TANZANIANS and foreign investors have been invited to explore a number of investment opportunities available in Njombe, Morogoro and Coast regions.
The available opportunities vary from mining, agriculture, industries and transport, which upon effective utilisation will play a crucial role in ensuring food security and fostering development.
The opportunities were unveiled on Saturday during an online meeting organised by Watch Tanzania, involving the three regions.
Speaking during the forum, Njombe Regional Commissioner Mr Anthony Mtaka said there are a number of opportunities that can be tapped within his areas of administration, among them coal and iron deposits.
He said that the region hosts about 420 million tonnes of coal reserves and 126 tonnes of iron ore deposits, which if effectively utilised can help in transforming the country's economy.
"I invite Tanzanians from all over the country and foreign investors to tap the opportunities available in this region, where investment in this sector is projected to create more that 30,000 new employment opportunities from Mchuchuma and Liganga mines in Ludewa District," Mtaka said.
According to Mr Mtaka, roads leading to the prospective mining sites are under construction, noting that compensation for land occupants near the mining areas will be effected as soon after the verification is completed.
He noted that the demand for coal is growing, while the ongoing Russian - Ukraine war has contributed to the price hike where a metric tonne has tripled to 45 US dollars from 13 US dollars in the past three years.
Mtaka said other opportunities in the southern highland region are in agriculture sector coupled with favourable climate for cultivation of food crops for domestic consumption and export.
"Such opportunities lie in growing crops like avocados, Irish potatoes and maize among others," he said.
Mr Mtaka told the meeting participants that up to 206 bags of Irish potatoes can be harvested in a single acre, similar to 600 bags of maize in the same piece of land.
He articulated that the weather in his region support livestock keeping, where a single cow can produce up to 80 litres of milk.
The RC noted that while Tanzania imports about 1.5 million tonnes of wheat flower, Njombe Region can produce half of the imported tonnes, calling upon Tanzanians to grab such opportunity by embarking on wheat framing.
Mkuranga District Commissioner (DC) Ms Khadija Ali said that Coast region is assured of reliable power supply because large gas pipelines pass through the region, adding that so far 16 industries have been connected to the pipeline.
She said that in order to ensure that investment activities do not affect other human activities, the region has allocated 23 industrial parks, of which four parks have the capacity to accommodate 300 industries each, among them Kwala Industrial Park.
"As we speak, Kwala Industrial Park is the first industrial park in East Africa in terms of size and the first strategic park in Africa... we have completed construction of the park's infrastructure by 42 per cent," she added.
The DC encouraged investors in the tourism sector to invest in the Coast region due to the presence of four kilometers wide beaches in Mafia, Bagamoyo and Mukuranga districts, noting that infrastructure of the areas has been improved.
The Mkuranga DC also unveiled that currently there is an ongoing construction of a dry port in Kibaha and Kisarawe districts.
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The DC further highlighted the presence of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), which has been completed by 75 per cent, and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) as part of the attraction for investors to invest in the region.
On his part, Assistant District Administrative Secretary (DAS), from Morogoro Region, Mr Anza-Amen Ndossa said that fertile land in the region is the first opportunity which Tanzanians and foreign investors can take advantage. He said the region has 1,772,597 hectares suitable for agriculture.
He said Morogoro Region's economy depends on agriculture by 67 per cent, while 16per cent comes from industry and commerce and 17 per cent from other economic activities.
"67 per cent of all sugar produced in the country comes from Morogoro region and we still have a large area for investment in sugarcane farming." he said.
