Mbeya Region Website

Mbeya is a hub that creates a quick connection to East, Central and Southern African countries by road, railway, water and air. The road network include tarmac road joining Dar es Salaam to Mbeya on the way to Malawi and Zambia which also connect five administrative districts with Mbeya City. The remaining road network within the region is passable throughout the year. Statistics shows that more than 20 big buses conduct their services throughout the region as well as outside the region and transportation of goods is done by several trucking companies including Malawi Cargo. 

The reliable railway network and rail transport services under Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) joining Mbeya Region to Dar es Salaam and Zambia is another means of transport for passengers and goods  but also the lake transport system and services which cater for the Mtwara Development Corridor (MtDC) and Malawi.

A small but reliable airport for non-scheduled air transport services for both National and International is operating, but with future expectation of Songwe International Airport which is under construction to cater for large planes for both passengers and cargo to the rest of the world. It is expected that upon commissioning, this airport will open up Mbeya region to more tourists and harness the existing horticulture and floriculture business potentials in the Southern Highlands Zone.

 

a) Telecommunication and Media Coverage 

Telecommunication is one of the fastest growing industry in Tanzania. Initially Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) was the only company offering telecommunication facilities within and outside the country but the introduction of cellular telephony has created a big competition followed by innovative services. 

Mbeya region enjoys a wide coverage of cellular telephone services up to most remote areas. These include TIGO, VODACOM, ZAIN and ZANTEL. New mobile users are attracted to subscribe to available companies in the region to facilitate their business communications and this has reduced the number of movement of people with goods.  

Mbeya region also enjoys media diversity including print media in Kiswahili and English such as Tanzania Standard Newspaper – Daily News, Habari Leo, Sunday News; IPP Media - The Guardian, Nipashe;  just to mention a few); Radio (both local, national and international coverage – Mbeya Fm, Radio Free Africa (RFA), Radio One, Clouds FM, Radio Maria, Generation FM, Bomba FM, TBC Taifa, TBC FM, BBC); and television stations (Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), Star TV, ITV). The media is able to cover most districts and offers up-to-date information about Mbeya Region. 

b) Financial Institutions 

Mbeya has a Bank of Tanzania (BoT) branch, which has effectively contributed to the overall development of the region as well as other parts of the Southern Highlands Zone through provision of different monetary, economic and financial services to stakeholders in the area.

The Bank of Tanzania ensures the existence of a financial system that provides smooth, efficient and effective financial services to the economy. The Bank guarantees Small and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) performance through Export Credit Guarantee Scheme (ECGS).

Besides, Mbeya Region has reputable commercial banks and financial institutions which assure the availability of financial resources. The commercial banks include CRDB, NBC bank, NMB, Barclays Bank, Stanbic Bank, Exim bank and Postal Bank. These banks are operating internationally with much reputation and experience to handle all financial operations worldwide. 

Mbeya Region is among the Zonal exhibition centre for agricultural fairs in the country. It has a big exhibition ground which is used once per year in August. This situation shows that the areas can be used even more than once. The Region also offers conference services for small audience. The Southern highlands zone lacks an international conference centre for large audience. This can be another area for investment. In this case, the International conference centre could be used for local, Regional (SADC) and International meeting.