Before the 2022 power blackouts, I viewed Tanzania’s electricity sector as just another example of inefficiency. But when the blackouts hit, the sporadic flickering of power signalled something more insidious. If Tanzania is to progress, we must overhaul the power sector.
Unlike past outages, the 2022 blackouts were unpredictable. Instead of a scheduled 10- to 12-hour cut, power came and went multiple times a day, defying logic. With my background in telecoms, I knew that maintenance follows predictable patterns—no competent engineer allows a network to behave like a faulty switch. These erratic fluctuations pointed to a deeper, systemic issue.
The government blamed maintenance, but I wasn’t buying it. A newly installed transmission link near my residence should have stabilised supply, yet outages persisted across multiple regions. This wasn’t a local problem—it pointed to a crisis in the backbone of the system.
The smoking gun was the relentless drought. Tanzania experiences droughts in roughly 10-year cycles: 1993 brought IPTL, 2005/06 gave us Richmond, and 2013 led to Symbion. In 2022, hydropower generation collapsed. Yet, with public memory of Magufuli’s blackout-free days still fresh, the government was desperate to avoid admitting another power crisis.
In a politically charged climate, authorities resorted to creative tactics: delivering just enough electricity while praying for rain. The result was a grid behaving like a cat on hot coals. I moved to challenge the official narrative, arguing boldly that actual demand must be above 5GW and likely beyond 10GW, not the paltry 1.7GW claimed.
That was a risky business. I wasn’t just disputing numbers—I was confronting vested interests that thrive on keeping Tanzanians in the dark. I expected backlash, but nothing prepared me for what followed.
Soon after that article was published, my editors called, concerned about the “veracity” of my claims. To my dismay, they took it offline. I later learned that followed complaints from Tanesco. I reminded them that a healthy debate welcomes counterarguments, not silencing dissent. However, I had no opportunity to defend my position.
The government routinely confuses demand with supply, citing figures that reflect what they generate, not what is truly needed. If supply is 1.5GW and people use 1.5GW, that doesn’t mean demand is 1.5GW—it simply means that’s all they can get. Establishing demand requires rigorous analysis, which would expose a huge gap in the power supply.
Strategic Planning is the gold-standard: it integrates historical trends, end-use models, and econometric forecasts to predict demand over 10 to 30 years, factoring in economic growth and technological changes. This should underpin all policy decisions, instead of allowing political agendas to manipulate figures and obscure real challenges.
In 2005, the National Development Corporation estimated demand at 3GW, projecting 30GW by 2025. Yet today, we still generate around 3GW. The 2012 Power Master Plan, crafted by 70 experts, projected 5GW for 2020 and 10GW for 2025. Strangely, by 2022, installed capacity was stuck at 1.7GW—unchanged since 2012.
How could demand stagnate while Tanzania remained one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies for two decades? A few years ago, our per capita energy consumption was just one-sixth of the sub-Saharan average, ranking us among the world’s lowest. Had we met the regional average, our demand would easily approach 10GW.
This isn’t just a numbers game. The disconnect between official figures and reality cripples investment and industrial growth. Factories, mines, and even homes suffer, perpetuating inefficiency. Progress is sacrificed at the altar of political expediency.
Take Geita Gold Mine, which requires 40MW—power Tanesco failed to provide, causing annual revenue losses of over 100 billion shillings. Tanesco dismissed my claims, only to celebrate connecting the mine to a new transmission link a year later! Last year, to my astonishment, I learnt that the link didn’t deliver 40MW—it merely lit residences and offices, leaving the mine in the dark!
There are many cases like that. Mines in Mwanza and Mbeya, factories in Tanga, and even EACOP had to plan for 300MW which Tanesco couldn’t deliver.
This is the Tanzania I know – we are being gaslighted at Premier League levels. That’s why when officials claim surplus power, I ask, “What power?” Four turbines at JNHPP are offline due to excess power, right? Wrong – those in the know say it is because the grid cannot evacuate what’s generated. You have to crosscheck every statement to establish the truth.
Let me say this: as an opinion writer, my goal is not to be perfect but reasonable. Like a doctor who treats a fever without diagnosing every possible illness, I focus on the most likely cause and present a rational argument. I may not offer a definitive figure regarding power demand in Tanzania – that’s the job of 70 government experts – but I wish to highlight the chasm between official claims and reality. If we allow the government to continue to obscure power deficits, the investments needed to spur industrial growth and economic progress will be stifled.
Tanzania’s future depends on reliable electricity. No nation develops without it. Tanzanians must demand accountability, expose deception, and insist on a forward-thinking strategy. The stakes are too high.
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
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