List of Famous people born in Tanzania

Abdulrazak Gurnah is a UK-based novelist. He was born in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and moved to the United Kingdom as a refugee in the 1960s during the Zanzibar Revolution. His novels include Paradise (1994), which was shortlisted for both the Booker and the Whitbread Prize; Desertion (2005); and By the Sea (2001), which was longlisted for the Booker and shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021 "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents".

John Pombe Magufuli is a Tanzanian politician and the fifth President of Tanzania, in office since 2015. He was the chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019–2020.

Mbwana Ally Samatta is a Tanzanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Turkish club Fenerbahçe on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa, and the Tanzania national team.

Marin Elizabeth Hinkle is an American actress. Among many television and movie roles, she is best known for playing Judy Brooks on the ABC television drama Once and Again, Judith Harper-Melnick on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, and Rose Weissman on the comedy-drama series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, on Prime Video. For her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hinkle was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2019 and 2020.

Mohammed "Mo" Gulamabbas Dewji is a Tanzanian billionaire businessman and former politician. He is owner of MeTL Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate founded by his father in the 1970s. Dewji served as Member of the Tanzanian Parliament for Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from 2005 to 2015 for his home town of Singida. As of October 2019, Dewji has an estimated net worth of US $1.9 billion, therefore positioning him as the 17th richest person in Africa and the continent's youngest billionaire. Dewji is also the first Tanzanian to cover Forbes Magazine in 2013.

Benjamin William Mkapa was a Tanzanian politician who served as the third President of Tanzania. He was in office for one decade from 1995 to 2005. He was Chairman of the Revolutionary State Political Party.

Nasibu Abdul Juma, popularly known by his stage name Diamond Platnumz, and often referred to as "Simba" or "The King of Bongo-Flava" is a Tanzanian bongo flava recording artist, actor, dancer, philanthropist and a businessman from Tandale, Dar es Salaam. He is the founder and CEO of WCB Wasafi Record Label, Zoom production, Wasafi TV, a major Tanzanian media outlet, and Wasafi Fm, one of Tanzania's most widely listed radio stations. He has had several hit songs including "Number One" featuring Nigerian artist Davido, and African Beauty featuring Omarion. His significant contribution to African music continues to be widely recognised at the public level with him being awarded numerous awards, from Channel O, MTV Awards, Soundcity, Kilimnjaro Music Awards, Headies, Afrima, Afrimma, Kora, AEA, the HiPipo Music Awards and more.

Bayume Mohamed Husen was an Afro-German soldier, actor and victim of Nazi persecution.

Ali Hassan Mwinyi is a Tanzanian politician who served as the second President of the United Republic of Tanzania from 1985 to 1995. Previous posts include Interior Minister and Vice President. He also was chairman of the ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from 1990 to 1996.

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete is a Tanzanian politician who was the fourth president of Tanzania, in office from 2005 to 2015. Prior to his election as president, he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 2005 under his predecessor, Benjamin Mkapa. He has also served as the chairperson of the African Union in 2008–2009 and the chairman of the Southern African Development Community Troika on Peace, Defence and Security in 2012–2013.

Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian professional basketball player for Hsinchu Lioneers of the P.League. He played college basketball for UConn before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Rachel Zawadi Luttrell is a Tanzanian-Canadian actress best known for her role as Teyla Emmagan, an Athosian warrior leader on Stargate Atlantis.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba is a Ugandan military officer. He is a Lieutenant General in the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) and is the commander of the Special Forces Group, which contains the unit known as Presidential Guard Brigade responsible for providing security to the President of Uganda and to Uganda's constitutional monarchs, having been appointed on 16th December 2020 by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Lt. Gen. Muhoozi served in the same position from 2008 to 2017. The Special Forces Group is also responsible for providing security at Uganda's oil installations. He is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, Commander in Chief of the UPDF and president of Uganda. Muhoozi has served as Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations since 2017.

Sir David Frank Adjaye is a Ghanaian-British architect. He is known for designing many notable buildings around the world, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management.

Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro is a Tanzanian politician and diplomat who was the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2012. She was appointed as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa on 13 July 2012.

Novatus Rugambwa is a Tanzanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and diplomat of the Holy See.

Hilde Frafjord Johnson is a Norwegian politician from the Christian Democratic Party. She is a former Minister of International Development of Norway, and member of the Norwegian Government. She most recently served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, completing her term in July 2014

Alan Graham Johnston is a British journalist working for the BBC. He has been the BBC's correspondent in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip and Italy. He is based in London.

Edward Ngoyai Lowassa is a Tanzanian politician who was Prime Minister of Tanzania from 2005 to 2008, serving under President Jakaya Kikwete. Lowassa has gone into record as the first Prime Minister to have been forced to resign by a fraud scandal in the history of Tanzania. Following his resignation President Kikwete was obliged to dissolve his cabinet as required by the Constitution and with minimum delay, constituted a new one under a new Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda.