By Business Insider Correspondent, St. Petersburg, Russia
Tanzania’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko, has held bilateral discussions with Russia’s Minister of Energy, Mr Sergey Tsivilev, to enhance cooperation in the energy sector and other strategic areas including technology and investment.
The high-level talks took place on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia.
Dr Biteko revealed that Russian investments in Tanzania currently total US$ 424 million, spread across 44 projects which collectively employ more than 3,000 people.
He highlighted Tanzania’s growing energy potential and extended an invitation to Russian investors to explore opportunities in both traditional and renewable energy sources.
“Tanzania generates 61.7% of its energy from renewable sources, and there are investment opportunities worth over US$ 4 billion in our energy sector,” said Dr Biteko.
He also cited the Government’s ongoing reforms in the energy industry, including the promotion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the acceleration of access to clean cooking energy, referencing the 2025 Africa Heads of State Energy Summit held in Dar es Salaam, which set a target to connect 600 million Africans to electricity.
Clean energy, strategic collaboration
Dr Biteko specifically encouraged Russian investors to take part in clean cooking energy ventures and independent power production in Tanzania, reiterating the country’s favourable environment for private sector engagement.
He lauded the 64-year-old diplomatic relations between Tanzania and Russia, noting that continued cooperation would benefit citizens of both nations.
In response, Mr Tsivilev underscored energy’s critical role in economic development and reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to support Africa – Tanzania in particular – with technology transfer, capacity building, and energy security frameworks.
“Russia is committed to fair partnerships aimed at building the long-term resilience of partner nations’ energy systems,” Mr Tsivilev said.
He added that Russia would also offer support in health, cyber security, and critical infrastructure protection.
Major Russian player eyes Tanzania
In a strong signal of private-sector confidence, Mr. Maxim Sergeev, CEO of INTER RAO Export – one of the world’s largest energy firms – expressed a clear interest in investing in Tanzania.
He stated that the company has the capacity to manufacture a wide range of energy equipment, including turbines and generators, and currently signs annual global contracts worth up to US$ 8 billion.
Expanding nuclear and solar energy dialogue Meanwhile, TANESCO CEO, Mr Lazaro Twange, held separate talks with Russian energy companies Rosatom and Unigreen. The discussions focused on potential collaboration in nuclear and solar energy development. Unigreen, in particular, is said to be in advanced stages of preparing to invest in Tanzania’s solar sector.
