Tanzania is seeking to attract Qatari investment into its livestock and fisheries sectors as it moves to expand production, processing and access to lucrative Middle Eastern markets.
The government has identified meat processing, poultry production, deep-sea fishing, cold-chain infrastructure and value addition as some of the areas where investors from Qatar could play a bigger role.
Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Ambassador Dr Bashiru Ally Kakurwa, outlined the opportunities during talks with former Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of Thirty-Five Investment Holding, Dr Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, in Dar es Salaam on Monday.
Dr Kakurwa said Tanzania had sufficient livestock resources to significantly increase meat exports but needed greater investment in processing capacity, food safety, quality standards and logistics to compete more effectively in international markets.
“Tanzania has increased meat exports from about 1,000 metric tonnes in 2021 to nearly 15,000 tonnes currently, with a target of at least 50,000 tonnes annually,” he said.
Tanzania already exports meat to Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Comoros.
However, Dr Kakurwa said the existing export volumes remained below the country's potential, pointing to opportunities for investors across the entire value chain—from livestock production and processing to packaging, cold storage and transportation.
The minister also singled out poultry as a growing investment opportunity, saying the government’s 10-year poultry strategy seeks to strengthen and formalise the sector.
The strategy creates opportunities in areas such as animal-feed production, vaccines, farm inputs, productivity improvement, distribution and quality enhancement.
Fisheries was another key area of discussion, with the government proposing formal talks between Thirty-Five Investment Holding and the Tanzania Fisheries Corporation (TAFICO).
Dr Kakurwa said a dedicated memorandum of understanding could provide a framework for cooperation, noting that fisheries required a different investment model from the livestock-related partnership involving the National Ranching Company (NARCO).
Tanzania is positioning its fishing infrastructure as a potential gateway for investment in the blue economy.
Dr Kakurwa said the Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port had been equipped with cold-chain facilities, a fish-processing area, fuel station, ice-making plant, freezing and cold-storage facilities, as well as a berth for fishing vessels.
He said the government had also undertaken a feasibility study for a proposed fishing port in Bagamoyo, which could open opportunities in deep-sea fishing, particularly tuna, as well as processing and value addition.
For Tanzania, the investment push comes at a time when the government is seeking to capture more value from its agricultural and natural resources rather than relying primarily on the export of unprocessed products.
Dr Al Attiyah welcomed further discussions, seeking more information on Tanzania’s fisheries infrastructure and how investors could participate across the value chain.
He cited the Japanese fishing town of Kesennuma, which rebuilt much of its fishing industry after the devastating 2011 tsunami, as an example of how Tanzania could draw lessons from international experience.
The discussions provide an opportunity for Tanzania to turn its livestock and fisheries resources into larger export earnings by attracting capital into areas where production capacity, processing and market access remain key constraints.