s urban strategy.

Like many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania faces the challenge of providing jobs for a rapidly growing youth population. Urban planning is therefore viewed not only as a physical development tool but also as a key driver of economic inclusion and social stability.

Prof Shemdoe highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen the informal sector, particularly through the construction and modernisation of more than 15 major markets and dedicated trading spaces for informal entrepreneurs, commonly known as “Machinga.” By improving market infrastructure and integrating informal businesses into formal urban systems, the government aims to increase productivity, improve incomes, and support the growth of small enterprises that form a significant part of the urban economy.

Climate resilience is also a major priority within Tanzania’s urban transformation agenda. With African cities increasingly affected by flooding, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events, the government is prioritising infrastructure that can withstand environmental pressures.

Projects under implementation include improved drainage systems, flood-control infrastructure, sustainable land-use planning, and the protection of urban green spaces. These measures are intended to reduce disaster risks and protect vulnerable communities from climate-related impacts. Prof Shemdoe stressed that investing in resilient infrastructure today will significantly reduce future costs associated with climate damage while ensuring safer and more sustainable cities.

Tanzania’s overall urban strategy reflects a growing recognition across Africa that urbanisation is inevitable, but disorderly urbanisation is not. With the right policies, planning systems, and investments, cities can become engines of innovation, productivity and national development.

By combining digital planning technologies, infrastructure investment, environmental protection, decentralisation of economic activity, and employment creation, Tanzania is positioning itself to build cities that are both inclusive and economically dynamic.

The scale of the challenge remains significant, but so too does the opportunity. Without effective planning, rapid urban growth risks deepening inequality, overwhelming public services, and accelerating environmental degradation.

However, with coordinated leadership and long-term vision, urbanisation can instead become a powerful driver of prosperity. As Tanzania continues implementing its urban transformation agenda, the message emerging from its policy direction is clear: cities must be planned in advance, not repaired after crisis.