TISEZA Investment Projects 2026: What USD 2.81bn Means

The latest TISEZA investment projects 2026 figures cover July to September, which is the third calendar quarter and the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. TISEZA's Director General, Gilead Teri, presented them in Dar es Salaam on Monday 2 November 2026. This post sets out what was reported, where the reports agree and differ, and what the numbers mean for an investor deciding now.

It then sets out the practical route and fees. For more depth, see our guides to TISEZA fees and payments and to the Investment and Special Economic Zones Act 2025 go deeper.

What changed

Nothing in the law changed on 2 November. TISEZA released a fresh quarter of registration data and a five-year tally at a session with editors, journalists and the Office of the Treasury Registrar.

The headline quarter, as reported by Ecofin Agency on 4 November 2026:

The same briefing gave a cumulative figure. From 2021 to September 2026, TISEZA and its predecessors registered 3,538 projects worth USD 68.6 billion, with more than one million expected jobs. China was the largest foreign source at USD 14.1 billion, according to TanzaniaInvest on 4 November 2026.

What the law says

TISEZA exists under the Investment and Special Economic Zones Act, No. 6 of 2025. It replaced the Tanzania Investment Centre and the Export Processing Zones Authority from 1 July 2025. Section 51 repealed the Tanzania Investment Act of 2022 and the export processing and special economic zone statutes.

Four provisions matter to anyone reading these numbers as an invitation:

• Section 4(3) makes TISEZA the one-stop centre for investors, and section 12 requires other government institutions to cooperate with it.
• Section 15(1) requires every investor intending to invest in Tanzania to register with the Authority before starting investment activities.
• Section 16 lets an investor apply for a certificate (outside a special economic zone) or a licence (inside one), for a new project, an expansion or a rehabilitation.
• Section 21(1) sets the capital floor for strategic investor status: the shilling equivalent of USD 20 million for a domestic investor and USD 50 million for a foreign investor.

The detail sits in the Investment and Special Economic Zones Regulations, 2025, published as GN 466 of 2025. DoingBusiness reported that the notice was gazetted on 25 July 2025. Regulation 76 and the Second Schedule carry the fees. Regulation 14 carries the minimum capital for a certificate or licence.

Who is affected?

This post is for three groups:

• foreign and joint venture investors weighing a Mainland project, especially in manufacturing, construction or real estate;
• Tanzanian investors deciding whether a certificate of incentives is worth the fee;
• advisers, lenders and boards who quote TISEZA totals in investment papers.

It does not cover mining reconnaissance and prospecting, petroleum, or hazardous chemicals and explosives. Section 2(1) of the Act excludes those investors, although section 2(2) still lets TISEZA facilitate them.

Where do the reports agree, and where do they differ?

TISEZA's own report on this quarter was not read for this post. The TISEZA bulletins page lists the April to June 2026 bulletin, posted on 25 September 2026, as its latest. No July to September 2026 bulletin or press release was online on 5 November 2026. The quarter figures above therefore rest on independent press reports of the 2 November briefing.

The quarter figures match across sources. The Respondent, on 4 November 2026, gives the same 209 projects, USD 2.81 billion and the same three sector values. It adds that the total is the value of projects registered, "not necessarily capital already spent." The Citizen, on 3 November 2026, ran the quarter under the headline "Where the $2.8 billion investment is flowing".

The five-year breakdowns differ in places:

The ownership figures from The Respondent and Mwananchi agree, and they sum to 3,538. The Respondent puts Tanzanian participation, full or joint, at 54 per cent. Treat the differing lines as unknown until TISEZA's own bulletin is published.

What do the numbers mean for an investor deciding now?

Read them as a demand signal, not a market size. A registered project is a plan that TISEZA has recorded. Ecofin's report notes that the expected benefits "would depend on whether the planned investments materialize."

Three practical readings follow.

