The Chief Government Spokesperson of Tanzania, Gerson Msigwa, has announced that the country’s upcoming general election, scheduled for October 2025, will be financed entirely by the Tanzanian government, not by foreign donors.
This plan will be outlined in the coming Government’s National Budget for 2025/26 financial year, expected to be presented in Parliament on June 12, 2025, in Dodoma.
Msigwa, who also serves as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, made the announcement while speaking to journalists at the Ministry’s new headquarters in Mtumba, the new government city in Dodoma.
He stated that the 2025/26 budget is a crucial one, as it will allocate funds specifically for the election. He also noted that this budget will mark the completion of the National Development Vision 2025, which began in the year 2000.
“The most important thing for all Tanzanians is that we are going to present an election budget funded entirely with our own resources,” said Msigwa. “This is something all Tanzanians should be proud of — our independent Tanzania, self-reliant and making its own decisions, must have a self-financed budget.”
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the Government’s Budget for the 2025/26 financial year will be presented in the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania. This event will be preceded by the presentation of the Economic Situation Report.
These two presentations will be the last of their kind during the term of the 12th Parliament, which is expected to be dissolved at the end of June in accordance with the Constitution, in preparation for the general election.
This is not the first time Tanzania will finance a general election using domestic funds. In 2020, for the first time since the reintroduction of multiparty politics, Tanzania fully funded its general election without relying on donor support.
In contrast, previous elections before 2020, including those in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 were financed through a combination of government funds and donor contributions.
