Tanzania Pitches Ports, Agriculture and Critical Minerals to European Investors on Final Leg of EU Roadshow

The final leg of the EU-Tanzania Investment and Business Forum roadshow reached The Hague on 5 October 2026, marking the conclusion of a multi-city diplomatic and commercial outreach that previously visited Helsinki and Cesena, followed by a field visit to Belgium. Headed by the Minister of State in the President's Office for Planning and Investment, Hon. Prof. Kitila Mkumbo, and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hon. David Silinde, the Tanzanian delegation engaged approximately 90 businesses. The sessions focused heavily on unlocking European capital and operational expertise for domestic value addition across key productive sectors, positioning the East African nation as a primary hub for regional trade and resource development.

Discussions centered on expanding coffee and cashew processing facilities, alongside investments in wheat and edible oils production. Virginie de Ruyt, Head of the Eastern and Central Africa Unit at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships, highlighted that agriculture holds immense potential given Tanzania's roughly 44 million hectares of arable land. The forum also highlighted critical minerals, pointing to large proven graphite reserves and underdeveloped nickel sulphide deposits. Infrastructure projects formed a core pillar of the pitches, featuring the new Bagamoyo and Mwambani ports, Zanzibar's Mangapwani port hub, four dry ports, and two new lines of the standard gauge railway network.

The Netherlands currently stands as Tanzania's largest EU investor, providing a strong baseline for commercial expansion. European Commission figures show that EU grants to Tanzania have exceeded EUR 900 million over the 2021 to 2027 period, acting as catalytic capital to mobilize private financing through instruments such as AgriFI, ElectriFI, TCX, and RVO. Presentations by TISEZA and ZIPA underscored active government support, featuring tailored incentives and a dedicated EU desk to streamline foreign investments into public-private partnerships, logistics networks, and industrial mineral processing ventures.

Why This Matters

This sustained diplomatic and commercial engagement establishes a direct bridge between European industrial demand and East African resource mobilization. By aligning European financing instruments with domestic infrastructure expansion, the initiative addresses persistent funding gaps in transport corridors and primary production. The strategic focus on value addition rather than raw extraction represents a fundamental shift in how African economies seek to capture long-term industrial value from global supply chains.

Furthermore, the integration of multi-modal transport projects, including standard gauge railways and expanded port capacities at Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Mtwara, and Zanzibar, directly reinforces regional trade resilience. These logistics corridors facilitate smoother transit for landlocked neighbors while strengthening domestic supply chain security. As European partners deploy catalytic grants to leverage private capital, the framework offers a replicable model for de-risking large infrastructure investments in emerging markets.

Opportunities

• Agri-Tech Contractors: Opportunities to build and equip modern processing facilities for coffee, cashews, wheat, and edible oils, leveraging Dutch agricultural expertise.
• Logistics Operators: Commercial openings in managing new dry ports, expanding container handling capabilities, and integrating freight logistics along the standard gauge railway network.
• Mining and Processing Firms: Ventures in mineral extraction and domestic processing infrastructure, supported by the Geological Survey's plans to expand airborne survey coverage.
• Project Financiers: Deployment of blended finance mechanisms utilizing EU guarantee instruments and specialized funds like AgriFI and ElectriFI to back regional infrastructure.

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