Stakeholders: Agriculture, blue economy, tech emerge as Tanzania’s top capital magnets

Dar es Salaam. Agriculture, the blue economy, technology, and forestry value chains are emerging as Tanzania’s strongest magnets for development finance and private capital, stakeholders have said.

Data and insights shared at the Tanzania Impact Investment Forum (TIIF) in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, show that while agriculture remains dominant, investor interest is increasingly broadening beyond primary production into diversified, value-added, and innovation-driven sectors.

Speakers said the blue economy (fisheries and marine resources), agribusiness value chains, digital technology, and forestry-based enterprises are now leading new capital inflows, driven by rising global demand for sustainable and impact-oriented investments.

Speaking at the forum, the managing director of a Kenya-based business advisory firm, Ms Luiana Temba, said Tanzania’s investment landscape is being reshaped by growing interest in agriculture, fisheries, honey production, and digital innovation as key engines of inclusive growth.

“These sectors are expanding rapidly and are increasingly central to attracting both domestic and international capital,” she said.

However, she warned that financing constraints remain a critical bottleneck to growth, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating across agricultural and natural resource value chains.

Data presented at the forum indicate a financing gap of about $861 billion across sub-Saharan Africa’s SMEs, underscoring a structural mismatch between available capital and investment demand in high-potential sectors.

Ms Temba noted that around 40 percent of SMEs in these sectors cite lack of access to finance as their main constraint, while Africa continues to attract only about 12 percent of global impact investment flows.

“This clearly demonstrates that high-opportunity sectors still require new financing models to unlock scale and maximise both social and economic returns,” she said.

A trade documentation specialist at Megnacio Tanzania, Ms Judith Masika, said agricultural exports are benefiting from improved market access through investment networks.

“Agriculture has become a bridge to global investment opportunities. These platforms are connecting us to buyers and investors across multiple markets, expanding demand for Tanzanian products,” she said.

Her firm, which trades in coffee, cashew nuts, cocoa, and sesame, has been exporting since 2012, with growing demand from markets including Turkey, the Netherlands, Dubai, and Vietnam.

Mrembo Naturals chief executive officer, Ms Irene Ivambi, said agro-processing remains one of the most underexploited investment opportunities despite strong global demand for value-added agricultural products.

Her company has expanded more than twentyfold on the back of rising export demand, but she warned that post-harvest losses and low value addition continue to constrain sector competitiveness.

“About 40 percent of agricultural produce in sub-Saharan Africa is lost after harvest each year, while 96 percent of Tanzania’s agricultural output is still sold without value addition,” she said.

She added that this structural weakness forces the country to import processed agricultural products despite abundant raw materials.

Mr Antonio Lazaro of Ikale, a plastic recycling company, said the sector is demonstrating strong economic and environmental returns.

“Last year alone, we processed over 5,000 tonnes of plastic and created more than 1,000 jobs, showing the scalability of this sector,” he said.