Director General of the Tanzania Communications Authority (TCRA), DR Jabiri Kuwe Bakari (third from left), listens to ICT Officer at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Rehema Chillo, during his visit to the exhibition stand at the opening of the National Address weekcelebrations, running until February 8. PHOTO | MICHAEL MATEMANGA
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s National Physical Addressing System is increasingly recognised as critical infrastructure, supporting business formalisation, boosting e-commerce, enhancing public service delivery, and promoting financial inclusion.
Speaking on behalf of the Postmaster General at the Tanzania Annual Conference on Physical Addressing 2026 and the Postal Technology Show, Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC) acting director of marketing and sales, Ferdinand Kabyamela, said formal addresses are becoming a key entry point into the formal economy for many Tanzanians.
“Businesses with verifiable locations can register more easily, build credibility and access banking services, loans and insurance,” he said.
“Financial institutions also rely on accurate address data for customer verification, making the system an important, though often overlooked, driver of financial inclusion,” he added. Mr Kabyamela said postal codes are proving vital for planning, helping authorities allocate resources for schools, health services and infrastructure in line with Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050.
He noted that standardised addresses are improving efficiency in logistics, allowing delivery firms to plan routes more accurately, reduce delivery times and cut costs.
“For the country’s fast-growing e-commerce sector, reliable addressing enables direct home deliveries, removing one of the biggest barriers to online shopping,” he said.
According to Mr Kabyamela, the system is transforming how goods move, how businesses operate, and how citizens access services.
“A reliable addressing system supported by postal codes is now treated as essential national infrastructure, similar to roads, power and telecommunications,” he said.
He noted that TPC is integrating the reforms into digital platforms such as the Posta Kiganjani app and the Kipepeo Shop e-commerce platform, both of which depend on verified addresses and postal codes.
Beyond parcel deliveries, accurate addressing strengthens emergency response, enhances security planning, and improves social service delivery, positioning the system as a backbone of modern public services and inclusive economic growth.
The initiative also aligns with global postal reforms led by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
At the 28th UPU Congress in Dubai in September 2025, member states adopted the 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, focusing on service quality, new technologies and greater customer responsiveness across global postal networks.
For Tanzania, these commitments are already being implemented.
Meanwhile, East African Communications Organization (EACO) executive director, Caroline Koech, said Tanzania’s progress provides valuable lessons for the region.
“Through strong government commitment and collaboration with development partners, the National Physical Addressing initiative has achieved more than 95 per cent nationwide coverage,” she said.
Ms Koech noted that millions of addresses have been integrated into a unified system covering urban and rural areas, showing that complex public digital infrastructure reforms can succeed at scale.
“Across the region, we share a simple reality: you cannot deliver services to people you cannot locate,” she said.
“A reliable physical addressing system is no longer a technical convenience; it is essential national infrastructure.”
However, she cautioned that postal and addressing reforms must extend beyond national borders.
“Our economies and digital services increasingly operate across borders, yet systems remain fragmented,” she said.
“Without interoperability and shared standards, the full value of these investments cannot be realised. Regional coordination is therefore critical.”
