By Correspondent Saidina Msangi
Tanzania is preparing to showcase itself as one of Africa’s leading infrastructure investment destinations as it hosts the Africa50 General Shareholders’ Meeting (GSM) and the Infra for Africa Forum, a gathering expected to bring together global investors, development financiers and policymakers seeking opportunities across the continent.
The two-day summit, scheduled for August 5–6 in Dar es Salaam, comes at a time when African governments are increasingly looking to private capital to bridge the continent’s vast infrastructure financing gap while accelerating industrialisation.
Speaking during a preparatory meeting with Tanzania’s Minister of Finance, Khamis Mussa Omar, Africa50 Chief Executive Alain Ebobisse said the event would provide Tanzania with an opportunity to demonstrate the progress it has made in infrastructure development while highlighting investment opportunities capable of delivering attractive commercial returns.
Ebobisse said the forum would reinforce the message that infrastructure investment in Africa is commercially viable and increasingly bankable, particularly as governments improve policy frameworks designed to attract long-term private sector financing.
The meeting’s central theme will focus on building Africa’s industrial economy through greater value addition to the continent’s natural resources – a strategy that depends heavily on reliable and affordable energy supplies.
He praised Tanzania’s commitment to creating an investment-friendly environment and attracting private sector participation in strategic infrastructure.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan has demonstrated a strong vision for mobilising private investment into Tanzania’s infrastructure sector,” Ebobisse said.
He added: “Africa50 is proud to support that vision by partnering in the delivery of projects that strengthen energy systems and other critical infrastructure needed for industrial development. At the same time, we want to send a clear message that Africa is ready for investment.”
Energy is expected to dominate discussions throughout the forum, with Africa50 placing particular emphasis on natural gas infrastructure, including pipelines and processing facilities. The institution believes expanding gas infrastructure will help channel more energy to industrial zones across Tanzania and the wider region, enabling countries to process more of their natural resources locally rather than exporting raw materials.
According to Ebobisse, this approach is central to strengthening Africa’s economic competitiveness while creating higher-value industries and jobs.
He added that, beyond attracting new capital, the summit offers an opportunity to reassure international investors that Africa remains a strategic and increasingly secure destination for long-term infrastructure investment despite global economic uncertainty.
Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar said Tanzania had completed all preparations for the high-level meeting, which aims to mobilise greater private investment into strategic infrastructure projects across the continent, particularly in natural gas, electricity and industrial development.
The minister confirmed that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to officially open the event at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre.
He revealed that Tanzania expects to sign three cooperation agreements in the healthcare sector, including partnerships aimed at expanding dialysis services.
Delegates will also review progress on several strategic projects, including natural gas developments, energy transmission infrastructure and other investments designed to accelerate industrial growth.
“We have reviewed the progress of strategic projects, including natural gas, energy transmission infrastructure and other priority investments that will support the country’s industrial transformation,” Omar said.
He added that the government was satisfied with the level of preparedness for the summit, which is expected to attract heads of financial institutions, senior government officials and major international investors from across Africa and beyond.
For Tanzania, hosting the Africa50 meetings is about more than diplomacy.
It is an opportunity to position itself as a regional investment hub at a time when the country is pursuing an ambitious industrialisation agenda backed by large-scale investments in energy, transport and logistics. If the discussions translate into new financing commitments and project partnerships, the summit could further strengthen Tanzania’s efforts to leverage private capital to deliver the infrastructure needed to sustain long-term economic growth and industrial expansion.
