Tanzania is stepping up its push to secure Persian Gulf capital, pitching six major road developments and a suite of agricultural logistics projects to Qatari investors as the East African nation seeks to close its infrastructure funding gap.
A Tanzanian trade delegation, led by Ministry of Public Works representative Eng. Peter Sikalumba and Ambassador Habibu Awesi Mohamed, met with senior Qatar Chamber officials in Doha to pitch public-private partnerships spanning mining, energy, and logistics. The diplomatic push comes as gas-rich Qatar increasingly looks to diversify its sovereign and private investments across mainland Africa.
“There is a growing interest in investment opportunities across Africa,” Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Twar Al Kuwari, First Vice Chairman of the Qatar Chamber, said during the bilateral talks. “Tanzania offers promising prospects in a variety of sectors that could attract Qatari investors, and the Chamber stands ready to promote and support these private sector partnerships.”
For Tanzania, the immediate focus is finding well-capitalized partners to finance heavily utilized transit corridors and bolster its food supply chain.
“Tanzania has abundant investment opportunities, particularly in infrastructure and road development projects,” Sikalumba said, noting that previous Qatari deployments in the country have laid a successful groundwork. “We have a strong desire to attract more.”
Tanzanian Ambassador Habibu Mohamed added that the country is preparing to send a follow-up technical delegation from the Ministry of Public Works to Doha to present concrete business cases to Qatari executive circles.
“Six specific road projects are currently open to foreign investment, alongside strategic opportunities in cold storage facilities and the broader food sector,” Ambassador Mohamed said.
While Qatari investors have traditionally favored real estate, hospitality, and energy on the continent, Doha’s business elite are expanding their mandate into digital infrastructure and logistics. However, long-term capital deployments will depend heavily on regulatory predictability.
“There is growing interest in investing across Africa, particularly in digital banking and transportation applications,” said Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Obaidli, a board member of the Qatar Chamber. He cautioned, however, that securing commitments requires stable ground rules. “Having clear regulations, legal frameworks, and robust investment guarantees is essential to ensure investor confidence and protect these long-term deployments.”
