By Costantine Muganyizi
The Tanzania Private Sector Federation (TPSF) has retained Angelina Ngalula (pictured above) as its President for another three-year term and confirmed Deogratius Massawe (pictured below) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while introducing a strengthened leadership structure aimed at broadening representation and improving the organisation’s capacity to serve its members.
The decisions were announced following the Federation’s 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on October 16, 2026. The new leadership structure comprises Ms Ngalula as President, supported by two Vice Presidents representing Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar: Jitu Vrajlal Soni and Ali Suleiman Amour, respectively.
Mr Soni is also Chairman of the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), while Mr Amour is President of the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce.
In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Mr Massawe said the arrangement was designed to strengthen representation across the Union and enable the Foundation to engage more effectively with different sectors and business communities.
The President and the two Vice Presidents will jointly oversee the Secretariat’s operations and governance matters, while the CEO will be directly accountable to the Board.
The arrangement also addresses a longstanding practical challenge: maintaining effective representation when a senior leader is outside the country attending to business engagements. With three leaders bringing different sectoral experience and networks, TPSF expects to strengthen its capacity to participate in engagements, coordinate members’ interests and sustain its representation.
The change from a two-year to a three-year leadership tenure is equally significant. It provides more time to implement strategic priorities, pursue policy reforms and assess results, while offering greater continuity in the Foundation’s leadership.
The changes come as Tanzania begins implementing Development Vision (Dira) 2050, which places the private sector at the centre of economic transformation and anticipates that it will provide about 70 percent of the financing required to achieve the vision’s ambitions.
Mr Massawe said the new leadership would prioritise strengthening the Federation’s relationship with members, widening participation and improving engagement with Government.
“Our first priority is to bring TPSF back to its members and strengthen private-sector ownership of the institution,” he said.
He said the Federation also wanted to attract greater participation from young entrepreneurs and small businesses, moving away from the perception that it primarily represents large and wealthy enterprises.
“We do not want the institution to continue being perceived as one exclusively for wealthy individuals or large businesses,” he said.
The third priority is to strengthen Government-private sector dialogue, with an emphasis on evidence-based engagement and consensus-building to address business constraints before they escalate into disputes, business closures or industrial action.
Mr Massawe said effective representation depended on businesses participating through their respective sector associations and providing evidence to support policy proposals. He cited TPSF’s engagement over a proposed port charge, which he said was reduced from nine per cent to 1.5 per cent for manufacturing following discussions.
During the 2025/26 financial year, the Foundation submitted 102 proposals to Government. Of these, 35 were accepted, 31 deferred for further consultation and 36 not adopted, according to Mr Massawe.
TPSF is also considering expanding its annual Private Sector Day into a week-long platform for Government and businesses to assess investment, employment creation, policy implementation and progress towards Dira 2050.
Ms Ngalula’s re-election provides continuity at the top of the organisation. The owner of Bravo Group and Agricom previously served as TPSF Vice Chairperson from August 2018. She became Acting Chairperson in 2020 following the death of Salum Shamte and was elected President in December of that year. She also chaired the East African Business Council from June 2022 to December 2024.
Mr Massawe, a Certified Public Accountant, previously served as TPSF Director of Finance and Operations and had been Acting CEO since October 2025 before his confirmation. Incorporated on November 4, 1998, TPSF is an umbrella organisation bringing together business associations and private-sector institutions. It also serves as the focal point for the East African Business Council in Tanzania.
