The government of Tanzania is set to form a new Dar es Salaam development masterplan.  Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, William Lukuvi said the new master plan will replace the outdated version of 1979.

The Dar es Salaam development masterplan is aimed at improving and modernizing Tanzania’s congested commercial capital of Dar es Salaam. According to Mr. Lukuvi, there is no space for construction of structures, including residential houses in Dar es Salaam.

He observed that the new Dar es Salaam development masterplan will help to improve residential areas by construction of high-rise buildings. National Microfinance Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands will provide loans to the residents in the commercial capital to carry out land surveys for construction of residential houses, noting the new master plan aims to resolve land conflict issues that have occurred in some parts of the city.

Lukuvi also instructed, Amos Makalla, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner to set a date for the launch of the new master plan. Dar es Salaam is the most populous city in Tanzania, with approximately 6 million residents.

The city contains high concentrations of trade and other services and manufacturing compared to other parts of the country, which has about 65% of its population in rural areas. Downtown includes small businesses, many of which are run by traders and proprietors whose families originated in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent areas of the world with which the settlements of the Tanzanian coast have had long-standing trading relations. The Dar es Salaam Central Business District is the largest in Tanzania and comprises the Kisutu, Kivukoni, Upanga and Kariakoo areas.