DITF reinforces Dar’s ambition to become EA trade hub

DAR ES SALAAM: THE success of the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) is strengthening Tanzania’s ambition to become East Africa’s leading trade and investment hub. Rising exports, stronger business activity and investor confidence are reinforcing that momentum.

The week-long exhibition, Tanzania’s flagship annual trade event, generated on-the-spot sales worth 3.9bn/-, while 61.3 per cent of exhibitors secured export orders or international business opportunities, according to the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (Tantrade).

More than half of the products displayed were manufactured locally, reflecting the country’s growing industrial base and its push to increase value addition.

Closing the exhibition, Zanzibar President, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, urged Tanzanian businesses and manufacturers to take greater advantage of regional and international market opportunities to improve the competitiveness of locally produced goods and accelerate economic growth.

“The success of the DITF demonstrates that Tanzania possesses enormous potential to build a modern and competitive economy,” Mwinyi said, adding that sustained growth will depend on expanding production while making better use of available trade opportunities and implementing sound development policies.

His remarks reflected a broader government strategy aimed at transforming Tanzania from a consumption-driven economy into one powered by manufacturing, exports and private investment.

Dr Mwinyi said the figures provide fresh evidence that the country’s strategy of combining industrialisation, export promotion and regional market integration is beginning to yield measurable commercial outcomes.

Dr Mwinyi said the government will continue improving the business environment through consistent implementation of investment policies, greater accountability and institutional discipline to ensure that the trade and industrial sectors play a larger role in driving economic growth.

The President also challenged government institutions to accelerate reforms aimed at eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks that continue to increase the cost of doing business.

Faster service delivery, transparency and prudent management of public resources, he said, are essential for attracting investment and improving competitiveness.

For exporters, Dr Mwinyi highlighted two major opportunities capable of reshaping the country’s external trade.

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Supported by investments in transport infrastructure, business reforms and access to regional markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the country is increasingly positioning itself as a gateway linking African production with global markets.

He encouraged businesses to fully utilise the AfCFTA, which provides access to a market of more than 1.4 billion consumers, as well as China’s zero-tariff treatment for selected African products.

Expanding into those markets, he said, would increase exports, diversify destinations and reduce dependence on traditional trading partners.

He also directed Tantrade to intensify efforts to identify new export markets while strengthening business support services that enable Tanzanian companies to compete internationally.

Dr Mwinyi noted that the government is equally clear that it intends to deepen reforms that place private sector-led investment at the centre of long-term economic transformation.

President Mwinyi congratulated exhibitors, organisers and stakeholders for delivering one of the most successful trade fairs in the exhibition’s history. The results suggest Tanzania is no longer simply promoting its economic potential.

Through expanding manufacturing, rising export activity, stronger regional integration and growing investor participation, the country is increasingly translating policy reforms into measurable commercial outcomes.

For businesses seeking opportunities in one of Africa’s fastesttransforming economies, the 50th DITF offered a clear signal that Tanzania intends to play a much larger role in regional trade, industrial production and cross-border investment in the years ahead.

Industry and Trade Minister Judith Kapinga said the golden jubilee edition of the DITF was more than a celebration of the exhibition’s history.

Instead, she said, it marked an important milestone in the country’s transition toward an economy driven by manufacturing, industrial production, trade and private enterprise.

“For half a century, Saba Saba has connected producers, traders, investors and markets while positioning Tanzania as a commercial hub in Eastern and Southern Africa,” Ms Kapinga said.

Further, she said this year’s exhibition attracted manufacturers, innovators, investors and service providers from both domestic and international markets, reflecting growing confidence in Tanzania’s investment prospects.

According to Ms Kapinga, the fair facilitated new commercial contracts, strengthened partnerships between government and the private sector and reaffirmed Tanzania’s position as one of Africa’s emerging destinations for manufacturing and industrial investment.

She said Saba Saba has evolved beyond its traditional role as an exhibition into a platform that actively facilitates commerce.

“Domestic businesses become a marketplace, a source of market intelligence and a networking platform where companies establish long-term commercial relationships. Foreign investors offer direct exposure to opportunities across manufacturing, commercial agriculture, mining, tourism, logistics, services and the digital economy,” the Minister said.

She also said young innovators and entrepreneurs were increasingly using the exhibition to transform innovation into commercially viable enterprises capable of competing internationally.

Ms Kapinga attributed the momentum to economic reforms including improvements in investment regulations, business laws and digital public services to attract new investment, stimulate

industrial production and strengthen Tanzania’s participation in regional and global value chains.

She argued that modern trade no longer separated from industrial development, technology, quality standards, financial services, logistics and regional integration. She said reflection in the government’s “Made in Tanzania” agenda, aims to position locally manufactured products as internationally competitive brands recognised for quality, reliability and consistency.

“Tanzania should not remain merely a market for imported goods. Our objective is to produce, process, distribute and export value-added products to regional and international markets,” she said.

The introduction of digital registration systems, electronic ticketing, digital exhibition maps and online service delivery highlighted the growing role of technology in improving efficiency and reducing transaction costs for exhibitors and visitors. The exhibition’s commercial impact extended well beyond business networking.

According to Tantrade Director General Dr Latifa Khamis, exhibitors had recorded 3.9bn/- in direct sales before the exhibition closed, demonstrating the event’s growing contribution to domestic commerce.

More significantly, she said, 61.3 per cent of exhibitors secured export inquiries, international buyers or confirmed export orders, illustrating the fair’s increasing importance as a platform connecting Tanzanian producers with overseas markets.

Unlike traditional trade exhibitions that primarily promote products, DITF is increasingly functioning as an export promotion and investment facilitation platform capable of generating measurable commercial outcomes.

According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 58 per cent of products exhibited manufactured locally, while 33 per cent originated from foreign markets and 5 per cent of exhibitors showcase both locally produced and imported products.

The figures suggest continued progress in government efforts to expand domestic manufacturing while supporting businesses moving from small-scale production into medium-sized and large industrial enterprises.

The fair also highlighted the growing integration of business promotion with public service delivery.

More than 97,350 people accessed services provided by government institutions and private organisations through dedicated business clinics operating within the exhibition grounds.

Services ranged from immigration, business registration and national identification to licensing and investment facilitation.

In addition, 2,831 visitors received healthcare services through temporary medical facilities established during the exhibition.

According to Dr Khamis, integrating government agencies within the exhibition simplified access to services while reducing the administrative burden traditionally faced by businesses and citizens.

Research conducted by Tantrade found that 92 per cent of visitors expressed satisfaction with this year’s exhibition and indicated their willingness to participate again in future editions.

Many respondents cited the availability of government services as one of the exhibition’s strongest features, noting that agencies including Immigration, NIDA, BRELA, NHIF, Muhimbili National Hospital, MOI, JKCI, Ocean Road Cancer Institute and the Ministry of Lands made essential services more accessible by offering them in one location instead of requiring visits to individual offices.