Dar es Salaam. Tanzania will on Friday, July 24, list its inaugural Tanzanian shilling-denominated offshore bond on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), marking a major step in the government’s efforts to diversify financing for development projects and deepen access to international capital markets.
Finance Minister Ambassador Khamis Mussa Omar is in London to officiate the listing, according to a statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Finance.
The bond, whose value has not been disclosed, is backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector financing arm.
The listing comes as Tanzania accelerates investment in major infrastructure projects, including the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), ports, roads and energy, which require substantial long-term financing.
The Parliament approved a Sh62.33 trillion budget for the 2026/27 financial year in June. Domestic revenue is expected to contribute Sh46.79 trillion, while the remainder will be financed through borrowing and grants.
The government plans to borrow Sh15.54 trillion, comprising Sh6.56 trillion from domestic sources, Sh6.55 trillion in concessional external loans and Sh2.43 trillion in commercial borrowing. Tanzania expects to raise only Sh531.1 billion in grants from development partners.
The amount in grants has been going down each year during recent years.
According to the ministry, the LSE listing will broaden Tanzania’s investment opportunities while diversifying sources of development finance by attracting international investors to shilling-denominated securities.
Ambassador Omar said Tanzania continued to record strong macroeconomic performance and implement reforms that have strengthened investor confidence.
“This event reflects the government’s commitment to diversifying development financing and deepening partnerships with global investors,” he said.
During his six-day visit that started on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, Ambassador Omar is also briefing investors on Tanzania Development Vision 2050 and the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan, highlighting opportunities in infrastructure, tourism, renewable energy, agriculture and critical minerals.
He is also expected to meet senior officials from the World Bank, the LSE and the UK government. He will also participate in investor meetings organised by Standard Chartered Bank.
The minister said bilateral trade between Tanzania and the UK reached 621 million Sterling Pounds in the four quarters ending December 2025, comprising 370 million Pounds in UK exports to Tanzania and 251 million Pounds in Tanzanian exports to the UK.
He called for greater investment in value addition, industrialisation, logistics and export-oriented manufacturing to enable Tanzania to benefit more from the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which provides duty-free access for most Tanzanian exports.
Tanzania’s High Commissioner to the UK, Mbelwa Kairuki, said the roadshow provided an important platform to strengthen engagement with international investors and position Tanzania as an attractive investment destination.
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