The Omani-Tanzanian Business Forum was held on the sidelines of the 50th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, widely known as Saba Saba 2026, which ran from June 28 to July 3. The forum brought together companies, officials and investment bodies from both countries for talks on import and export processes, market access, investment openings and the practical barriers that still limit bilateral commerce.
The event was organised by the Omani Products Promotion Supervisory Team, known as OPEX, in cooperation with Oman’s embassy in Tanzania. Oman’s participation at Saba Saba formed part of a broader effort to position its manufacturers, logistics firms and service providers before buyers and distributors in East Africa, a region where port-led trade, food security needs and industrial expansion are creating new openings for Gulf companies.
Oman’s pavilion at the trade fair featured 24 companies and public-sector entities from industrial, commercial and service sectors. The delegation showcased products and services linked to manufacturing, packaging, quality compliance, logistics and investment facilitation. OPEX brings together Madayn, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Riyada, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority.
For Muscat, the forum fits into a wider export-diversification strategy under Oman Vision 2040. The plan places emphasis on manufacturing, logistics, tourism, fisheries, mining and other non-hydrocarbon sectors as the country seeks to reduce reliance on oil and gas revenues. East Africa is increasingly being viewed as a natural extension of Oman’s commercial geography because of its location across the western Indian Ocean and its long-standing business, cultural and maritime links with Zanzibar and the Tanzanian coast.
Tanzania offers a complementary opportunity. Dar es Salaam port handles the overwhelming share of the country’s international trade and serves landlocked markets including Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Investments in port operations and railway links are aimed at turning Tanzania into a stronger regional logistics gateway. For Omani exporters, that creates a route not only into Tanzania’s domestic market but also into the wider East and Central African hinterland.
Trade between the two countries remains modest but has clear room to expand. Oman’s exports to Tanzania are led by refined petroleum, fertilisers and other industrial products, while Tanzanian exports include agricultural goods, meat products, sesame seeds, wood and other commodities. The trade balance has generally favoured Oman, making market diversification and value-added exports from Tanzania an important part of the bilateral discussion.
The forum also comes after a series of exchanges aimed at giving economic ties a more formal structure. A Tanzanian delegation visited Oman in 2025 for talks with business groups, while an Omani business delegation travelled to Tanzania later that year to study opportunities in energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and logistics. Both sides have also moved to reduce fiscal barriers through a double-taxation agreement, designed to make cross-border investment more predictable.
Participants at the Dar es Salaam forum focused heavily on procedures. Exporters from both countries have faced the familiar problems of customs documentation, standards recognition, payment channels, shipping costs and limited knowledge of each other’s business environment. Business councils and chambers are expected to play a larger role in matching companies, identifying reliable distributors and helping smaller firms move beyond exhibition contacts into signed orders.
The commercial logic is reinforced by broader shifts in global trade. Gulf economies are looking for new food suppliers, manufacturing destinations and consumer markets, while African economies are seeking investment in processing, logistics and industrial parks. Tanzania’s priority sectors include manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, energy, gas and mining. Oman brings port experience, logistics infrastructure, industrial-zone development and a growing base of non-oil exporters seeking scale outside the Gulf.
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