DSE Dividend Yields vs the Government Bond

A dividend yield is the annual dividend a company pays divided by its share price. If a share trades at TZS 1,000 and pays a TZS 80 dividend, the yield is 8%. It tells you the cash income a share throws off at today's price; before any capital gain or loss.

The risk-free rate is what you earn lending to the government, because the government is assumed not to default in its own currency. In Tanzania that's the yield on Treasury bills and bonds set at Bank of Tanzania auctions.

As a recent reference, the central bank rate sat at ⚠5.75%, short T-bill yields had compressed to roughly ⚠5.7%, and longer bonds (15-year) cleared near ⚠10.8%N/Afigures to reconcile against the latest BoT auction results and our Government Securities page before relying on them.

Put them side by side, but adjust for what each one is:

• A bond yield is contractual and (in local-currency terms) close to certain.
• A dividend yield is not guaranteed; companies can cut dividends; but it can grow, and the share price can rise (or fall).

The gap between a share's dividend yield and the risk-free bond yield is a rough proxy for the equity risk premium; the extra return you're being offered for taking equity risk. When bond yields fall (as Tanzania's have over the past year), the relative appeal of dividend-paying shares rises, all else equal.

Tanzania's government-securities curve has been bull-flattening; yields falling across maturities. When the "safe" yield drops, income investors often look harder at dividend payers (banks, the brewer, telco) for yield. That's the dynamic worth watching; and exactly why the comparison, not either number alone, is the useful lens.

It's not a recommendation to buy any share or bond. Dividends can be cut, share prices move, and a higher yield sometimes signals higher risk, not a better deal. Use the framework to ask better questions, then do your own due diligence or speak to a licensed professional.