Call for business people to reap gains from the 2nd Tanzania-EU Business Forum
DAR ES SALAAM: Director of Economic Diplomacy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador John Ulanga, has urged Tanzanian investors and businesspeople to make full use of opportunities expected to emerge from the Second Tanzania-European Union Business and Investment Forum scheduled for early 2027.
Ambassador Ulanga made the call during the official launch of preparations for the forum held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam.
He said the forum, themed “EU-Tanzania Partnership: Turning Potential into Prosperity,” is expected to provide a key platform for bringing together businesspeople, investors, government institutions and development stakeholders to identify and utilise opportunities in trade, investment and economic partnerships between Tanzania and the European Union.
“This forum should be effectively utilised to stimulate productive investment, increase the value of Tanzanian products, promote technology and innovation, and open new markets for goods and services produced in the country,” Ambassador Ulanga said.
He said greater participation by Tanzanian businesses would be critical to ensuring that the forum translates into concrete investment and trade opportunities, particularly in areas with potential for value addition, technology transfer and market expansion.
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For his part, Head of Cooperation at the European Union, Marc Stalmans, said the launch of preparations for the forum comes at a time when the EU has decided to continue strengthening its partnership with Tanzania through a new programme worth €56 million.
He said the programme is built around strengthening development cooperation between Tanzania and the European Union.
The Second Tanzania-EU Business and Investment Forum is expected to expand opportunities for private-sector players and investors to establish business networks, access markets and capital, exchange technology and expertise, and identify new areas of partnership between Tanzania and EU member states.
The forum is also expected to strengthen economic ties between Tanzania and the European Union by providing a platform for businesses to engage directly with potential investors and partners and explore opportunities for increased trade and investment.
.
1. SGR investment cost
The Treasury Registrar reported the SGR project cost at approximately US$10.017 billion, equivalent at the time to about TSh 23.3 trillion.
T
Tro
Another government report gives the first phase estimate as TSh 16.883 trillion (US$7.274 billion).
M
Ministry of Finance Tanzania
For a broad project-level calculation, I’ll use TSh 23.3 trillion.
2.
3. How much of the investment has been recovered?
169.37
billion
÷
23
,
300
billion
= 0.727%
So, based purely on reported revenue, SGR has generated the equivalent of approximately 0.73% of the reported TSh 23.3 trillion project cost.
Tanzania SGR: investment vs revenue
Reported SGR project cost compared with cumulative revenue through March 2026.
TSh0
TSh6.5T
TSh13T
TSh19.5T
TSh26T
Project cost
Cumulative revenue
Amount
TSh
Revenue is gross revenue, not profit.
4. Simple payback period
The reported TSh 169.37 billion was generated in less than two years. If we use approximately 21 months (June 2024–March 2026) as a rough period:
Average revenue ≈ TSh 96.8 billion/year
Then:
23.3
trillion
÷
96.8
billion
≈
241
years
So at the current revenue run-rate, a very simple revenue-only payback calculation gives approximately 241 years.
.
1. SGR investment cost
The Treasury Registrar reported the SGR project cost at approximately US$10.017 billion, equivalent at the time to about TSh 23.3 trillion.
T
Tro
Another government report gives the first phase estimate as TSh 16.883 trillion (US$7.274 billion).
M
Ministry of Finance Tanzania
For a broad project-level calculation, I’ll use TSh 23.3 trillion.
2.
.
1. SGR investment cost
The Treasury Registrar reported the SGR project cost at approximately US$10.017 billion, equivalent at the time to about TSh 23.3 trillion.
T
Tro
Another government report gives the first phase estimate as TSh 16.883 trillion (US$7.274 billion).
M
Ministry of Finance Tanzania
For a broad project-level calculation, I’ll use TSh 23.3 trillion.
2. .