Dar es Salaam, Oct. 4 -- TANZANIA: THE Bank of Tanzania (BoT) maintained its key lending rate at 6 per cent for the quarter ending December citing easing inflationary pressures and a positive economic outlook.

The Central bank governor, Emmanuel Tutuba, said in a statement that improving domestic and global conditions supported the decision to hold the rate steady by the monetary policy committee which met on Wednesday.

In the two quarters to September, the central bank held the benchmark rate at 6 per cent from 5.5 per cent that was announced in January when the bank introduced the rate.

The central bank targets to maintain inflation below 5 per cent, but consumer inflation has stayed comfortably below that figure, despite growing pre...