Delegates from Africa, Europe, Canada and Australia engaged government agencies, toured industrial zones, and held targeted buyer and supplier meetings that yielded active negotiations, early-stage commitments and a strengthened pipeline for joint ventures, public private partnerships and supply chain linkages. The programme formed part of Equity’s Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, which connects productive assets to markets and capital. 

The mission opened with a strategic briefing at the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA) offices in Mabibo, where officials outlined the investor framework, entry procedures and incentives available across priority sectors. Daudi Kabui, Resident Coordinator at TISEZA, affirmed that the investment climate is conducive and that the authority provides facilitation through the entire investor journey, a message that resonated with delegates seeking predictable rules and timely approvals. Prosper Nambaya, Commercial Director at Equity Bank Tanzania Limited highlighted the bank’s role in connecting clients to enabling institutions so that financing, foreign exchange, trade services and regulatory navigation are delivered seamlessly. Delegates then toured garment facilities in the Export Processing Zone and continued to Bagamoyo Special Economic Zone to assess infrastructure, utilities and land options designed to anchor export manufacturing for regional and global markets.  

Momentum shifted from policy to transactions at a high-level business forum convened with TanTrade at the Mfaume Kawawa Ceremonial Hall within the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair grounds. The Director of Trade Development at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Sempeho Manongi, reiterated the government’s commitment to private sector led industrialisation and welcomed missions that convert intent into export orders, investments and jobs. Equity Bank Tanzania’s Head of Retail Banking and MSMEs, Theresia Mayanie, detailed the bank’s end to end support for investors, from advisory and tailored trade finance to foreign exchange, custody and guidance on compliance. Exhibitors drawn from agriculture, agro processing, textiles, energy, information and communication technology and the blue economy held product evaluations with buyers, while structured matchmaking sessions paired delegates with suppliers, distributors and partners for immediate follow ups. 

Equity Group Director of Trade Relations, AQ Hamza, added that the trade missions aid in driving economic growth, building impactful business relationships, and facilitating transnational trade, demonstrating Equity's dedication to connecting businesses and unlocking opportunities across the region.   

The delegation then shifted to Zanzibar for a full day of engagement with the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) and sector leaders. ZIPA presented the archipelago’s investor friendly policy environment, a streamlined approval process and a semi autonomous framework that offers clarity on fiscal and non fiscal incentives for priority sectors. Al haji Jecha, the Director of Planning and Research at ZIPA, framed the roadshow as a platform that connects investors, businesses and government to expand trade and accelerate sustainable growth. Representatives from the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport joined private sector participants for a marketplace of ideas that quickly moved to practice, as structured business to business sessions linked delegates with ZIPA clients to explore joint ventures, supplier agreements and market entry paths tailored to specific investment theses. 

Site visits in Zanzibar culminated in a detailed inspection of the Fumba Port project, where the developer briefed delegates on construction progress and the evolution from an initial slipway concept to a modern deep-water facility. The port is being built to handle larger cargo and passenger vessels and to raise the islands maritime capacity, with marine works such as dredging now underway and equipment owned by the project. On completion the facility is expected to move up to two hundred thousand containers and offer two berths with a combined length of seven hundred meters, enabling the eventual relocation of port activities from Malindi to Fumba.  

Captain Twalib Hamis, Managing Director of Fumba Ports, noted that the port's impact would extend well beyond maritime operations, creating opportunities across warehousing, logistics, technology, hospitality and other support services. He invited investors to explore these emerging sectors as part of the broader economic ecosystem expected to develop around the port  

Captain Hamis emphasized that Fumba Port will be the first private port in East Africa, operating under an ownership structure comprising eighty percent private sector participation and twenty percent government ownership.  

Delegates also toured the Fumba Development Project, a mixed-use investment that will support preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027 and contribute to long term urban development. The scheme includes hotels, restaurants and residential capacity to meet expected visitor inflows, together with supporting utilities and public realm. A new ferry port is designed to streamline movement between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar so that visitors arriving from the mainland can connect directly through Fumba during the tournament. Developers reported steady progress toward completion by October 2027, with the project positioned to deepen the tourism, hospitality and transport ecosystems while leaving a durable asset base that can catalyse enterprise well beyond the tournament window. 

The itinerary closed with site inspections in Paje, where new apartment villas and residential schemes aimed at both local and international buyers showed strong off take and ongoing construction to meet rising demand. Developers cited a convergence of drivers that includes growing visitor numbers, improving infrastructure and sustained interest from foreign investors seeking exposure to hospitality and lifestyle assets. A closing dinner brought together delegates, government officials and private sector leaders to reflect on the week’s progress, align on next steps for due diligence and follow ups, and set a timetable for converting qualified leads into bankable projects. 

Through the week Equity Group acted as a convenor, financier and partner, aligning capital with opportunity and reducing friction across borders. Under the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan the Group has delivered more than 25 missions in four years across East Africa, and this edition added a pipeline of public private partnerships, joint ventures, contracts and early investment commitments in manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism. For Tanzania and Zanzibar, the mission signalled a confident opening to global capital under AfCFTA, and for investors it offered ready projects with credible partners.