Dodoma

History

Originally a small market town called Idodomya, modern Dodoma was founded in 1907 by German colonists during construction of the Tanzanian central railway. Its layout followed typical colonial planning, with a European quarter segregated from a native village. In 1974, after a nationwide party referendum, the Tanzanian government announced the capital would move from Dar es Salaam to a more central location, with the cost estimated at £186 million and a 10-year timeline.

The Dodoma region had been considered as a potential capital as early as 1915 by Germany, in 1932 by the British, and again in 1961 and 1966 by the post-independence National Assembly. The site offered an agreeable climate, room for development, and a central location seen as appropriate for a ujamaa capital that could maintain a close relationship to the land. A new capital was viewed as more economically viable than restructuring Dar es Salaam and as a way to divert development from a single coastal city.

Objectives included that the city become a symbol of Tanzania's social and cultural values, that the capital function be supplemented by industrial-commercial development, and that mistakes of colonial planning be avoided.

Demographics

Of Dodoma city's total population, 48.5 percent are male and 51.5 percent are female. The average household size is 4.4 people. Indigenous ethnic groups include the Gogo, Rangi, and Sandawe, though the city is populated by various groups due to its role as a government administrative centre.

Education

Dodoma hosts several universities, including the Open University of Tanzania, St Johns University of Tanzania, and the University of Dodoma, which has about 35,000 students; both of the latter opened in 2007. The Anglican Church runs the only international school in Dodoma, Canon Andrea Mwaka School, established in 1950, which provides education based on the English National curriculum to about 280 students from Nursery to Form 4.

Transport

Dodoma Airport, north of the city centre, is managed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority and serves flights operated by Precision Air, Air Tanzania, Auric Air, and Flightlink. Construction of the new Msalato International Airport, about 14 km north of the city centre, was underway as of 2026, with infrastructure works reported at about 85% completion and building works over 70% complete, supported by a US$272 million financing package. The city is served by Dodoma Railway Station on the Central Railway Line, which connects to Dar es Salaam 465 km to the east.

In 2019, Tanzania Railways commissioned a study into a Dodoma commuter rail network. Dodoma is also connected to Dar es Salaam by Tanzania's electrified Standard Gauge Railway, with commercial passenger services commencing on 1 August 2024. This SGR line is part of a wider network intended to connect Dar es Salaam with Mwanza, Kigoma, and neighboring countries. A daladala station serves Dodoma on B129 southwest of the city.

The Cairo-Cape Town Highway passes through Dodoma, and a major highway connects the city with Dar es Salaam via Morogoro to the east, with roads to Mwanza and Kigoma via Singida and Tabora to the west, and the Great North Road linking the city with Babati and Arusha to the north and Iringa, Njombe, Songea, Mbeya and Vwawa to the south.

Did You Know?

• Dodoma features a semi-arid climate with average lows dipping to 13 °C in July.
• The Parliament of Tanzania is located in Dodoma, and the office of the President and government ministers completed the move to the Mtumba area in October 2019.
• The city is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by football club Dodoma Jiji FC, formerly called Polisi Dodoma.