Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Mwananchi Communications Limitted
What you need to know:
The partnership, formalized in Dar es Salaam, signals a commitment to build a more integrated capital market ecosystem—one that enables Tanzanian businesses to access funding at every stage of growth and increases the visibility of local investment opportunities on the global stage.
Dar es Salaam. The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) and AfriCapital Holdings today signed a wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at bridging the gap between private and public capital, strengthening IPO readiness, and unlocking new international investment opportunities.
The partnership, formalized in Dar es Salaam, signals a commitment to build a more integrated capital market ecosystem—one that enables Tanzanian businesses to access funding at every stage of growth and increases the visibility of local investment opportunities on the global stage.
DSE Chief Executive Officer Peter Nalitolela described the agreement as both strategic and timely.
“AfriCapital represents the private capital space while DSE operates in the public markets,” he explained.
He said, “Our collaboration seeks to create a seamless transition between these two ends of the market—where companies can grow within private capital frameworks before making a public debut on the stock exchange.”
He added that the MoU reflects a joint ambition to make capital markets more accessible and responsive to investor needs.
“This MoU also outlines our shared goal of enhancing investment readiness, including support for companies that aspire to list on the Exchange through IPOs as well as investors looking to invest on the Exchange,” Mr Nalitolela said.
He added, “It is our hope that through this partnership, we can attract greater capital flows, both from within Tanzania and beyond our borders—thereby accelerating inclusive economic growth.”
According to Nalitolela, the agreement lays a solid foundation for cooperation in the key areas of cross-border investment facilitation, promotion of foreign and domestic direct investment: and exchange of economic data and intelligence
Other areas of cooperation include investment promotion activities to position Tanzania as a credible and growing investment destination and Capacity building and IPO readiness.
There will also be exploring technology-driven financial solutions to engage new classes of investors and attract international capital through digital platforms.
AfriCapital CEO Burak Büyüksarag echoed Nalitolela’s sentiment, describing the agreement as a turning point for capital formation in Tanzania.
“This is a very important moment for AfriCapital. Our aim with this MoU is to identify Tanzanian companies that have the potential to list on the VersaStock Exchange and prepare them to be IPO-ready,” Büyüksarag said.
He highlighted the country’s current listing drought, noting that few companies have gone public in recent years.
“To break that cycle, we believe in starting today so that within the next two or three years, we’ll see more Tanzanian companies entering the public markets.”
Büyüksarag also underlined the need to promote Tanzania’s capital markets on a global stage. “Both private equity and venture capital markets here offer great returns, but international investors are largely unaware. This MoU also aims to change that.”
The event, hosted by AfriCapital and attended by stakeholders from across the financial ecosystem, marked the beginning of what both leaders described as a long-term partnership. Beyond facilitating listings, the two entities envision joint efforts in data sharing, investor relations, and capital market development — setting the stage for a more integrated and dynamic financial future for Tanzania.
