2026-09-03 –, Conference Management Room3
Under the BIG-Z project, Zanzibar has geospatially enabled its Municipals Revenue (MUTM) software. This talk demonstrates using a 100% open-source geospatial stack including QGIS, PostGIS, and GeoServer to solve municipal finance challenges by integrating the Municipal Revenue Management (MUTM) database with payment gateway for real-time compliance visualization
In Zanzibar, maximizing Own Source Revenue (OSR) for Local Government Authorities (LGAs) is critical for sustainable urban management. The BIG-Z (Boosting Inclusive Growth for Zanzibar) project initiated a comprehensive geospatial upgrade of the legacy MUTM system, connecting all 12 LGAs across Unguja and Pemba islands. By prioritizing an open-source architecture, we ensured long-term viability and avoided vendor lock-in.
This presentation details the technical architecture and practical "LGAs Use-Case," specifically how we:
• Transitioned tabular business license and property taxation data into a spatially-enabled PostgreSQL/PostGIS database.
• Utilized GeoServer and GeoNode to publish spatial data and interactive dashboards for government decision-makers.
• Equipped field inspectors with QField and Mergin Maps to capture coordinates and synchronize data with the centralized system.
• Symbolized map data dynamically based on real-time payment statuses through integration with the ZanMalipo government electronic payment gateway.
The session concludes by highlighting tangible impacts: supervisors can now monitor field inspections spatially, and revenue officers can optimize collection routes based on geographic "hot spots" of non-compliance.
Project Context & Institutional Framework
• BIG-Z Project Overview (World Bank): Official project page for "Boosting Inclusive Growth for Zanzibar," detailing the US$150 million investment in infrastructure and institutional strengthening.
o URL: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P165128
• ZanSDI Project Background: A summary of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure for integrated coastal and marine spatial planning.
o URL: https://www.syke.fi/en/projects/national-spatial-data-infrastructure-integrated-coastal-and-marine-spatial-planning-zan-sdi
Government Systems & Revenue Integration
• ZanMalipo (Zanzibar Government ePayment Gateway): The centralized system for generating payment control numbers for all government services in Zanzibar.
o URL: https://zanmalipo.go.tz
• Zanzibar Revenue Authority (ZRA): Resources regarding the mandatory registration and integration of property management systems with ZRA.
o URL: https://www.zanrevenue.org
• Zanzibar Development Vision 2050: The strategic document guiding Zanzibar's digital transformation and governance goals.
o URL: https://www.planningznz.go.tz (Zanzibar Planning Commission)
PostgreSQL / PostGIS: For robust, centralized relational database management and spatial querying.
GeoServer: For publishing spatial data and serving OGC-compliant web map services.
GeoNode: For managing metadata, creating dashboards, and publishing spatial data seamlessly on the Internet.
QGIS: Used for desktop data preparation, spatial analysis, and map rendering.
QField & Mergin Maps (Mobile GIS): For robust, offline-capable mobile data collection by field inspectors to map business licenses and property taxes.
Mohammed ZAHRAN is the Technical Team Coordinator for Finance, Innovations, and Institutions (TTC-4) in the Boosting Inclusive Growth for Zanzibar (BIG-Z) Project. He leads digital transformation in urban management and revenue institutions, and managed projects such as the Zanzibar Land Data Processing Center and Mapping Initiative, which mapped 500,000 buildings and established GIS-based property tax systems. With an MBA in IT Management from Coventry University and expertise in Civil Engineering and Computer Science, Mohammed advises on integrating GIS into national development strategies and oversees institutional strengthening efforts for ZanSDI, coordinating multiple government agencies