By Correspondent Peter Haule, Nairobi
Tanzania is inviting private investors to tap into growing opportunities in its healthcare sector, with the government highlighting policy predictability, investment security and expanding demand for health services.
Deputy Minister for Finance Laurent Luswetula said Tanzania offers a stable policy environment and a secure, investor-friendly climate for businesses looking to enter the health sector.
Representing Finance Minister Khamis Mussa Omar, Luswetula made the appeal at a high-level Ministerial Finance Dialogue on strengthening joint investment in Africa’s health sector, held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Tanzania has many investment opportunities in the health sector, supported by stable and predictable policies, as well as a favourable and secure investment environment,” Mr. Luswetula said.
He urged investors to comply with Tanzanian laws and regulations, saying this would ensure that investments generate benefits for both businesses and Tanzanians.
The ministerial dialogue focused on ways to increase domestic revenues to finance healthcare, honour joint financing commitments and create policies and investment conditions capable of attracting more capital into the sector.
The Deputy Minister said Tanzania had made progress in creating an enabling environment for the delivery and accessibility of quality healthcare, opening further opportunities for private-sector participation.
The government’s push to expand Universal Health Insurance (UHI) is also expected to create a larger and more predictable market for healthcare providers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical technology firms and other businesses across the health value chain.
Tanzania is investing heavily in the universal health insurance programme as it seeks to expand access to quality healthcare. A broader insurance pool could strengthen demand for health services while reducing the financial barriers that prevent households from seeking treatment.
For investors, the expansion of health insurance could provide opportunities beyond hospitals and clinics, including diagnostics, specialised treatment, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, health technology and insurance services.
The Nairobi discussions also examined innovative financing models and mechanisms for combining different sources of capital to mobilise more resources for healthcare.
The meeting brought together finance ministers from several African countries that have signed memoranda of understanding with the US Government on health-sector financing. US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs Erin Browne, as well as senior government officials and representatives from participating countries, also attended the meeting.
