SOEs urged to embrace agility, reforms
ARUSHA: PUBLIC and private sector leaders have called for State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to adopt agility, innovation and strategic reforms to accelerate national development and improve service delivery.
Puma Energy Tanzania Managing Director Ms Fatma Abdallah said when presenting a paper that there is urgent need for SOEs to shift toward change driven practices to improve responsiveness.
“Bureaucracy has slowed operations for too long, but it also presents an opportunity to rethink how we work,” she said on Monday during the third day of the Chairpersons and CEOs Forum (CEOs Forum 2025).
The four-day forum was officially opened by Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango on Sunday and brought together chairpersons and chief executive officers of public and private institutions.
Ms Abdallah said SOEs must streamline internal processes and enhance collaboration across institutions while empowering local units and eliminating unnecessary red tape to focus on delivering measurable results.
She said a sustainable SOE model should be built on strong governance, clear strategy, commercial viability, innovation, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles and dual KPIs to measure both financial performance and service delivery.
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“Clear governance, strategic focus and innovation create organisations capable of sustainable growth,” she said.
To show the impact of agility, Ms Abdallah said the Ministry of Health’s rapid digital response during the Covid-19 pandemic and BRELA’s shift to online business registration cut processing time from weeks to hours.
Bank of Tanzania Financial Deepening and Inclusion Director Mr Kenedy Komba said SOEs have a dual mandate to operate efficiently while ensuring access to essential public services.
“SOEs must combine operational efficiency with a strong public service mission,” he said.
He said enterprises should use data insights, formalise informal businesses and expand outreach to underserved populations.
“Financial inclusion and efficiency go hand in hand. SOEs that embrace technology and innovative partnerships will deliver better services and contribute to national prosperity,” he said.
African Peer Review Mechanism CEO Amb MarieAntoinette Rose-Quatre said the country is strategically positioned as a trade hub in Central and Southern Africa.
“Tanzania’s SOEs, especially in transport, ports and energy, have the potential to become regional champions,” she said, while praising ongoing SOE reforms that have shifted many institutions from loss-making to profitability.
Ms Rose-Quatre said SOEs should also explore alternative financing, including listing subsidiaries on domestic or regional exchanges and issuing sovereign, corporate or green bonds. The forum said synergy and collaboration are vital tools for maximising national impact.
