Tanzania is endowed with many natural resources and investment opportunities. The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania has simplified investment regulations in order to attract investors from around the world. Investment in Tanzania is overseen by the Tanzania Investments Centre (TIC), a one-stop primary Government agency responsible for all investment matters.

The TIC is charged with the following functions:

• Promoting investment activities in Tanzania;
• Addressing administrative constraints facing local and foreign investors;
• Assisting in the establishment and registration of enterprise processes;
• Facilitating investors in obtaining necessary licenses, work permits, visas, approvals, facilities or services;
• Assisting investors to secure investment sites and the establishment of Export Processing Zone (EPZ) projects especially in the Agricultural, Mining, Infrastructure, Fisheries and Tourism sectors;
• Granting Certificates of Incentives, investment guarantees and registering technology agreement for all investments which are over and above US$ 300,000 and US$100,000 for foreign and local investments, respectively;
• Providing and disseminating up to date information on existing investment opportunities, benefits and incentives available to investors: and
• Facilitating investors to have smooth working relationships with Public and Private Sector bodies such as Tanzania Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI), Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC), Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF)

Trade in Tanzania
Tanzania attaches great importance to the role of trade in realizing National goals on poverty eradication through structural transformation of the economy with the private sector taking a leading role as an engine for national economic growth.

Tanzania offers a well-balanced and competitive package of fiscal trade incentives especially in the priority sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, Tourism, petroleum, gas and Mining. For all these sectors, except petroleum and gas sectors, acquisition of all capital goods and parts are zero rated for import duty purposes and VAT thereon deferred.

Research expenses for agriculture are allowable for income tax purposes, while capital acquisitions are 100% expensed. You can also import duty-free all capital goods, spare parts, hotel facilities, explosive material for gas and oil exploration. Tanzania has also signed double taxation treaties with Denmark, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Finland.

The Leading Investment Sectors include:
Agriculture and Agro-based Industries; Mining; Petroleum and Gas; Tourism, and Infrastructure.

The Priority Sectors include:
Energy, Manufacturing, Chemical Industries, Natural Resources (Fishing & Forestry), Construction and Real Estate Development, Management Consultancy, Human Resource Development (Hospitals, Health Centers, and Educational Facilities), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Export Oriented Projects.

Import Products
Major import commodities include agricultural machinery, implement and pesticides, industrial raw materials, machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, construction materials, consumer goods. The list is not exhaustive,

Export Products
The principal export commodities include Minerals (gold, gemstones, diamonds, coal e.t.c.), coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, tea, sisal, tobacco, pyrethrum and cloves. The main imports are machinery and transport equipments, textiles and clothing, petroleum products.

Trading Partners

• Tanzania’s major trading partners include: China, Germany, Japan, India, the European Union, United Arabic Emirates, United Kingdom, Kenya, Japan, India and South Africa.
• Major commercial/trading cities include Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Zanzibar, Arusha, Mbeya, Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Kigoma.

For trade statistics and further details on trade in Tanzania, please contact:

Trading in Tanzania
Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing,
P. O. Box 9503, Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania

Telephone: +255-22-2127898/97
Fax: +255-22-2125832,
E-mail: ps@mit.go.tz
Website: https://www.mitm.go.tz

Investment Centre Contact
For further details please contact:
The Executive Director,
Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC),
P. O. Box 938, Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania.

Tel: +255 22 2116328 -31,
Fax: +255 22 2118253,
E-mail: information@tic.co.tz
website: https://www.tic.co.tz

Tanzania enjoys an abundance of natural wealth, which offers tremendous investment opportunities for investors. These include an excellent geographical location (six land locked countries depend on Tanzania ports as their cheapest entry and exit ports); arable land; world renowned tourist attractions (Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro, and the Spice islands of Zanzibar); natural resources; a sizeable domestic and sub regional market; a wide local raw materials supply base; abundant and inexpensive skills; assurance of personal safety; warm friendly people and a suitable market policy orientation.

The following are among the major reasons why you should invest in Tanzania:

1. High degree of investment security because of unparalleled political stability that is strife-free without ethnic division; democratic rule that respects diversity of opinion and a strong tradition of constitutionality and rule of law;
    
2. Business-friendly Macro-Economic Stability with low inflation (4.2%), stable exchange rates supported by unrestricted and unconditional transferability of profits, loan repayments, emoluments, royalties, fees and changes;
    
3. Simplified bureaucracy, streamlined through the acclaimed services of the Tanzania Investment Centre which is a one-stop-facilitation agency of government serving registered investors and businesses;
    
4. Successful economic liberalization measures commended by both the World Bank and the IMF with business-supportive legislation continually being improved through genuine dialogue between government and the private sector
    
5. A well-balanced package of incentives to investors with additional negotiated benefits to strategic investors
    
6. Rapidly emerging as the most effective entry point and gateway for trade into Eastern, Southern and Central Africa; FAVOURABLE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF TANZANIA
    
7. Lucrative investment opportunities in infrastructure, privatisation and valueadding facilities.
    
8. Investment guarantees, and settlement of Disputes. Investments in Tanzania are guaranteed against Political risks, Nationalization and Expropriation.
    
9. Any foreign business operating in Tanzania may obtain credit from domestic financial institutions up to the limits established by the Bank of Tanzania. Major banks like Standard Chartered, ABSA, Barclays, Citibank, Stanbic, Exim etc. have invested in Tanzania.
    
10. Existing investors are ready to expand their businesses in Tanzania as depicted in the recent survey conducted by TIC, BoT and NBS.
     
11. Tanzania has been rated as number one investment destination with the highest sales growth by the UNIDO´s Report of Foreign Investor Perception Survey, November 2003.