President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo officially opened the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) on July 3, 2026, at the Julius Nyerere Trade Fair Grounds, marking the exhibition’s Golden Jubilee.
The fair, popularly known as Sabasaba, is organised annually by the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade).
This year’s edition runs under the theme “Industrial Transformation, Technological Innovation, Logistics Connectivity and Cross-border Trade Facilitation.”
TanTrade Director General Dr Latifa Mohamed Khamis said the institution has facilitated business opportunities worth approximately TZS 129.2 trillion (± USD 49.7 billion) since the fair was established 50 years ago.
She said exhibitors from 54 countries have taken part over the decades, with more than 38,000 companies having showcased products and services at the fair, and over 631,900 jobs created since its inception.
For this year’s edition, Dr Khamis said TanTrade expects business deals and direct sales worth around TZS 17 billion (± USD 6.5 million), participation by 4,800 exhibitors, and the creation of more than 26,000 additional jobs.
Digital Entry and Export Performance
For the first time, paper tickets have been abolished for the 50th edition, with all entry tickets purchased electronically through the TanTrade Biashara App, Minister for Industry and Trade Judith Kapinga confirmed ahead of the opening.
According to Ms Kapinga, exports of goods and services reached about USD 17 billion over the past year, a 15% increase from the previous year, while merchandise exports alone exceeded USD 10 billion.
She added that gold exports rose by more than 35% to over USD 4.4 billion, while agricultural exports, including cashew nuts, coffee and tobacco, continued to record strong growth alongside expanding regional grain trade.
President Samia said this year’s exhibition has attracted increasing international participation, including companies from Oman, Indonesia and China, which she said reflects growing global confidence in Tanzania’s investment climate.
She added that Sabasaba is where “many people started here as small traders and have grown into successful business owners,” noting that farmers, innovators and entrepreneurs have all found markets, partnerships and investment opportunities through the exhibition.
East Africa Commercial and Logistics Centre Director General Lisa Wang Xiangyun said her organisation is coordinating Chinese exhibitors participating in this year’s fair while promoting the government’s “Made in Tanzania” initiative to expand exports.
President Chapo, addressing exhibitors, investors, diplomats and business leaders, said the African Continental Free Trade Area offers a historic opportunity to make regional markets more integrated and competitive, but stressed that this “will not happen through agreements alone” and requires investment in roads, railways, ports, airports, energy infrastructure and digital systems.
Government Sets 2050 Target for DITF
Speaking later at the Golden Jubilee Awards held during the anniversary celebrations, Vice President Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi said the government’s vision is to transform DITF from a traditional product exhibition into a global hub for innovation, research, technology and international trade by 2050.
He said the annual event should evolve into a platform bringing together investors, innovators and entrepreneurs, while serving as a launchpad for Tanzanian products targeting global markets, adding that “the Sabasaba exhibition should become one of the largest international trade fairs in the world, positioning Tanzania as a continental hub for trade, investment, innovation and industrial development.”
Dr Nchimbi said achieving this vision will require continued improvements to the business environment and ensuring industries have adequate access to capital.
He added that investment in research, innovation, artificial intelligence, digital commerce and advanced production systems should become integral to Tanzania’s industrial strategy for local firms to compete in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
He also called on financial institutions to expand affordable and flexible financing for manufacturers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
At the same event, Ms Kapinga gave an updated export figure, reporting total exports of goods and services at approximately USD 18.6 billion, an 11% increase, with merchandise exports at USD 11 billion.
About DITF
The Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair was first held in 1963 and has been organised annually by TanTrade since the authority’s establishment.
It takes place each year at the Julius Nyerere Trade Fair Grounds along Kilwa Road, roughly 8 kilometres southeast of Dar es Salaam, running from June 28 to July 13.
The fair has grown from just over 100 exhibiting companies in the late 1980s to more than 3,500 local and 200 foreign companies from 26 countries in recent editions, making it the largest trade exhibition of its kind in East and Central Africa.
It serves as a regional trade hub connecting Tanzania to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, supported by the logistics capacity of the Dar es Salaam port.
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