Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s export sector continued to strengthen in the year ending October 2025, powered by a sharp rise in gold earnings and sustained growth in tourism receipts, according to the Bank of Tanzania’s latest report.
The Monthly Economic Review for November shows that exports of goods and services jumped by 12.7 percent to $17.05 billion from $15.13 billion in the previous year, reflecting stronger performance across several key foreign-exchange earners.
“This increase was driven by higher exports of gold, manufactured goods, tobacco, cashew nuts and coffee,” the central bank said in the report. Gold and tourism remained the dominant drivers of the rebound, helping to narrow the current account deficit by nearly a quarter.
Gold exports recorded one of their strongest performances in recent years, soaring by 38.9 percent to $4.60 billion from $3.3 billion a year earlier, according to the report. The central bank attributed the increase mainly to higher global gold prices, which lifted the value of shipments despite stable production levels.
During the period, gold price increased from about $2,700 to around $4,100 per ounce, according to gold price monitor, goldprice.org.
Tourism receipts also strengthened, rising to $4.3 billion from $3.8 billion in the year to October 2024, according to the central bank report. The sector benefited from an 11.4 percent increase in tourist arrivals, which reached 2,324,387 visitors during the year to October 2025.
The combined gains in gold and travel receipts were central to the improvement in the current account position. The deficit narrowed to $2.22 billion in the year ending October 2025, down from $2.89 billion in the corresponding period in 2024. The central bank said the improvement also reflected increased exports of agricultural products such as tobacco, cashew nuts and cereals, alongside moderated imports following lower global oil prices.
Traditional exports rose to $1.4 billion, representing a 25.2 percent increase, driven by higher tobacco and cashew nut exports, explained by both price and volume gains.
Cereal exports, largely maize and rice, increased to $312.5 million from $221.6 million, associated with increased demand from neighbouring countries
Exports of goods rose to $10.14 billion from $8.46 billion, while service receipts continued their upward trend.
The bank further reported that foreign exchange reserves increased to $6.17 billion by the end of October 2025, equivalent to 4.7 months of projected imports — above both national and East African Community benchmarks.
On the other hand, imports of goods and services rose to $17.7 billion, from the $16.8 billion in the same period in 2024.
Industrial supplies, transport equipment, parts and accessories, as well as machinery and mechanical appliances, accounted for a substantial share of the increase in imports.
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