Tanga, Tanzania | 13–15 August 2026
The Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) has concluded a three-day member engagement visit in Tanga, bringing the organisation’s leadership directly to manufacturers across different sectors to understand their operating environment, recognise progress, identify emerging opportunities and gather evidence to strengthen industry advocacy.
The engagement, held from 13th to 15th August 2026, was led by CTI Chairman Mr. Hussein Suphian, Vice Chairman Eng. Benedict Lema, and Executive Director Eng. Leodegar Tenga, together with the CTI Tanga Outreach, led by its Chairman Dr. Azim Fazal.
The visit formed part of CTI’s continued efforts to maintain close engagement with members and ensure that policy advocacy is informed by the realities experienced by industries on the ground.
Rather than bringing members to Dar es Salaam to tell their stories, CTI took the conversation to the factories.
Understanding Industry from the Factory Floor
The first two days involved visits to a diverse group of manufacturers, providing the CTI leadership with an opportunity to engage directly with company management and understand the specific realities of their operations.
The engagement began with Sandali Wood Industries Limited, led by Dr. Azim Fazal, who also serves as CTI’s Tanga Outreach Chairman.
Sandali Wood demonstrated the potential of local value addition and responsible manufacturing, transforming timber into finished products while promoting responsible use of wood resources. The company also utilises wood waste to produce briquettes, demonstrating how manufacturing by-products can be converted into useful alternative energy products.
The CTI team subsequently visited Anjari Soda Factory Limited, a long-established Tanzanian manufacturer of soft drinks. The engagement provided an opportunity to understand the realities of beverage manufacturing, including the importance of developing practical skills that respond to the needs of industry.
At Mamujee Products Limited, CTI engaged with the beauty, personal care and healthcare manufacturing sector. The company produces a wide range of locally manufactured products, including skincare, haircare, baby-care, hygiene and other consumer products.
The discussion highlighted the importance of a predictable regulatory environment, particularly the impact of multiple regulatory authorities, compliance requirements and associated costs on manufacturers.
The visit to Ashers Industries Limited demonstrated another dimension of industrial growth.
The company exports to Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, while employing more than 120 women. Ashers also uses approximately 50% solar energy in its operations, demonstrating how manufacturers are increasingly looking at renewable energy solutions to improve operational resilience.
Beyond manufacturing, the company also contributes to community development through initiatives supported through the Rotary Club in Tanga, including water, health and sanitation projects, classroom improvements and provision of textbooks.
At Tanga Pharmaceutical & Plastics Limited (TPPL), CTI engaged with a manufacturer operating across pharmaceuticals, personal care and plastics. The visit provided insight into the importance of strengthening local value chains and creating an enabling environment for domestic manufacturing.
Industry Responding to Energy and Environmental Challenges
The second day of the engagement began with a visit to Pee Pee Tanzania Limited, where the CTI leadership met with Corporate Affairs Manager Mr. Rajiv Bopiaya.
One of the key issues discussed was power reliability, including significant voltage fluctuations that can affect industrial machinery, production, and operational efficiency.
However, Pee Pee Tanzania is responding to the challenge through investment in renewable energy. The CTI team was taken through the company's 1.25 MWp solar PV system commissioned along with a 2 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), providing reliable and efficient energy support for their operations.
Pee Pee Tanzania also demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability through the utilization of waste materials to create useful products, including crates and durable flooring solutions. The approach demonstrates the potential of circular manufacturing, where waste is treated as a resource that can be recovered and transformed into new value.
Cement Industry: Competitiveness Remains a Concern
The engagement continued with a visit to Huaxin Cement Tanzania Limited (Maweni), where CTI leadership met with Country Manager Mr. James Jing.
The cement industry continues to face concerns around the TZS 21.60 per kilogramme excise duty on cement, which manufacturers say places pressure on production costs and competitiveness.
The industry has also raised concerns regarding the 16% Free Carried Interest under the Mining Act, particularly in relation to industrial minerals used as raw materials in manufacturing.
These concerns reinforce the importance of ensuring that policies affecting raw materials and industrial production are considered in the context of the entire manufacturing value chain.
Tanga Cement: A Longstanding CTI Member and Industry Partner
From Huaxin Cement, the CTI leadership continued to Tanga Cement Plc, where they met with Mr. Vijay Singh, Plant Manager, and Mr. Chacha Semberi, Financial Controller.
Tanga Cement is one of CTI's oldest and most active members.
The engagement provided a valuable reminder of what collective industry representation means in practice. When manufacturers consistently share their experiences, challenges and evidence, CTI is better positioned to take those issues into policy dialogue.
Among the concerns raised was the continued challenge of power shortages and reliability in Tanga, highlighting a growing need to ensure that infrastructure and energy systems keep pace with industrial growth.
The company also highlighted concerns around the 3% royalty on limestone, particularly its non-deductibility, which can contribute to higher production costs, reduced margins and competitiveness challenges across the value chain.
Yogi Polypack: Manufacturing Capacity and Industrial Investment
The CTI engagement also continued with Yogi Polypack Industries Limited, a Neelkanth Group enterprise.
The visit provided an opportunity to understand the scale of investment taking place in Tanga's manufacturing sector and the role of industrial groups in developing interconnected value chains.
Yogi Polypack manufactures polymer-based packaging products for industrial use, while the wider Neelkanth Group has investments across several sectors, including chemicals, mining and metals, salt, cables, printing, steel, real estate and polymer manufacturing.
The engagement demonstrated how investment in one manufacturing segment can support and connect with other parts of the industrial ecosystem through raw materials, packaging, logistics, employment and supporting services.
For CTI, understanding these linkages is important in advocating for policies that enable industries to invest, expand production, create jobs and compete regionally.
From Factory Visits to a Members' Roundtable
Following two days of factory visits, the engagement culminated in a Members' Roundtable with the CTI Tanga Outreach.
The roundtable provided an opportunity for CTI members to collectively discuss the current business and industrial environment in Tanga and to reflect on the issues raised during the factory visits.
While each sector has its own specific realities, several cross-cutting concerns emerged, including:
• Power reliability and voltage fluctuations
• Multiplicity of regulatory authorities and compliance requirements
• Skills gaps and the need for more practical, industry-ready graduates
• Production costs and taxes and levies
• Raw material availability and costs
• Market access and regional competitiveness
• Logistics and infrastructure
• The need for a more predictable and conducive business environment
At the same time, the discussions highlighted the resilience and potential of Tanga's industries, including investment in renewable energy, waste utilization, regional exports, local value addition, employment creation and community development.
Turning Industry Concerns into Action
The three-day engagement also provided CTI with an opportunity to recognize areas where Government has responded to concerns raised by industry.
Among the advocacy outcomes discussed were the removal of the TZS 2 per bottle EPR charge and the reduction of the Port Infrastructure Development (PID) Levy to 1.5% for eligible industrial raw materials.
However, CTI recognizes that several challenges remain and require continued engagement with Government and other stakeholders.
The Tanga visit therefore goes beyond a listening exercise. The issues collected from members will inform CTI's continued evidence-based advocacy, engagement with relevant authorities and follow-up with individual members and the Tanga Outreach.
As Tanzania advances towards Dira 2050, creating a business environment that enables industries to invest, innovate, employ, export and compete will be critical.
CTI will continue to go where the industries are, listen to members, understand the evidence and work with Government and other stakeholders to turn industry concerns into practical solutions.
CTI Takes Industry Engagement to the Ground in Tanga, Listening to Members and Advancing the Industrial Agenda