TANESCO Overhauls Customer Experience with Digital Innovations and Faster Power Connections
The Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) has launched a sweeping modernisation drive to speed up grid connections, expand digital access, and advance green energy initiatives nationwide.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam during the launch of several new customer-focused products organised for Customer Service Week, themed “Going the Extra Mile”, TANESCO Managing Director Lazaro Twange outlined the utility’s operational turnarounds and long-term service commitments.
Dramatically Reduced Connection Wait Times
A key highlight of TANESCO’s operational reform is the significant reduction in the time required to connect new customers to the national grid.
- Previous Standard: Customers routinely waited 30 to 90 days for electricity connection, depending on their distance from main distribution lines.
- New Standard: Wait times have been slashed to 12 days in select areas, while longer-distance connections now take between 40 and 60 days.
Five New Digital & Service Solutions Launched
To support faster resolution of issues and provide consumers with greater transparency, TANESCO officially unveiled five digital platforms and specialised customer care services:
Grid Expansion, Clean Cooking, and Electric Mobility
Alongside digital tools, TANESCO highlighted major infrastructure and green-transition achievements over the past year:
- Renewable Energy Integration: A new solar power generation facility has been successfully brought online and is now feeding power into the national grid.
- Transmission Lines: Construction of the high-voltage electricity transmission line linking Chalinze to Dodoma is complete.
- Clean Cooking Initiative: In line with national environmental goals, TANESCO is rolling out a scheme to distribute 1,000,000 electric cooking appliances. Customers can acquire these devices through flexible micro-loans and repay the cost gradually.
- EV Infrastructure: Supporting electric vehicles (EVs) by installing charging infrastructure, with the first operational charging station already built in Dodoma.
Government Directive and Institutional Shift
During the event, Energy Minister Dr. Juma Homera praised the utility’s shift to a customer-first mindset, emphasising that a modern power grid requires transparent, timely service delivery.
Dr. Homera urged TANESCO leadership to launch widespread public education campaigns to help citizens navigate the new digital portals. He also directed TANESCO to maintain the operational reliability and uptime of these software systems well beyond the launch event.