Tanzania to offer $3 billion opportunities in international investment forum

The forum is an initiative of the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA) and the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority.

A total of 60 projects under the Tanzania Investment Growth Facility (TIGF) will be presented to investors from 30 countries, with about 70 investors already confirmed to participate.

The investments cover key sectors, including tourism infrastructure, renewable energy, transport and logistics, the blue economy, Zanzibar development initiatives, agro-processing, water infrastructure and sub-national development projects.

Speaking during a press briefing, ESRF Executive Director, Prof Fortunata Songora Makene, said Tanzania is ready to convert the opportunities into bankable investments.

“We anticipate strong interest in an initial wave of eight to 10 high-priority projects, collectively valued at $100 million, which are expected to form the first round of transactions,” she said.

Prof Makene said the country has already prepared a screened pipeline of projects, backed by government commitment, institutional support and a structured deal-room framework to facilitate transactions. “Tanzania is ready with a screened pipeline, committed government partners, institutional endorsement and the deal-room infrastructure required to facilitate real transactions,” she said.

She added that the Tanzania Investment Summit 2026 will serve as a key platform for connecting international investors with structured, ready-to-invest public sector projects. “We will track every expression of interest and support every transaction through to financial close,” she said.

UNDP Resident Representative, Shigeki Komatsubara, reaffirmed the organisation’s support for investment-led development in Tanzania, noting that blended finance and risk-sharing instruments will be central to future growth.

“Private capital structured through blended finance, guarantees and risk-sharing instruments is the architecture for Tanzania’s next chapter of growth. We are here as a convener through TIGF, and we have helped build a platform that meets the standards of global institutional investors,” he said.

He said Tanzania is increasingly shifting away from reliance on official development assistance (ODA) towards stronger domestic resource mobilisation to finance infrastructure and economic transformation.

“This is no longer a conversation about poverty alone. It is about investing in the future of a strong and fast-moving Tanzania,” he said.

Mr Komatsubara said the aim is to ensure that investment projects not only generate returns for investors but also deliver inclusive social benefits, including job creation and support for women and young people.

He added that the summit will bring together government leaders, development finance institutions (DFIs), multilateral development banks (MDBs), pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, commercial banks, impact investors and private sector developers.