• Average ticket size rose. USD 2.81 billion over 209 projects is about USD 13.4 million a project. The official April to June 2026 bulletin recorded 243 projects worth USD 1,880.05 million under the general investment scheme, about USD 7.7 million each. Whether the new quarter includes special economic zone projects is not stated, so the two may not be like for like.
• Construction and real estate are crowded. 34 projects averaging about USD 26.9 million each point to large commercial buildings. Smaller developers will compete with them for contractors and serviced land.
• Manufacturing is where the count is. 115 projects averaging about USD 7.8 million each suggest many mid-sized plants. That is the space where TISEZA's incentive route, land facilitation and the Eastern Zone SEZs are most relevant.

Two cautions. The value figures are registered capital in US dollars, not inflows recorded by the Bank of Tanzania. And a single quarter can swing on a few large files: the April to June bulletin itself showed general-scheme capital down 41.6 per cent on the same quarter of 2025.

Registration, certificate or strategic status: which do you need?

These are three different things, often confused.

The practical consequence: a foreign project below TZS 1.5 billion must still register under section 15, but it cannot hold a certificate. Section 45(3) makes investing without registration an offence for a foreign investor. The Act sets a fine of not less than TZS 5 million and not more than TZS 50 million, imprisonment, or both. Prosecution exposure of that kind is a matter for an advocate.

Secondary sources describe the reg. 14 floors as about USD 500,000 for foreign investors and USD 50,000 for Tanzanian investors. The regulation is written in shillings, so the dollar equivalent moves with the exchange rate. Our certificate of incentives guide covers the application file.

What does the certificate of incentives buy?

Section 19(1) lets a certificate holder receive tax and non-tax incentives under the laws it lists. In practice the value sits in duty and VAT relief on project capital goods, help with land, and help with work and residence permits through the one-stop centre.

The relief is not automatic. Each exemption still runs through the tax laws and TRA, as our post on VAT and duty relief explains. The VAT Act, Cap. 148 also has its own section 11 deferral for imported capital goods, so check which relief applies to each item before you plan cash.

Land is the other reason to hold a certificate. Foreigners occupy Mainland land through derivative rights, normally via TISEZA, which charges 10 per cent of the Ministry of Lands processing charge on an initial derivative right (register F0473). See our guides to industrial plots through TISEZA and derivative rights set out that route.

How does the TISEZA facilitation fee change the budget?

This is the line most budgets miss. Register F0382 records a facilitation fee on tax exemption applications under GN 466. For imported goods it is TZS 300,000 for the customs duty exemption, plus 5 per cent of the VAT exempted. For locally purchased goods it is 5 per cent of the VAT exempted.

On a large machinery import it is often the biggest TISEZA charge in the file, larger than the certificate fee.

Worked example: a foreign manufacturing project

Example: Kibaha Packaging Ltd is a hypothetical company, 100 per cent foreign-owned, planning a carton plant in Pwani. Total project cost is USD 2.4 million. At an illustrative TZS 2,500 per US dollar, that is TZS 6.0 billion, above the TZS 1.5 billion floor in TZ-02. The plant will import machinery worth USD 1.0 million (TZS 2.5 billion) in one consignment.

Assume the certificate route is chosen and the VAT exemption on that consignment is TZS 450 million, using the 18 per cent standard rate. The TISEZA charges are then:

The facilitation fee lines make up 78 per cent of the TISEZA total, and each further consignment adds TZS 300,000 plus 5 per cent of its VAT relief. The project is far below the USD 50 million strategic floor, so TZ-06 does not arise.

Outside TISEZA, the company also pays BRELA registration by nominal share capital (register F0001). A foreign director working at the plant will need permits. A Class A residence permit filed through TISEZA is USD 3,050 plus a 10 per cent TISEZA facilitation fee after approval (register F0403). Our Class A guide covers that file.

Mainland and Zanzibar: who handles your project?

TISEZA's numbers and the route above cover Mainland Tanzania. Investment approval in Zanzibar sits with the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA), not TISEZA.

The Zanzibar Investment Act, 2023 (Act No. 10) establishes ZIPA and its register. ZIPA's investment certificate page still cites the 2018 Zanzibar law, so confirm its current thresholds and fees with ZIPA before you budget. Our ZIPA guide covers the Zanzibar door.

What should you check before relying on the quarter's numbers?

