This initiative aims to strengthen Tanzania’s digital identity and promote safe online practices.
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) is set to launch a nationwide awareness campaign to encourage the use of the country’s code top-level domain for websites and email addresses.
This initiative aims to strengthen Tanzania’s digital identity and promote safe online practices.
According to TCRA director general Dr Jabiri Bakari, the 12-month campaign, which is scheduled to begin this year, seeks to educate, motivate, and empower Tanzanians to adopt the .tz domain.
The goal is to establish it as a credible and trusted digital identity for the country. “The objective is to increase understanding of domain names and their importance, and to promote their registration,” Dr Bakari said.
He added that users would be encouraged to choose .tz as their official online identity, while the authority would also educate the public on cybersecurity, authenticity and trust when using official domain names.
Domain names serve as unique identifiers for internet resources such as websites and email addresses, for example TCRA’s official website, www.tcra.go.tz
Dr Bakari said wider adoption of the .tz domain would strengthen Tanzania’s digital footprint, improve efficiency and facilitate local communication and data exchange.
The rapid growth of the digital economy in Tanzania, he noted, has increased the need for individuals, businesses and institutions to establish a trusted and visible online presence.
“As more services move to digital platforms—ranging from e-commerce and digital payments to government services—the importance of owning a verified and secure domain name has become more critical than ever,” he said.
Despite the growth in internet usage, adoption of .tz domain names remains relatively low. As of September 2025, there were 35,621 .tz domain names, representing a 24.5 per cent increase from 28,601 recorded in 2023.
Dr Bakari said many enterprises continue to operate solely through social media pages, free web domains or shared platforms, a practice that limits credibility, weakens online security and undermines the authenticity of digital identities.
“This has contributed to challenges such as impersonation, misinformation, brand misuse, cyber fraud and limited visibility of Tanzanian content online,” he said.
Encouraging businesses, start-ups, content creators and public institutions to adopt .tz, he added, supports national objectives on digital transformation, local content development, data localisation and cybersecurity.
The campaign will also promote professionalism, authenticity and national pride in the digital space, while supporting local content creators and ICT innovators.
Dr Bakari said TCRA provides a platform that allows innovators to test their ICT solutions without the high costs previously required.
“Owning a Tanzania domain name makes it easier for clients to access an organisation’s services, demonstrates professionalism, enhances branding, and builds trust and confidence among users,” he said.
Under the Electronic and Postal Communications (Numbering and Addressing) Regulations, organisations operating in Tanzania are required to register and use domain names under the .tz country code top-level domain.
These include companies, government and non-governmental organisations, societies, partnerships, community-based organisations, academic institutions, as well as e-health and e-agriculture service providers.
The regulations further state that .tz should be used for all official correspondence unless it is technically impossible.
