Tanzania: Fuel Price Caps Rise For November As Shipping Costs Climb

Tanzania’s Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) has raised retail fuel price caps for November, citing higher shipping and insurance costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

Global prices for refined petroleum products fell slightly in October from September, but the conflict in the Middle East, where Tanzania sources much of its fuel, pushed up freight and insurance costs, EWURA said in a statement.

In Dar es Salaam, EWURA set the retail price caps at 4,083 Tanzanian shillings per litre for petrol, 4,128 shillings for diesel and 4,117 shillings for kerosene.

In Tanga, the caps were set at 4,149 shillings per litre for petrol, 4,194 shillings for diesel and 4,183 shillings for kerosene. In Mtwara, petrol was capped at 3,930 shillings per litre and diesel at 3,972 shillings.

EWURA said fuel retailers could set prices within the applicable caps and floors for each location. It warned that retailers who breached the limits would face legal action.

The regulator said it calculated the limits under its 2022 petroleum pricing rules, as amended in October 2023, and the 2024 amendments to the Bulk Petroleum Procurement Rules.

EWURA said fuel stations must display prices, discounts and promotions on clearly visible signs.

It encouraged motorists to buy from stations offering lower prices where they had a choice and warned that stations that failed to display prices clearly would face penalties.