ZANZIBAR — Zanzibar’s government has called for deeper public-private cooperation to boost trade, investment and the island’s integration into East African and global markets.
Speaking at the EABC CEOs’ Roundtable and Invest.East Africa! Zanzibar Edition, Permanent Secretary for Trade and Industrial Development Dr Habiba Hassan said the East African Community (EAC) offered significant opportunities to expand trade, investment, employment and regional value chains.
She said Zanzibar had potential in tourism, the blue economy, agribusiness and agro-processing, fisheries, logistics, financial services, information and communications technology and small and medium-sized enterprises.
But she said unlocking that potential would require a stronger business environment, better infrastructure, greater access to finance, a skilled workforce and simpler regulations.
“Government alone cannot deliver economic development,” Dr Hassan said, calling for sustained dialogue with businesses to identify challenges and ensure practical solutions are implemented.
She also urged investors and businesses to see Zanzibar not simply as a market, but as a gateway to wider EAC and international opportunities through investment, value addition and partnerships.
Ali Amour, chairman of the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) and a former EABC board member, said regional integration should deliver tangible benefits for businesses by reducing trade barriers and improving regulatory predictability, logistics, access to affordable finance, energy and technology.
He also called for stronger local value chains and greater opportunities for small businesses, young people, women and communities across both Unguja and Pemba.
EABC Executive Director Ahmed Farah said the roundtable aimed to move beyond discussion by linking specific investment opportunities with investors, financial institutions and development partners.
He identified the blue economy as a major growth area for Zanzibar and East Africa, alongside five priority sectors under the Invest.East Africa initiative: digital economy and artificial intelligence; tourism and logistics; health and pharmaceuticals; critical raw materials and carbon credits; and agribusiness and trade.
ZNCC Executive Director Hamad Hamad called for more practical integration of Zanzibar’s private sector into EAC and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) opportunities.
He said programmes should focus on helping MSMEs gain access to markets, improve export readiness, adopt digital technologies, develop investment partnerships and participate in blue-economy value chains.
The meeting brought together government officials, business leaders, investors and development partners to discuss trade barriers, investment opportunities and partnerships aimed at strengthening Zanzibar’s position as a gateway between East Africa, the wider African market and the Indian Ocean economy.
