Trade
Tanzania's total Exports of goods and services rose 10.2% to USD 17,599.2 million in 2025 from USD 15,968.4 million in 2024, anchored by Gold Exports of USD 4,697.6 million (45.7% of total goods Exports) and supported by Tanzania's ratification of the AfCFTA continental market of 1.39 billion people.
Tanzania's strategic position on the Indian Ocean makes it a vital trade hub linking Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the landlocked neighbours DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi.
The country's trade balance deficit narrowed to USD 5,157.2 million in 2025 while the current account deficit eased to USD 2,015.5 million[1], with foreign reserves at USD 6,329 million covering 4.9 months of imports.
Trade flows remain concentrated, with over 73% of total Trade conducted with 10 partners—China, Switzerland, India, South Africa, the UAE, Kenya, the DRC, the United States, Comoros, and Vietnam[3]—while Tanzania also benefits from AGOA duty-free US access and the EU Everything But Arms program.
Institutional facilitation is anchored by TISEZA, the unified authority created in 2025 by merging the former Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) and the former Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), working alongside TanTrade and TNCC under the National Trade Policy 2023, with flagship initiatives including the Bagamoyo Eco-Maritime City, modernization of the Dar es Salaam Port (27.7 million tonnes throughput in 2024/2025), the Kwala Dry Port launched in 2025, and SGR-linked freight services extending the Central Corridor to Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the DRC.
Exports
Tanzania's export basket is dominated by services, minerals, and agricultural products.
Minerals and services together account for nearly two-thirds of Exports, agricultural products contribute approximately 20%, and manufactured goods (excluding basic metals) represent only a small share.
Total Exports of goods and services rose 10.2% to USD 17,599.2 million in 2025 from USD 15,968.4 million in 2024.
Goods Exports increased to USD 10,282.4 million from USD 9,121.6 million, driven by Gold, manufactured goods, tobacco, and coffee.
Gold Exports surged 37.4% to USD 4,697.6 million, representing 45.7% of total goods Exports on favorable global prices and higher production, while manufactured goods Exports strengthened to USD 1,548.6 million from USD 1,341.3 million.
Traditional Exports—tobacco, coffee, cashew nuts, cotton, sisal, tea, cloves—rose to USD 1,512.2 million in 2025 from USD 1,473.3 million.
Services receipts reached USD 7,316.8 million (up from USD 6,846.8 million), with travel receipts of USD 3,948.2 million correlated with the 7.1% rise in tourist arrivals to 2,294,495, and transport service receipts of USD 2,796.5 million reflecting a 34% increase in transit freight earnings.
By trade bloc, 2024 export values reached USD 3,946.76 million under AfCFTA, USD 2,968 million under SADC, and USD 1,163.8 million under EAC[2], with Asia (China, India, Japan, Singapore, UAE) at USD 2,840.3 million and the EU at USD 686.3 million; AGOA shipments to the US reached USD 85.4 million in 2023, while US goods imports from Tanzania totaled USD 241.7 million in 2025[4].
Imports
Total goods and services Imports rose 4.9% to USD 17,826.1 million in 2025 from USD 16,990.7 million in 2024.
Growth was driven by capital and intermediate goods—industrial supplies, freight services, industrial transport equipment, machinery, and mechanical appliances—essential to industrialization.
China and India together supply approximately 39% of Tanzania's Imports, primarily machinery, technologies, and manufactured goods.
Oil imports declined 6.7% to USD 2,380.1 million from USD 2,552.3 million, reflecting moderation in global oil prices, while services payments rose 12.5% to USD 3,144.4 million from USD 2,795 million on higher freight payments.
The trade balance deficit improved to USD 5,157.2 million in 2025 from USD 6,032.3 million in 2024, and the current account deficit narrowed to USD 2,015.5 million from USD 2,379.8 million[1].
Regional Trade Blocs and Frameworks
Tanzania is a member of the EAC, providing access to a combined market of 304 million consumers, and of SADC, with 366 million consumers.
The country has ratified the AfCFTA, opening a continental market of 1.39 billion people, and has been a member of the WTO since 1995.
Under AGOA, Tanzanian goods enjoy duty-free access to the United States, while the European Union grants duty-free access under the Everything But Arms (EBA) program.
Bilateral trade agreements with China, India, Russia, and other major partners further expand market access.
Under FYDP IV, Tanzania commits to at least 70% implementation of AfCFTA, EAC, and SADC regional trade protocols by 2030, and targets raising manufactured Exports from 12% to 30% of total Exports by 2031.
The new US tariff regime places Tanzania in the lowest 10% duty bracket, comparatively favorable versus other African nations at 15-30%.
Trade Partners
Over 73% of Tanzania's Trade is concentrated among ten countries—China, Switzerland, India, South Africa, the UAE, Kenya, the DRC, the United States, Comoros, and Vietnam[3].
Approximately 44% of Exports—minerals, tourism, coffee, cashew nuts, cotton, sisal, tobacco, tea, cloves—are destined for Switzerland, India, South Africa, China, and Kenya.
In Asia, China and India dominate imports (~39%) and rank as top export destinations, while Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, and Israel are growing markets for agricultural commodities, gold refining, and gemstones.
In Africa, Kenya is the largest regional partner, with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the DRC, Comoros, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Morocco rounding out flows under EAC, SADC, and AfCFTA frameworks.
In Europe, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland anchor trade, with the EU collectively accounting for USD 686.3 million in 2024 Exports.
In the Americas, the US leads as a tourism source and notable importer of manufactured goods under AGOA, while Brazil is a growing partner in agribusiness and minerals.
Cashew Exports were sold to 11 countries through the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange digital auction, generating TZS 1.46 trillion in 2024/2025, while meat Exports reached 11 countries including Bahrain, Comoros, Hong Kong, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Vietnam.
