Mineral Beneficiation & Logistics Support Services for Graphite and Nickel-Cobalt Juniors in Mahenge & Kabanga Corridors

Tanzania is entering a new investment era underpinned by record FDI of USD 1.7 billion in 2024 — the highest since 2014 — a 28% annual rise driven by infrastructure, services, and mining. The Tanzania Investment Centre registered 842 projects worth USD 7.7 billion in 2024 alone, the highest since 1991. Mining exports surged 31.1% to USD 5.4 billion in 2025, with a 2026/27 mining budget prioritising critical minerals including graphite, nickel-cobalt, and niobium. The newly enacted TISEZA Act 2025 merged TIC and EPZA, introduced expedited permits for strategic projects, and established a national land bank, materially reducing entry friction. Agro-processing is a stated government priority: cashew, coffee, and cotton value-addition have been explicitly pitched to U.S. and Nordic investors at high-level forums in 2025–2026. Zanzibar's Silicon Zanzibar initiative is accelerating digital-economy momentum. Tanzania's multi-vector diplomacy — including a USD 2 billion Russia-TISEZA investment pipeline, eight Kenya-Tanzania MoUs spanning railway and gas, and Nordic Summit outcomes in February 2026 — broadens the source-country pool for capital. Key residual risks include arbitrary tax-policy application flagged in the 2025 U.S. Investment Climate Statement, land-ownership restrictions for foreigners, a potential EU ODA freeze worth EUR 156 million, and political uncertainty ahead of elections. Moody's affirmed Tanzania's B1/stable rating projecting 6% growth in 2026.

Tanzania's Ministry of Minerals tabled a TZS 174.98 billion (~USD 70 million) budget for FY 2026/27 with mineral exports already up 31.1% to USD 5.4 billion in 2025, and the government is establishing a Mineral Processing Centre in Mwakitolyo, Shinyanga. CRDB Bank simultaneously signed an MoU with the Mining Commission to extend TZS 50 billion in financing to small-scale miners — creating an immediate demand for B2B services including assaying labs, transport logistics, equipment supply, and local beneficiation technology that European SMEs can provide.

Market drivers:

- Global EV supply-chain demand pulling graphite (Mahenge) and nickel-cobalt (Kabanga) to the forefront of international capital flows

- 2026/27 government budget explicitly prioritising value-addition hubs (Buzwagi) and expanding geophysical survey coverage to 50% of Tanzania by 2030

- TISEZA Act 2025 expedited permit regime and USD 50 million strategic-project threshold de-risking entry for mid-market service providers

Risks:

- Regulatory and royalty framework complexity — Finance Act 2025 added new levies and local-content regulations that increase compliance costs for foreign service providers

- Multi-vector diplomatic shifts (Russia-TISEZA agreement, China BRI) may favour non-European suppliers in future procurement rounds