Hey diaspora, don’t be the last to invest at home

DAR ES SALAAM: DEAR brothers and sisters basking under foreign skies, yes, you with the snow shovels, Tube passes and that permanent “I’ll be back next December” smile, it is time for a heart-to-wallet talk.

Tanzania is throwing the investment party of the decade and guess what? Foreign investors are saying “Yes!” And showing up enthusiastically to invest in Tanzania.

Thanks to our indefatigable ambassadors posted in all corners of the globe, seriously, these folks deserve medals and perhaps some good bravo.

They have been hard at work charming foreign investors to flock to our land. And guess what? It’s working.

From Dar to Dodoma, Bagamoyo to Bukoba, foreign business suits are landing faster than you can say karibu sana.

There’s chatter about ports, renewable energy, agro-processing, tourism and even tech startups.

If you listen closely, you might even hear German, Chinese and French accents in a village somewhere negotiating avocado exports like at Makambako.

That is not fiction, it is strategy. Hence, while all this action is going on, many of you in the diaspora are watching from afar like you are streaming a Netflix special.

Ahem, why are you still on the sidelines? Look, no one is asking you to sell your flat in Birmingham or quit your job in Toronto.

But let us be honest, if foreign investors are willing to risk millions in a place they have only seen on Google Earth, what excuse do you have? You know Tanzania.

You know the people. You know the language, the customs and, perhaps most importantly-the bodaboda rider who can get you from Kimara to Kariakoo in under 15 minutes.

Tanzania’s doors are wide open and the opportunities are practically waving you in with both hands. From agriculture to infrastructure, from mining to manufacturing, the ground is fertile and literally and figuratively.

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And don’t get us started on real estate, where plots are appreciating faster than your rent in Boston. Yes, challenges exist. No one is promising a rose garden without a few thorns.

What matters is that the Tanzanian government is actively creating a favourable climate for both local and foreign investors.

Policies are shifting, incentives are growing and our diplomats are not just attending embassy cocktail events, they are pitching Tanzania like it’s Shark Tank.

Don’t forget President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s the Royal Tour (a travel documentary she participated in to promote Tanzania internationally) that is now synonymous with Tanzania abroad.

And now, dear diaspora, it is your move. You can either be among the first to claim your share of the new Tanzanian dream, or you can explain to your kids in ten years why your German neighbour owns a farm in Morogoro and you don’t. So, pick up the phone.

Call that cousin you left at school in Mara, Ruvuma to secure you a plot for investment. Do the research. Ask around. Start small if you must. But start.

Because this is not just about patriotism, it is about smart business. The country is open, the table is set and the buffet of opportunities is steaming. Don’t be late to your own party.