DAR ES SALAAM, June 28 – Organisers of Tanzania's 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), widely known as Saba Saba, have urged businesses to use this year's exhibition to build investment partnerships and expand regional and international trade links, reflecting a shift in the fair's role from a marketplace to a business networking platform.
The annual exhibition, first held in 1976, has grown into one of East Africa's largest trade events, bringing together local and foreign companies, government institutions and investors. Officials said the Golden Jubilee edition has attracted participants from 23 countries.
Speaking during the official countdown to the opening of the exhibition, TanTrade Director General Latifa Khamis said the event marks five decades of promoting trade, investment and industrial development in Tanzania.
"The exhibition has contributed significantly to the country's economic development by creating opportunities for businesses to access new markets and attract investment," she said.
Khamis said exhibitors should focus not only on selling products but also on establishing long-term commercial relationships that could generate future business opportunities.
She said this year's Golden Jubilee celebrations will include a documentary highlighting the exhibition's 50-year history and an awards ceremony recognising outstanding exhibitors and stakeholders.
The exhibition is being held under the theme, "Sabasaba 2026: Tanzania's Pride."
Representing Temeke District Commissioner Sixtus Raphael Mapunda, Betha Minga encouraged Tanzanians to attend the exhibition, saying it offers opportunities to connect with businesses, investors and development partners.
She said the economic value of modern trade fairs increasingly lies in facilitating business-to-business and business-to-government engagement rather than retail transactions alone.
"The opportunity is not only to buy products but to build networks that can create future investment and business opportunities," she said.
Mtoni Ward Councillor Abbas Omari said Tanzania's stable political environment and efforts to promote investment had strengthened the country's attractiveness to international businesses.
He credited President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration with expanding engagement with foreign investors and called on Tanzanians to safeguard peace, describing it as essential for economic growth and private sector development.
"Peace remains the foundation of investment, trade and national development," Omari said.
The official launch was preceded by cultural performances and entertainment, culminating in a midnight countdown known as "Flash Flash Night," when fireworks lit up the skies over the exhibition grounds to mark the opening of the Golden Jubilee fair.
The 2026 exhibition comes as Tanzania continues to position itself as a regional trade and logistics hub, with the government promoting industrialisation, export growth and foreign direct investment through expanded infrastructure and regional market integration.
Against that backdrop, organisers say the Golden Jubilee edition is intended to reinforce the fair's role as a platform for connecting Tanzanian businesses with global markets rather than serving solely as a venue for commercial sales.
