Tanzania

While Tanzania’s insurance industry premiums have increased over the past year, elevated competition has affected underwriting profits. An agenda of wholesale regulatory reform may be welcomed by the larger players as a basis for a more sustainable market, but many insurers with lower levels of capitalisation face an uncertain period, as...

Brokers have played a dominant role in the distribution of insurance products since the birth of the modern sector. In important lines, such as accident, fire and aviation, they account for over 70% of underwriting activity, according to the Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA).

Located on the east coast of Africa and south of the equator, Tanzania was home to some of the world’s first human settlements. Indeed, in 1959 some of the oldest human fossils were unearthed by an anthropologist in Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania. Also known as the “Cradle of Mankind”, this area is home to some of the oldest evidence of...

The informal sector makes up a large share of activity in most of Africa’s largest economies. The OECD estimates that informal work accounts for two-thirds of non-agricultural employment in sub-Saharan Africa. In the case of Tanzania the figure is even higher, with 76% of the non-agricultural workforce subsisting outside the formal economic...

Widening the tax net is an important part of the government’s attempt to reduce its fiscal deficit and balance the books. Its principal tool in this effort is value-added tax (VAT), which accounted for 63% of consumption taxes in 2013/14, according to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Adjusting the VAT schedule typically has an immediate...

The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) has evolved impressively since its establishment in 1996, and its recent demutualisation has ushered in a new phase of market development. Updated regulations, products and infrastructure are under way as exchange authorities position the DSE to attract much-needed liquidity. However, 2016 was a...