Tanzania is leading a transformative shift toward compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol and diesel. This fuel, touted for its environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness, has attracted around 5,000 motorists, including taxi and bajaji drivers, eager to cut fuel costs. However, the nation’s ambitious plans for widespread adoption are hindered by a glaring lack of refueling infrastructure.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city and commercial hub, has only four CNG filling stations. For drivers like Samuel Amos Irube, who converted his three-wheeled bajaji to CNG for 1.5 million Tanzanian shillings ($620), the cost savings are significantspending only 40% of what petrol would cost. Yet the long queues at these stations often turn into a test of patience, with refueling times exceeding three hours.
Medadi Kichungo Ngoma, one of the early adopters, recalls when filling stations were almost empty, contrasting sharply with today’s long lines. Sadiki Christian Mkumbuka, another frustrated driver, laments that “we should have as many stations as there are for petrol vehicles.”
The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) acknowledges the unanticipated surge in demand. CNG project manager Aristides Kato admitted, “We found ourselves not having enough infrastructure to support the demand for gas-using vehicles.” However, efforts are underway to address the gap. A central “mother station” is under construction in Dar es Salaam to supply smaller stations countrywide, and five mobile CNG units are expected to serve Dodoma, Morogoro, and Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania’s push mirrors Egypt’s success, where over 500,000 vehicles have switched to CNG since the 1990s. Private investors, like Taqa Arabia, see potential, with plans to expand CNG infrastructure across Tanzania.
For now, long queues remain a bottleneck in Tanzania’s fuel revolution, but with government and private-sector initiatives, the nation’s vision of a cleaner, cost-effective transport system is poised to accelerate.
