Tanzania President Magufuli set to relocate to Dodoma by 2019
Friday October 06 2017
A view of part of the Dodoma's central business district. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The entire Tanzanian government will have moved to the designate capital of Dodoma by 2019, President John Magufuli has said.
The vice-president is expected to relocate in 2018 with the remaining government institutions expected to follow soon after.
The Prime Minister’s Office and 16 of the 19 ministries have already settled in Dodoma.
With 316 dispensaries, 41 health centres, eight hospitals, 40 hotels and a population of about two million, Dodoma is also expected to host 57 embassies and 30 consulates.
But diplomatic missions based in the coastal city of Dar es Salaam may not move as fast as the government envisages. The designate capital lacks sufficient infrastructure to accommodate them.
Some of the embassies that have expressed interest to shift to Dodoma include those of Brazil, India and China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
The government decision to move to Dodoma was given a push by President Magufuli few months after taking office.
The decision to relocate the capital was made by the founding President Julius Nyerere in 1973 with the aim of bringing government services closer to the people due to Dodoma's central location.
President Magufuli has been determined to see it done before the end of his first five-year term in 2020.
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