Tanzania and the European Union (EU) have agreed to strengthen trade and investment cooperation to stimulate economic growth and support the implementation of Tanzania’s National Development Vision 2050.
The agreement was discussed during a dialogue held in Dar es Salaam on August 26, 2026, bringing together representatives of EU member states, the EU Delegation to Tanzania, European business associations and various Tanzanian government institutions and authorities.
The participating government institutions included the Immigration Department, Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA), which are involved in facilitating trade and investment in Tanzania.
The Minister of State in the President’s Office – Planning and Investment, Prof. Kitila Mkumbo, who co-chaired the meeting, said the dialogue provided an opportunity to assess progress made in improving the business and investment environment and identify challenges requiring urgent solutions.
Prof. Mkumbo added that the Government would continue to build a business environment conducive and competitive for investors, to attract productive investment that contributes to economic growth and benefits the country and its citizens.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Said Shaib Mussa, said the Ministry would continue to act as a link between international investors and businesses and the relevant authorities in Tanzania.
He added that this would help ensure that international trade and investment contribute to the country’s development objectives.
For her part, the French Ambassador to Tanzania, Anne-Sophie Avé, and the Irish Ambassador, Nicola Brennan, who co-chaired the dialogue on behalf of the EU, expressed the EU’s readiness to continue serving as a key development partner for Tanzania.
They said trade and investment would have an important role in supporting the implementation of Vision 2050.
The discussions form part of the broader Tanzania-EU partnership established under the Samoa Agreement, which entered into force in 2024 and provided the framework for the first Tanzania-EU Partnership Dialogue held in Dar es Salaam on December 10, 2024, covering political, economic, development and other areas of bilateral cooperation.
This focus on trade and investment comes as Tanzania and the EU are translating their broader partnership into concrete investment promotion initiatives, including the EU-Tanzania Investment and Business Forum 2026–2027, launched in Dar es Salaam on August 20, 2026.
The forum will include investment roadshows in Finland, Italy and the Netherlands from September 28 to October 6, 2026, followed by a high-level EU-Tanzania Investment and Business Forum in Dar es Salaam in early 2027.
Tanzania has identified 68 investment projects valued at USD 30.1 billion for presentation during the European roadshows, according to information previously released on the programme.
The projects cover agriculture and agribusiness, critical minerals, digital innovation and fintech, with renewable energy and transport and logistics identified among the enabling sectors.
The European Union has allocated EUR 585 million in grant funding for its partnership with Tanzania for the 2021–2027 period, with cooperation covering areas including climate and energy, digital infrastructure and transport corridors.
Trade is also a major component of EU-Tanzania economic relations, with bilateral trade reaching EUR 1.95 billion in 2024, according to figures previously cited by the EU Delegation.
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