Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has directed her Cabinet to find “an immediate solution” to rising fuel prices.
The President had called an emergency meeting on Sunday night over the record high prices announced last week by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura).
The new prices, which came to effect on Wednesday, May 4, represented an increase of 9.5 percent for petrol and 17.1 percent for diesel following hikes of 12 and 21 percent, respectively in April.
Ewura attributed the price changes to rising prices in the global markets which affected about 93 percent of the retail prices and “about 4 percent to premiums”.
The Cabinet night meeting in the commercial hub Dar es Salaam was attended by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, the ministers of energy and finance, and the Tanzania Revenue Authority commissioner-general, among others.
Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, Mhe. Samia Suluhu Hassan, ameitisha Kikao cha dharura usiku wa leo tarehe 08 Mei Ikulu ya Dar es Salaam kujadili tatizo la kupanda kwa bei ya mafuta nchini. @venusnyotapic.twitter.com/53mbaVa7Cp
Last week, the PM held a similar meeting with energy and finance ministers and top officials from Ewura, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency.
Rising fuel prices hurt households as the cost of basic goods and services increases.