Tanzania recently announced new steps to expand cooperation with Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform, to accelerate the implementation of medium to large-scale development projects.
The announcement was made in Washington by Amina Khamis Shabaan, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, following her meeting with Jon-Pierre Fourie, Africa50’s Director General for Strategy, Relations, and Investments. The meeting focused on how both sides can leverage innovation, sustainable financing, and regional partnerships to deliver projects that advance Tanzania’s long-term development goals.
According to Shabaan, the collaboration aims to strengthen Tanzania’s capacity to execute strategic projects in transport, energy, water, and digital connectivity, sectors critical to the country’s Third Five-Year Development Plan and its National Development Vision 2050. She emphasised that Africa50’s approach, which combines project development and financing within one framework, aligns closely with Tanzania’s ambitions to modernise its economy and improve infrastructure delivery through blended public–private investment models.
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Africa50, established in 2012 by African governments and the African Development Bank (AfDB), was designed to address one of the continent’s most persistent barriers to growth: the infrastructure funding gap. The platform operates two key arms; Africa50 Project Development and Africa50 Project Finance, working together to move viable projects from concept to completion. Its mandate is not just to finance infrastructure but to unlock capital flows by structuring bankable projects and attracting private investors into traditionally public domains.
Tanzania’s partnership with Africa50 is expected to accelerate projects with tangible social and economic impact. The Deputy Permanent Secretary noted that by joining forces, the government and Africa50 can build on recent progress in the transport and energy sectors, where strategic corridors and renewable energy initiatives are helping to reshape regional connectivity. “This cooperation gives Tanzania an opportunity to execute projects of scale that directly support industrialization and trade integration, while improving livelihoods,” she said.
Africa’s infrastructure deficit remains substantial, estimated at between USD 130 and 170 billion annually according to AfDB data, with a financing gap of nearly USD 100 billion.
East Africa alone requires major investments in road, energy, and digital networks to sustain growth and achieve the targets set under the African Union’s Agenda 2063. For Tanzania, which has recorded steady GDP growth averaging around 5 percent in recent years, the challenge lies not only in building infrastructure but also in ensuring its long-term sustainability and resilience against climate shocks.
Africa50’s investment strategy gives priority to green and climate-resilient infrastructure. This aligns with Tanzania’s goal to reduce carbon intensity while expanding access to energy and mobility. The platform’s focus on renewable energy projects, sustainable transport, and smart cities fits within the broader push for green growth across the continent. Recent examples include Africa50’s investments in solar power projects in Egypt and Rwanda, as well as digital infrastructure in West Africa.
The Tanzanian government hopes to attract similar initiatives that support local job creation, technology transfer, and regional trade.
The meeting in Washington also explored the role of innovation and capacity building in sustaining infrastructure gains. Both sides agreed on the need to develop institutional expertise that can manage complex projects locally rather than relying heavily on external contractors. This is consistent with Africa50’s emphasis on building African-led project management capacity and fostering partnerships that retain economic value within the continent.
Africa50’s creation was rooted in the 2012 Declaration on the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), where African heads of state called for innovative financing mechanisms to fast-track infrastructure delivery. As of 2025, Africa50 counts over 30 shareholder countries, including Tanzania, and continues to expand its portfolio of projects across transport, energy, ICT, and urban development.
The collaboration with Tanzania represents a step toward diversifying its sources of finance and aligning infrastructure expansion with sustainability principles. Traditional reliance on concessional loans has often limited the pace of development, but partnerships like Africa50 offer a model that combines commercial viability with developmental purpose. By leveraging private capital alongside public funding, Tanzania can pursue projects that deliver measurable benefits such as reduced logistics costs, improved market access, and expanded renewable energy capacity.
The government has also indicated that cooperation with Africa50 will support the implementation of flagship national projects under the FYDP III, including energy interconnections with neighboring countries, upgrades to the Central Corridor, and investments in port and airport facilities. Such projects are essential to the country’s role as a regional hub for trade and logistics in East and Central Africa.
The renewed partnership reinforces the growing view that sustainable infrastructure is not merely about construction but about long-term resilience, economic inclusion, and environmental stewardship. Through Africa50’s blended finance approach and Tanzania’s policy alignment, the collaboration could demonstrate how African countries can take control of their development agenda using regional instruments designed by Africans, for Africa.
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As Shabaan concluded, “Tanzania’s cooperation with Africa50 is not just about financing projects, it is about reshaping the future of infrastructure delivery across the continent.”
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