• The bulletin. Wait for TISEZA's July to September 2026 bulletin before quoting sector or country splits in a board paper. Last year's equivalent bulletin was posted on 6 December 2025.
• The scope. Check whether the 209 projects include special economic zone licences or only the general scheme.
• The overlap. The Daily News on 5 November 2026 reported Mr Teri's figure of 1,148 projects worth USD 15.32 billion from July 2025 to September 2026. That window includes this quarter, so do not add the two.
• Jobs. 35,638 is the jobs investors projected at registration, not jobs created.

Key dates

What to do now

1. Size the project in shillings. Compare total capital with the TZS 1.5 billion foreign or TZS 150 million local floor in TZ-02, at the rate on the day you apply.
2. Register first. Every investor registers under section 15 (TZ-03, TZS 300,000) before investment activity starts.
3. Decide on the certificate. Apply under section 16 only if the incentives, land help or permit support justify TZ-01 and the paperwork.
4. Budget the facilitation fee. Add TZS 300,000 per import exemption and 5 per cent of each VAT exemption (F0382) to the cash plan.
5. Test strategic status early. Above USD 50 million foreign or USD 20 million domestic, consider TZ-06 before the certificate route is locked in.
6. Confirm the jurisdiction. A Zanzibar project goes to ZIPA; a Mainland project goes to TISEZA.
7. Brief an advocate where needed. Disputes, enforcement, prosecution risk and formal legal opinions go to an advocate.

How Zatra helps

Zatra's TISEZA investor registration service prepares the registration, the certificate of incentives file and the exemption schedules. Our foreign company registration team sets up the BRELA entity first, so names and shareholdings match across authorities. We also model the facilitation fee against your import plan.

Government fees are paid to TISEZA, BRELA, TRA or Immigration at the official rate against a GePG control number. They are separate from Zatra's professional fee, which we quote in writing before work starts. Zatra does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome. TISEZA, TRA and the other authorities decide.

Prosecution, seizure, disputes with an authority and formal legal opinions are matters for an advocate of the High Court. We work alongside your advocate or introduce one. To start, contact Zatra with your project budget and import list.

Sources and status

Accurate as at 5 November 2026.

• Investment and Special Economic Zones Act, No. 6 of 2025. TISEZA, posted 1 April 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Quarterly investment bulletins. TISEZA, list to 25 September 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Quarterly Investment Bulletin, April to June 2026. TISEZA, 25 September 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Tanzania Registers $2.81 Billion in New Projects in Q3 2026. Ecofin Agency, 4 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• TISEZA Investment Projects Hit 3,538 Worth USD 68.6 Billion in Five Years. TanzaniaInvest, 4 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Commercial buildings attract largest investment in Tanzania. The Respondent, 4 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Tanzanians' share in investment projects rises to 54%. The Respondent, 2 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Where the $2.8 billion investment is flowing. The Citizen, 3 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Viwanda, uchukuzi vyavuta wawekezaji nchini. Mwananchi, 2 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Public entities reposition for Dira 2050 economic transformation. Daily News, 5 November 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Tanzania gazettes new investment and special economic zones regulations. DoingBusiness, 16 September 2025. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Zanzibar Investment Act, 2023 (Act No. 10). ECOLEX, FAO, IUCN and UNEP, 2023 record. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.
• Investment certificate. ZIPA, page viewed 2026. Accessed 5 Nov 2026.

Figures to confirm before you act

• The quarter figures come from press reports of the 2 November briefing. TISEZA's July to September 2026 bulletin was not online on 5 November 2026; confirm against it once posted.
• The five-year sector, country and regional splits differ between reports; treat them as unknown until TISEZA publishes them.
• TZ-01, TZ-02, TZ-03, TZ-06 and F0382 are from the Zatra fee register at 26 September 2026, read against GN 466 of 2025. The control number amount governs.
• The 18 per cent VAT rate and the TZS 2,500 per US dollar rate in the example are illustrative; confirm the rate and the relief that applies with TRA.
• The section 45(3) fine range was read in the TISEZA copy of the Act; confirm it against the printed Act and any Finance Act 2025 amendment.
• Whether F0382 is charged on each exemption application or each consignment: confirm with TISEZA.
• ZIPA thresholds and fees: confirm with ZIPA, since its page still cites the 2018 law.

This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.