Tanzanian prime minister moves offices to Dodoma

Majaliwa moves to capital as part of government relocation plan.

The Tanzanian prime minister Kassim Majaliwa has moved his offices to Dodoma as part of President John Magufuli's decision to transfer all government offices from Dar es Salaam to the capital.

Majaliwa is currently inspecting buildings set to house government offices, as all ministers and heads of foreign missions accredited to Tanzania prepare to move to centrally-located Dodoma.

In August Pesident Magufuli pledged that the seat of government would move to Dodoma during his presidential term, which ends in 2020. State utility providers quickly followed suit, announcing plans to upgrade and expand their services in the Dodoma region.

The government’s move to Dodoma was first proposed in 1973 by the nation’s founding president Julius Nyerere, who switched the capital from Dar es Salaam. Relocation began in the 1980s and should have been completed by 2005.

However it has been delayed for various reasons including lack of funds and poor infrastucture around Dodoma.

The country’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) has estimated the cost of moving the government seat from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma at about $500 million.