The Speaker of the Tanzania National Assembly has called for the TCRA and the CMSA to appear before the parliamentary Budget Committee. This follows concerns over the failure of telecommunications companies to list their shares on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange as required by law.

Speaking on Monday, June 15, 2026, Speaker Mussa Azzan Zungu referred to the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which noted that since the amendment of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act (EPOCA) in 2016, which required non-state-owned network operators to offer 25% of their paid-up capital in shares to the public, only one company has implemented the requirement.

“Up to now, only one company, Vodacom Tanzania, has managed to comply with those legal requirements by selling shares to the public and increasing transparency and accountability within those companies,” Speaker Zungu noted.

“The question that needs to be asked is why TCRA, as the regulator responsible for enforcing the EPOCA law, has not been able to take deliberate measures to implement this legal requirement,” Speaker Zungu asked.

“Furthermore, the Capital Markets Authority, which is also a regulator, has failed to ensure that this law is enforced. I direct TCRA and the Capital Markets Authority to meet with the Budget Committee and explain why this process has not yet been completed up to this point,” he continued.

The mandated deadline for listing shares was June 20, 2018. Except for Airtel Tanzania, which has the government as one of its shareholders, other companies yet to list include Yas Tanzania, jointly owned by Axian Telecom and Rostam Aziz, and Halotel Tanzania, owned by Vietnam’s Viettel Group.

“Honourable Members of Parliament, a significant amount of government revenue is lost due to the failure to follow or enforce our laws. In a neighboring country, revenue from dividends alone in the telecommunications sector amounts to no less than 480 billion per year. These funds should also be generated in Tanzania so that the welfare of our citizens can improve through such revenue,” Speaker Zungu said.

For the 2024/25 financial year, the Tanzanian government received about TSh 365 billion in dividends from state-linked investments, and it is planning to raise about TSh 1.2 trillion in dividends for the 2026/27 financial year. This represents a significant increase compared to 2024/25, where Tsh 365 billion was collected, as well as 2025/26, where TSh 363 billion is expected by June 30, 2026.

The highest dividend contributions from private companies in 2024/25 came from Twiga Minerals Corporation Limited at about TSh 84.2 billion, followed by National Microfinance Bank (NMB) at TSh 64.7 billion, and Airtel Money at TSh 50.67 billion.

Following budget constraints due to the shifting geopolitical landscape, Tanzania government is looking for alternative sources of revenues, which include leaning on loans, tax as well as other resources.