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Tanzania’s real estate sector is set to gain a new regional platform that will bring together property developers, investors, financial institutions, regulators and professional service providers as the industry seeks to address challenges surrounding housing, land and access to finance.
The inaugural Tanzania Real Estate Expo and Forum (TAREX) will be held from November 20 to 22, 2026, at the Superdome in Masaki, Dar es Salaam, featuring a three-day property exhibition and a two-day industry forum.
Developers from Tanzania Mainland, Zanzibar and Kenya are expected to participate, giving prospective buyers and investors an opportunity to compare residential and commercial developments and engage directly with financiers, lawyers and other professional advisers.
TAREX Director Murtaza Ebrahim said the initiative was designed to bring together stakeholders operating across what has often been a fragmented property ecosystem and create opportunities for investment and collaboration.
“TAREX is about bringing the real estate sector together. We want developers, investors, financial institutions, professionals and other stakeholders to have a platform where they can meet, showcase what they are doing, discuss the challenges facing the sector and, importantly, identify opportunities,” Mr Ebrahim said.
The expo comes at a time when Dar es Salaam is experiencing rapid urbanisation and growing demand for housing, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and warehousing.
According to Mr Ebrahim, areas around the city’s central business district face an estimated housing shortage of about three million units, while opportunities remain in industrial warehousing and Special Economic Zones.
The forum will consequently look beyond property exhibitions to discuss some of the structural challenges affecting the sector, including access to finance, land disputes, taxation, regulation, construction costs, technology and property pricing.
Access to finance is expected to feature prominently, with commercial banks scheduled to engage developers and potential property buyers.
Mr Ebrahim said participating lenders would use a digital pre-vetting system through the TAREX platform to assess prospective borrowers.
One of the proposed approaches is to allow the property being purchased to serve as collateral, potentially reducing the requirement for buyers to provide additional assets as security.
If adopted more widely, such an arrangement could make property financing more accessible to middle-income households and investors with regular incomes but limited alternative collateral.
The organisers also intend to improve confidence in the property market by screening developers before they are allowed to participate in the exhibition.
Mr Ebrahim said the verification process was aimed at reducing the risk of prospective buyers dealing with fraudulent or unverified property sellers.
“TAREX is not merely about selling exhibition space; it is about building a secure, trusted environment for real estate investment,” he said.
Property pricing is also expected to generate debate, particularly amid concerns over the affordability of homes and other properties in major urban centres.
Representing the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), Deo Masawe said improving transparency and access to reliable market information would be more effective than imposing government-controlled price ceilings.
“In a free market, you cannot simply impose a ceiling on prices,” Mr Masawe said.
He said reliable market information would allow buyers and sellers to negotiate based on factors such as location, quality, demand and prevailing market conditions.
Land ownership disputes and property fraud will also feature prominently in the discussions.
Mr Masawe said some disputes resulted from dishonest sellers, while others arose because buyers failed to conduct adequate due diligence before purchasing land or property.
Representatives from the Ministry of Lands and the Tanganyika Law Society are expected to provide guidance on title searches, ownership verification and other legal procedures that can help buyers protect themselves.
The forum will also provide an opportunity for the private sector to propose policy changes.
TPSF plans to compile issues raised during the discussions into a policy document that will be submitted to senior government officials.
The move could provide a channel for private-sector recommendations on regulation, taxation, land administration, financing and other constraints affecting the property industry.
Prof Kitila Mkumbo has been invited as the guest of honour, while organisers have requested Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila to officially open the forum.
Experts and speakers from Kenya and Uganda are also expected to participate in discussions covering property investment, construction, finance, technology and the future of the East African real estate market.
The executive forum will accommodate up to 450 participants, while the exhibition will be open to the general public.
Mr Ebrahim said participation by developers from Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya would give investors an opportunity to assess property opportunities across different markets from one platform.
“Someone interested in real estate will be able to come to one place, see different developments and understand the opportunities that are available for investment,” he said.
The organisers intend to establish TAREX as an annual regional platform connecting property investment with finance, regulation, professional services, technology and innovation.
For ordinary Tanzanians, the success of the initiative will ultimately depend not only on the number of properties showcased, but also on whether it improves access to credible market information, safer property transactions and affordable financing while helping address some of the structural challenges contributing to the country’s housing deficit.