Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology 2023, 42(2): 170-183 OPEN ACCESS articles distributed under Creative Commons Attribution Licence [CC BY-ND] Websites: https://ajol.org/tjet; https://tjet.udsm.ac.tz Copyright © 2023 College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam ISSN 1821-536X (print); ISSN 2619-8789 (electronic) https://doi.org/10.52339/tjet.v42i2.838 170 Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (Tanz. J. Engrg. Technol.), Vol. 42 (No. 2), Apr. 2023 Review Manuscripts Smart Grid in Tanzania: Research Opportunities ⸷ Abdi T. Abdalla and Kwame Ibwe Department of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ⸷ Corresponding author: abdit@udsm.ac.tz, abdit@hotmail..com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6333-410X ABSTRACT During the past five years, the Government of Tanzania has reinvigorated its power generation capacity significantly to ensure smooth execution of its industrialization agenda and cope with the fourth industrial revolution. To ensure reliable availability of power to sustain its growing economy, Tanzania embarked on a deliberated measure to forge an energy mix. This deliberate measure encompasses the use of renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, wastes, and micro hydro; natural gas; and other energy sources which are locally available including coal and geothermal. To effectively and efficiently manage such a growing power system and make electricity accessible to all for higher levels of industrial investment and services, the adoption of the smart grid technologies becomes inevitable. This article, tried to unveil possible potential research areas in which scholars, through academia-industry collaborations, can dwell to ensure that the Tanzania smart grid concept is seamlessly realized and maintained, with the expected efficacy. Through literature review, nine research areas have been identified as potential areas relevant to the Tanzania smart grid development. ARTICLE INFO First submitted: Nov. 29, 2022 Revised: Feb. 2, 2023 Accepted: Apr. 19, 2023 Published: June 2023 Keywords: research areas, smart grid, and smart meter. INTRODUCTION The invention of electricity and development of the electrical power grid could be demonstrated as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. However, the power industry is currently facing new challenges of sustainability, energy security and reliability (Fang et al. 2012). Over the past decade, technological developments around the globe have affected the way electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed. Developed economies have managed to install intelligent management systems onto their grids with continuous improvements, while developing countries are still at the infancy stages in automating their grids. It has been observed that in the traditional grid there are relatively few power generation or injection points and millions of points of power consumption (Jakaria et al. 2021). The rapid development of distributed and renewable generation, has made the current grid to consist of numerous points of power injection as well as millions of points of consumption (Bazila et al. 2022). To manage the electric power grid of such an increasing number of alternating electricity sources, vast transmission and distribution networks, a smarter automation system is