29/07/2025
BusinessFULL LIST: Tanzania Bans Foreigners from Operating Key Small and Medium Businesses
The Tanzanian government has issued a directive barring foreigners from engaging in at least 15 categories of business activities traditionally reserved for nationals.
The directive, officially named The Business Licensing (Prohibition of Business Activities for Non-Citizens) Order, 2025, was signed and released by Minister of Industry and Trade Selemani Jafo. It takes immediate effect.
The newly banned activities for non-citizens include:
Wholesale and retail trade (excluding supermarkets and outlets for specialized products)
Small-scale mining
Mobile money transfer services
Ownership and operation of radio and television stations
Operation of gambling machines outside casinos
Tour guiding
Real estate brokering
Clearing and forwarding services
Licensing authorities have been directed not to issue or renew licenses for foreigners intending to operate in these prohibited sectors.
“Upon coming into effect of this order, licensing authorities shall not issue or renew a licence for a non-citizen to carry out any of the business activities prohibited under this order,” the ministry stated.
The move follows growing public concern that foreign nationals—particularly from countries such as China—have been engaging in small-scale and retail businesses, especially in high-density trading zones like Dar es Salaam’s Kariakoo market, areas that locals say should be preserved for Tanzanian entrepreneurs.
Tanzania now joins a rising number of African nations — including South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Swaziland, Zambia, and Botswana, that have implemented similar protectionist measures to ring-fence certain business spaces for their citizens.
Analysts say the directive may trigger a mix of outcomes.
While it aims to create a more enabling environment for Tanzanian citizens to thrive economically, critics warn it could potentially dampen foreign investor confidence, particularly among small-scale and informal investors already operating in the country.
