Tanzania President Cuts Motorcade, Orders Officials to Use Buses as Fuel Prices Rise

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — President Samia Suluhu Hassan has moved to sharply reduce the size of her presidential motorcade and ordered government officials to share bus transport, a public austerity step aimed at cutting fuel use as Tanzania feels the strain of a global energy crisis.

At a swearing-in ceremony at State House on Wednesday, Hassan said her usual convoy of more than 30 vehicles would be trimmed to four: her lead car, a police escort and a backup security unit.

“From now on, wherever I go, all officials will travel together in one bus to cut fuel consumption,” Hassan said, making clear that the directive applies even to the most senior figures in government.

The decision comes amid a steep rise in energy prices across the East African country. Tanzania’s national energy regulator says fuel costs have climbed by about 33% since March, driven largely by supply chain disruptions in the Middle East, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route used for much of the country’s fuel imports.

In Dar es Salaam, the commercial hub, the retail price of petrol rose to 3,820 shillings ($1.45) a liter in April, up from 2,864 shillings in March.

Hassan called on other public institutions to follow suit with similar belt-tightening measures, noting that some countries have already turned to remote work to ease pressure from energy shortages. She also cautioned traders against using the crisis as cover for profiteering, warning that prices should not be raised on goods already in stock.

Although the president said shipping conditions on key global routes have recently improved, she stressed that the economic outlook remains delicate and requires “proactive domestic measures” to safeguard the national budget.

AXADLETM