Trade Promotion Agencies
TISEZA is the unified one-stop investment and trade authority created in 2025 by merging the former TIC and EPZA, managing all 34 registered SEZs and 31 privately owned Industrial Parks under a single legal regime and issuing every permit through a unified window.
EPZs are no longer treated as a separate legal system under the 2025 Act—they function as a specific category of SEZ focused on production for export, with priority sectors spanning agro-processing, textiles, garments, fertilizer, light manufacturing, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, lapidary, construction materials, and ICT.
TanTrade (Tanzania Trade Development Authority) promotes trade and facilitates business development, updating its Trade Portal with crop-specific export procedures and launching the Biashara App for real-time market price information, while TNCC (Tanzania National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture) represents the private sector and facilitates business networks domestically and internationally.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) drives implementation of the National Trade Policy and AfCFTA coordination, addresses Non-Tariff Barriers, and pursues national branding strategies including the Tanzania Honey Brand Mark and the Made in Tanzania mark.
The Tanzania Electronic Single Window System (TeSWS) streamlines international trade and transport processes through a single entry point, while the Tanzania Electronic Investment Window (TeIW)—launched in 2023 by TISEZA—serves as the digital one-stop-shop for investment-related applications, and the Tanzania Mercantile Exchange (TMX) enables commodity-based price discovery, with gemstone auctions reintroduced in late 2024 in collaboration with the Mining Commission.
Policies
The National Trade Policy 2023, launched in 2024, targets a competitive, export-led economy and addresses gaps in the 2003 policy including policy coherence, institutional coordination, AfCFTA adaptation, e-commerce, and implementation/monitoring.
Strategic priorities include marketing infrastructure, services-sector trade promotion, trade facilitation, e-commerce expansion, trade finance access, and a stronger private sector role in trade development.
Under FYDP IV's Transforming Trade and Logistics commitments, manufactured Exports are to rise from 12% to 30% of total Exports by 2031, the Export Product Diversification Index from 0.4 to 0.52, digital platforms to account for 50% of total trade, and port modernization to handle 20 million TEUs annually, with Tanzania targeting the Top 50 of the global Logistics Performance Index and at least 70% implementation of AfCFTA, EAC, and SADC regional trade protocols by 2030.
Vision 2050 identifies Integrated Transport as a critical cross-cutting enabler, supporting expanded intermodal networks that reduce trade costs and connect domestic production to regional blocs and global markets.
There are 34 registered SEZs—17 publicly owned through TISEZA, 11 privately owned, four owned by local Governments, and two owned by NSSF and TPA—offering fiscal and non-fiscal incentives at all stages[5], with EPZ priority sectors covering agro-processing, textiles and garments, fertilizer and chemicals, light manufacturing, iron and steel, paper, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, lapidary, construction materials, and ICT.
National branding initiatives include the Tanzania Honey Brand Mark and the Made in Tanzania mark, alongside the TanTrade trade portal modernization, while AGOA continuity and US tariff alignment place Tanzania in the lowest 10% bracket with minimal macroeconomic impact given the low US share of total Exports; Tanzania also benefits from UN system engagement through UNCTAD, ITC, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa for trade capacity building.
Investment Opportunities
Export-oriented manufacturing offers strong upside, leveraging SEZ and EPZ incentives across textiles, garments, agro-processing, fertilizer, light manufacturing, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, lapidary, and construction materials.
Regional logistics and trade corridors—particularly the Central Corridor serving landlocked DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Malawi—open opportunities in port modernization, freight terminals, and intermodal hubs.
Cashew nut processing is a standout opportunity, as Tanzania is the world's sixth-largest producer with raw production of 528,263 tonnes in 2024/2025, of which 406,362 tonnes were auctioned generating TZS 1.46 trillion, while coffee, tea, tobacco, cotton, and sisal value chains continue to grow in both volume and price.
AfCFTA penetration is expanding, with Tanzania's exports under AfCFTA reaching USD 3,946.76 million in 2024 and opportunities deepening in continental supply chains, particularly agro-processing and pharmaceuticals, while AGOA value chain opportunities span apparel, leather, and agricultural products for US duty-free access.
Asian markets—China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkey, and Israel—offer growing demand for gold, gemstones, cashew, sesame, avocado, coffee, and leguminous crops; European markets including France, the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland under EBA support high-value horticulture (avocados, flowers), specialty coffee, and certified seafood; African markets including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, and Comoros absorb cement, iron sheets, tiles, edible oils, sugar, and mining products.
Trade facilitation technology—electronic single-window systems, government e-payment gateways, blockchain-based customs platforms, and AI-powered e-commerce gateways under FYDP IV—alongside premium branding for honey, spices, organic produce, and natural products, plus mobile trade apps and trade portal expansion, round out a diverse set of investment entry points for digital trade services, exporter advisory, and SME export readiness.
Last Update: May 2026
References
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Monthly%20Economic%20Review/en/2026021821282158.pdf (Guide reference #49)
- https://www.viwanda.go.tz/uploads/documents/en-1747115028-hotuba_online_compressed.pdf (Guide reference #129)
- https://www.viwanda.go.tz/uploads/documents/en-1722423611-National%20Trade%20Policy%202003%20Edition%202023_compressed.pdf (Guide reference #133)
- https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/africa/east-africa/tanzania (Guide reference #134)
- http://planninginvestment.go.tz/uploads/documents/sw-1725983957-GUIDE%20LINE%20-%20PRINT%20READY.pdf (Guide reference #136)
Want to know more about Trade in Tanzania? Our free Tanzania Business and Investment Guide 2026 covers Trade, plus regulations, key sectors, and investment opportunities—all in one place.
Download Free Guide
