🇹🇿Tanzania
Gold, natural gas, graphite, nickel, vast farmland, Zanzibar and the Serengeti. Tanzania combines a large domestic market with a strategic port serving Central Africa, operated by a Dubai partner.
Economic overview
Tanzania is East Africa's largest country and one of the most politically stable since independence. With 65 million people and steady growth of around 5 to 6%, it joined the group of middle-income countries in 2020. Its economy rests on agriculture, which employs two-thirds of the population, mining, tourism and, increasingly, port logistics.
The country is Africa's fourth-largest gold producer, with major industrial mines and a large artisanal sector the government is formalising. It holds immense offshore natural gas reserves, graphite, nickel, rare earths and helium. The port of Dar es Salaam, whose operation was awarded in 2023 to a Dubai operator, serves Zambia, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Malawi.
Semi-autonomous Zanzibar is a global tourist destination with its own investment regime, very open to Gulf capital. Ties between Tanzania and the UAE are historic, carried by a large business community and direct flights to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Why invest in Tanzania
A gold power
Africa's fourth-largest gold producer, with industrial mines, formalisation of artisanal mining and local refining projects: Tanzanian gold already feeds Dubai.
Gas and critical minerals
Among Africa's largest gas reserves, an LNG project, graphite, nickel, rare earths, helium: the materials of the energy transition.
The port of Dar es Salaam
Operated by a Dubai partner, modernised and expanded, it serves six landlocked countries and the copper mines of Zambia and DRC.
Global tourism
Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro: destinations attracting millions of visitors and international hotel investors.
Strategic sectors
Gold, graphite, nickel, rare earths
Mining, local refining, licensed gold trading, graphite and nickel projects in development.
Gas, hydro, solar
Gas-to-power, LNG, the Julius Nyerere dam, solar in the central regions.
Cashew, coffee, grains, avocado
Cashew processing, coffee, rice, maize, export horticulture to the Gulf.
Dar es Salaam, corridors
Port, standard gauge railway to Rwanda and Burundi, warehouses and logistics zones.
Zanzibar, safaris
Resorts, lodges, residences and business hotels.
Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar
Housing, offices and tourism property.
Opportunities for UAE investors
A Dubai operator runs the port of Dar es Salaam: Tanzania–UAE ties are strong.
- Gold to Dubai
Licensed refining and trading with buyers approved by the mining ministry and full traceability.
- Tourism in Zanzibar
Resorts and residences under the Zanzibar investment regime, with foreign ownership and residency for investors.
- Port logistics
Warehouses, cold chain and services along the central corridor to Zambia and DRC.
- Agriculture
Farms and processing of cashew, grains and fruit.
- Gas and energy
Participation in gas projects and independent power production.
Risks and how we manage them
Mining and petroleum laws require local participation. We structure with Tanzanian partners from the outset.
Procedures can be slow. Our relationship with the investment centre and ministries speeds up files.
The shilling depreciates regularly. We structure in dollars and hedge flows.
Land belongs to the state; foreigners obtain occupancy rights through the investment centre. We secure every title.
Legal framework and ties with the UAE
Investing in Tanzania
- Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC): one-stop shop and certificate of incentives.
- Special economic zones and export processing zones.
- Mining Act with local content requirements and trading licences.
- Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) with its own regime.
- Bilateral agreements and tax treaty with the UAE.
The Dubai connection
- Direct Dar es Salaam–Dubai and Zanzibar–Dubai flights.
- Dubai operator at the port of Dar es Salaam.
- A large Tanzanian community in the UAE.
- Dubai as the leading destination for Tanzanian gold.
Dubai as your operating base
For a UAE investor, Tanzania is best worked from Dubai. The city offers the tools that are often missing on the ground: a Free Zone holding company to carry the stake, banks used to African flows, a recognised international arbitration framework, tax treaties and investment protection agreements, and regular flights to the continent. For an entrepreneur or institution from Tanzania, Dubai is symmetrically the gateway to Gulf capital, commodity buyers and Asian industrial partners. ABC Consultancy sits in the middle of that bridge: we know both shores and we speak to both.
How ABC Consultancy supports you
A confidential 45-minute call to understand your objectives, ticket size, horizon and risk appetite. We tell you whether the project makes sense before going any further.
A written note that sets the perimeter: sector, deal format, partners to target, timeline, study budget and deliverables. It serves as the engagement contract.
Identification of partners, assets and institutional counterparts on the ground. Every counterparty is checked: titles, management, track record, reputation, ongoing disputes.
Meetings with authorities, partners and sites. We prepare, accompany and translate every exchange, then produce a decision-ready report.
Legal and financial set-up between Dubai and the country with our partner lawyers and auditors: holding, joint venture, shareholder agreement, commercial contracts, full due diligence.
Governance, reporting, relations with the authorities, renewal of approvals. We remain your trusted contact for as long as the transaction lives.
Who we work with
UAE funds and family offices
You want exposure to Tanzania with a reliable local partner and a Dubai holding structure. We source, vet and structure.
Industrial groups and traders
You need to secure a supply chain, a plant or a commercial outlet in Tanzania. We organise the mission, the approvals and the contracts.
Local institutions and companies
You represent a ministry, an agency or a company from Tanzania and are looking for capital and partners in the Gulf. We prepare your file and open the doors.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner own a villa in Zanzibar?
Yes, within projects approved by the Zanzibar investment authority, with a title and residency for the investor. It is a fast-growing market.
Dar es Salaam or Dodoma?
Dar es Salaam concentrates the port, business and real estate; Dodoma is the administrative capital where government and parliament sit.
What is the minimum ticket to invest in Tanzania with ABC Consultancy?
There is no fixed threshold: it depends on the sector and the format. An equity stake in a mining project runs into millions of dollars, whereas a trading or real estate operation can start much lower. In the first conversation we tell you honestly whether your budget allows a serious transaction.
How long does a transaction take?
Expect three to six months between the scoping note and signature for a trading or real estate operation, and nine to eighteen months for a energy project requiring approvals, in-depth due diligence and structured financing.
How is ABC Consultancy paid?
Through engagement fees set in the scoping note, possibly completed by a success fee at signing. We never take hidden remuneration from a counterparty: our only loyalty is to you.
Do I need a Dubai company to invest in Tanzania?
It is not mandatory, but it is often the best solution: a Free Zone holding carries the stake, benefits from tax treaties and protection agreements, and repatriates dividends within a clear framework. We set it up with you.
A project in Tanzania ?
Describe it in a few lines. We get back to you within 48 hours for a first confidential conversation.
Or directly: WhatsApp +971 545 995 343 · contact@africabusiness.club