Data Centers in Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam – East Africa's Primary Subsea Gateway

Executive Summary

Dar es Salaam is the premier landing point for digital infrastructure targeting the East African economic corridor. Its strategic subsea cable access makes it a vital hub for performance-sensitive operations requiring regional reach. High-stakes workloads benefit from its position as the primary gateway for the domestic market and landlocked neighbors.

Dar es Salaam: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: Carrier count: over 10 as of September 2025. The market is increasingly carrier-neutral, with roughly 10–15 regional and international providers offering diverse routing. This environment supports competitive pricing for enterprises requiring resilient transit and transport options.

Direct Cloud On-Ramps: Over 0, enabling access to 0 cloud regions as of September 2025. There are currently no direct public cloud on-ramps in the city. Traffic typically routes to Johannesburg via subsea systems. Private extension options via PNI or wave services are the standard for high-performance requirements.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): The Tanzania Internet eXchange (TIX), operated by TISPA, is the primary hub for localizing traffic and reducing latency for domestic users. It is essential for efficient peering between local ISPs and content providers.

Bare Metal: General availability of high-performance compute is growing as of September 2025. Options are available from providers like Zenlayer and Hivelocity to support localized workloads.

Power Analysis

Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity is approximately $0.09/kWh as of September 2025. This rate is competitive for the region, allowing for predictable operational expenses. The generation mix consists of roughly 60% fossil fuels and 40% renewables, primarily hydroelectric and biomass.

Power Grid Reliability: The grid in major industrial corridors is generally stable and benefits from multi-substation support. Facilities in these areas use redundant feeds to maintain consistency, though on-site backup generation remains a standard requirement for mission-critical uptime.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers are strategically positioned near the Central Business District and the Nyerere Road industrial area. This placement ensures low-latency access for the financial services, logistics, and trade sectors that drive the local economy.

Regional Market Reach: Dar es Salaam acts as the digital transit point for over 60 million Tanzanians. It also serves as a vital connectivity link for landlocked countries including Rwanda, Burundi, and Zambia, providing a broad geographical reach.

Tax Advantage For Data Centers: While specific data center tax breaks are limited, the general corporate framework allows for standard depreciation on hardware assets. The primary financial advantage remains the city’s status as a regional traffic hub, which reduces long-haul transport costs for local content delivery.

Natural Disaster Risk

Dar es Salaam carries an overall risk score of 4.9, placing it in the Moderate category as of September 2025. Infrastructure is built to manage specific environmental factors common to the coastal East African geography. The primary natural hazards include:

• Drought: 5.0 (High)
• Earthquake: 4.4 (Moderate)
• River Flood: 4.2 (Moderate)
• Coastal Flood: 3.2 (Moderate – Regional)
• Tsunami: 3.1 (Moderate – Regional)

Other hazards, such as tropical cyclones, are considered minor for this specific geography as of September 2025. Facilities here typically emphasize elevated foundations and seismic reinforcement to manage these local conditions.