Public Holidays in Tanzania for 2019
Tanzania has impressive national parks and beautiful game reserves. One of the most popular is the Serengeti National Park, where you can watch wildlife roaming across the open plains. A lot of tourists come to visit Africa for this.
Tanzania is also mountainous, and it is where you will find Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is the tallest in Africa. You will surely have an unforgettable experience here. This country has a multi-cultural heritage, and it is peaceful and majestic.
It is also worth mentioning that the nation is now more open to foreign investors, which means you have another why setting up a business in Tanzania is possible.
You must know about the public holidays and other requirements you need for your employees to be happy and enjoy working for you.
Find out more now.
What Employers Must Know About Public Holidays
In Tanzania, an employee may take a maximum of 28 calendar days annual paid leave after they have worked for 12 months with the same company. An employee who has only worked for six months does not have leave entitlement unless it is a seasonal basis or has reported for work more than once. The total days the employee has worked must be equal to six months. An employer can determine the annual leave timing as long as it did not exceed six months after the 12 months when the entitlement was accrued. The employer must pay an employee the proper annual leave remuneration before the leave starts.
Workers may take an uninterrupted 24 hours of rest every week between the last day they worked in a week and the first ordinary workday of the following week. It must also be stipulated in the employment contract before they start working.
Dates of the Tanzania Public Holiday 2019
| Date | Day/s | Holiday | Type |
| 1 January | Tuesday | New Year’s Day | Public |
| 12 January | Saturday | Zanzibar Revolution Day | Public |
| 21 March | Thursday | March Equinox | Season |
| 7 April | Sunday | Karume Day | Public |
| 19 April | Friday | Good Friday | Public |
| 21 April | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Observance |
| 22 April | Monday | Easter Monday | Public |
| 26 April | Friday | Union Day | Public |
| 1 May | Wednesday | Worker’s Day | Public |
| 12 May | Sunday | Mothers’ Day | Observance |
| 5 June | Wednesday | Eid el Fitri | Public |
| 21 June | Friday | June Solstice | Season |
| 7 July | Sunday | Saba Saba | Public |
| 8 August | Thursday | Farmers’ Day | Public |
| 12 August | Monday | Eid al-Adha | Public |
| 23 September | Monday | September Equinox | Season |
| 14 October | Monday | Mwalimu Nyerere Day | Public |
| 10 November | Sunday | Maulid | Public |
| 9 December | Monday | Independence Day | Public |
| 22 December | Sunday | December Solstice | Season |
| 24 December | Tuesday | Christmas Eve | Observance |
| 25 December | Wednesday | Christmas Day | Public |
| 26 December | Thursday | Boxing Day | Public |
Employee Benefits During Public Holidays
All employees must receive statutory benefits because you will be found non-compliant if you do not abide by it. The employee is entitled to receive a full salary while on annual leave. The law requires that employees receive their remuneration before their leaves. In addition to that, the employer must pay to leave travel assistance, which can be paid once every two years. The Leave Travel Assistance is to mainly assist an employee in addressing transport costs when they take a leave. The law does not say how much must be paid. The employee and employer must negotiate the amount and write it in the Collective Bargaining Agreement or employment contract.
The law does not allow an employer to substitute the leave with monetary compensation whether the employee agrees or not. A paid leave is for providing the employee time to relax so they can relax and feel refreshed when they come back to work.
The annual is only payable if an employee resigns or gets terminated and already entitled to those leaves.
Doing Business in Tanzania
The economy of Tanzania is reliant on agriculture, and about 80% of the working employees and cash crops are the biggest earners from export. It amounts to about half of Tanzania’s GDP. Tanzania produces minerals, which has experienced significant improvement, and mining is the biggest economic growth source of Tanzania.
If you want to set up a business in Tanzania, the primary industries are mining, agriculture, renewable energy, financial services, and infrastructure. These are very lucrative businesses that you can explore in Tanzania.
Now that you have more reasons why you must set up a business in Tanzania, you should get started and consult with us when you need help.
