Ten Products and Services With High Demand and Potential for Future Growth in Tanzania and Africa.

It breaks my heart that most people see only the negative of this country and continent at large. 

They look at our country through political leans. They see political instability, corruption, unemployment, and debts.

This makes it easier to overlook the business opportunities that are also here and growing.

As the country experience rapid growth in population, it becomes the future for many industries. Opportunities are abundant in Tanzania and Africa. We have to get beyond the negative perception to see opportunities.

Successful entrepreneurs in Tanzania and Africa are those who provide products and services that are useful and needed. And are also offers solutions that reflect our peculiar challenges.

Here are products and services with potential for future growth in Tanzania and Africa.

1.Meet the growing need for better education.

The growing market for youth in Tanzania is creating an expanding demand for education. Parents in Tanzania and Africa want to ensure their children inherit their accomplishments rather than their problems.

 They are willing to pay a premium for better-private education services. The growing need for education in Tanzania covers everything from preschool to college.

2.Capitalize on  unreliable electricity supply .

One of the most pressing problems in Africa is the lack of a constant supply of electricity. When the power fails it can mean loss of your work on your computer. Lost food on your refrigerator. Loss of medical equipment at hospitals.

The lack of reliable supply creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to offer generators, inverters, solar panels, solar-powered laptops, etc

3.Help people access clean drinking water.

Helping people access safe water is the biggest opportunity in Tanzania and Africa. Entrepreneurs looking to tap into this market can offer a wide range of products and services including supplying water pumps, water filters, low-cost irrigations pumps, water drilling services, and more

4.Exploit the growing demand for fuel.

The growing population and rising automobile ownership have increased the demand for fuel consumption. No matter how much is imported, more fuel is needed in Tanzania to meet the growing population and to service our economy. 

Ambitious entrepreneurs can meet the fuel need in the region by starting their own petrol station business, setting up an LPGas business, and venturing into a lubricant oil distribution.

5.Maintenance, repair, refurbishments, and renovations.

Many infrastructures and facilities in Tanzania and Africa are twenty or more years and require regular maintenance or replacing. The good news is that there are many facilities in Tanzania. From gas plants to oil storage tanks, oil and gas pipelines through power plants to underground oil storage tanks. So there is are good market in maintenance, repair, and renovations and contractors may find unlimited work.

6.Capitalizing on increasing residential development.

There is increasing commercial and residential development in Tanzania. This influences the demand for building materials such as concrete blocks, cement, and so forth. But if you are going to construct a building, you will also need a roof, steel roof, PVC and PPR pipes, and steel products.

7.Serving the starving crowds.

Every day Tanzania needs to eat. Maize flour(popularly Sembe and Dona) is a major staple food for a large proportion of the population in Tanzania including middle-class families that consume it regularly. Ambitious entrepreneurs can meet the market need by offering the highest quality food prod products including maize flour, rice-wheat sunflower, milk, or meat.

8.Leverage environmental concern and sustainability.

In Africa, there is a growing market for offering products and services that are environmentally friendly. This has led to opportunities in clean cooking fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas (cooking gas), oil recycling, and more.

For example, Increasing awareness of the use of LPG as the best alternative to firewood and charcoal, and the government’s ambition to scale up the use of LPG across the nation, it will lead to an increase in LPG demand to homes, schools, hotels, and restaurants.

9.Logistic and Transportation

A high percentage of goods are transported by road trucks, so innovative professionals like you can launch their own logistics and transportation company and take advantage of this growing industry in Tanzania. The initial cost for setting up your own road transportation business may be high but with a great business plan, it is easier to secure the cooperation of both investors and banks. It’s prudent to start small, and then you may expand your company as your sales grow.

10.Set up a training center.

The biggest challenge in Africa is training shortage. And not a skills shortage. In terms of manpower Tanzanians and African are as brilliant as any other part of the world. They only need the training to deliver excellence.

Employers in specialized industries complain that the market does not produce qualified employees. This creates opportunities for training local workers and moving from just followers to industry leaders and independent professionals

11.Soap and detergents.

People in Tanzania and Africa want soaps to wash clothes. They also need detergent like shampoo to fulfill their internal desire to look good.

                                            Final Words

A person who is interested in developing business opportunities in Tanzania should acquire as much knowledge as they can.

If you don’t have a background in the market, you may work together with a person who has the experience, because valuable insider knowledge could potentially save you monetary and legal problems.

Hussein Boffu runs a consultancy helps entrepreneurs like you build something you are proud of. Reach out to him via email at hussein.boffu@tanzaniapetroleum.com or by calling, texting, or WhatsApp at +255(0)655376543.