Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Mwananchi Communications Limitted
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s business community has expressed strong support for a newly gazetted government directive that bars non-citizens from engaging in various small-scale business activities, calling it a timely move to safeguard economic space for locals.
The Business Licensing (Prohibition of Business Activities for Non-Citizens) Order, 2025, was published on July 28 under Government Notice No. 487A and signed by Industry and Trade minister Selemani Jafo. It prohibits foreigners from engaging in 15 specific business sectors considered vital to grassroots economic empowerment and traditionally dominated by Tanzanians.
