Tanzania seeks international partners for solar expansion at ISA Assembly in New Delhi

Tanzania has set out the areas where it wants international support for solar power, using the Ninth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in New Delhi, India, to present its plans to expand electricity generation. Tanzania's representative to the ISA, Mr Emilian Nyanda, addressed the gathering on 3 November 2026.

The assembly brings together more than 125 member countries and development partners. According to Mr Nyanda, the government has made renewable energy, and solar power in particular, a priority. It wants more reliable electricity, stronger economic activity and a response to the effects of climate change.

Ambitious generation targets

Mr Nyanda linked the country's solar plans to the National Development Vision 2050, Tanzania's long-term development blueprint. Under the vision, he said, the country aims to raise its electricity generation capacity from 4.6 gigawatts at present to 8 gigawatts by 2030 and to 70 gigawatts by 2050. One gigawatt equals 1,000 megawatts.

He said solar energy is expected to be one of the main sources that will help the country reach these targets.

Projects under way

Mr Nyanda pointed to the Kishapu Solar Power Project in Shinyanga Region as an example of progress. The project is designed to produce 150 megawatts in total. Its first phase, with a capacity of 50 megawatts, has been completed, while work continues on a second phase of 100 megawatts.

According to Mr Nyanda, 100 megawatts of solar-generated electricity is currently being fed into the national grid. The government aims to add a further 1,000 megawatts of solar power by 2035, drawing on investment from both the public and private sectors.

Preparing the ground for investors

Mr Nyanda told the assembly that the Ministry of Energy and the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) are working together to identify and designate special areas for solar investment. The work also includes feasibility studies, which test whether a project is technically and financially workable, and environmental impact assessments, which examine a project's possible effects on the environment.

He said these steps are intended to lower the initial costs of investing and to draw more investors into the country's solar sector.

Why it matters for Tanzania

The targets outlined in New Delhi point to a major expansion of the national power system, from 4.6 gigawatts today to 70 gigawatts by 2050. How quickly solar projects such as Kishapu move from planning to the grid will help determine whether households, farms and businesses gain the reliable electricity the government says it is seeking.

Solar power also forms part of the country's response to climate change, which the government cited as one reason for its focus on renewable energy. For a country regularly exposed to droughts and floods, cleaner and more diverse power sources carry particular weight. By presenting its needs at the ISA, Tanzania is seeking partners to help turn these plans into working power plants, linking national energy goals with international cooperation.

Source: Daily News