Questions to answer before you commit
How can I tell whether a Tanzania investment offer is genuine?
Treat mismatched names, unverifiable permissions and pressure to pay as reasons to pause, not proof of fraud. Check the specific asset, authority and recipient through independent sources before deciding.
Should I pay an upfront fee to secure a mining or infrastructure deal?
First establish who is entitled to receive the money, what enforceable right it buys and whether the underlying licence or mandate exists. Use qualified advisers before making a payment that may be hard to recover.
Start with the payment and authority story
Be careful when a deposit, “processing fee” or exclusivity payment is demanded before you can confirm the recipient, the asset and the proposed rights. Compare the beneficiary account and contracting entity with corporate records and signed authority documents. Pressure for speed is a reason to slow the decision, not an independent diagnosis of dishonesty.
A connection to a senior person or a government meeting does not itself establish permission to sell an asset, award a contract or waive a regulatory step. Ask what document creates the claimed authority and who issued it.
Mining: maps and samples are not title
A concession map may be outdated, cover a different holder or describe an area outside the proposed deal. A sample can be real without proving a resource or a transferable right. Verify the mineral-right identifier, holder and present status through the competent authority, then commission independent technical review and a site check.
If the promoter cannot reconcile the licence holder with the seller and the payment recipient, record the discrepancy explicitly. Do not call it fraud until evidence supports that conclusion.
Energy: “grid-ready” is not a connection
An energy model can assume a grid connection or offtake that is still under discussion. Ask for the applicable EWURA status, utility correspondence, connection studies, signed agreements and conditions. A preliminary letter is not the same as capacity reserved on agreed commercial terms.
The red flag is the mismatch between the claim and its supporting evidence, especially when the timetable or valuation depends on that claim.
Infrastructure: introductions are not awards
A promoter may present a public-sector introduction, concept note or draft memorandum as an awarded infrastructure mandate. Check the contracting authority, procurement or PPP pathway, executed documents, land process and any required approvals with independent professional support.
Where facts remain unresolved, preserve a copy of every version supplied and do not convert an indicative project into a committed revenue assumption.
What to do when a claim fails a check
Stop the affected payment or decision, request a written explanation and use independent counsel for any legal conclusion. Ask an unconflicted local verifier to document the contradiction and the primary source behind it. The outcome may be a correctable error, a changed transaction price, a delay or a decision to withdraw.
Primary sources and limits
Use these sources to start your checks. They do not confirm the status of the deal in front of you, and records and rules can change. Get current official confirmation and the relevant specialist advice before you rely on a claim.
Make the next decision with evidence.
Bring us the opportunity and the questions you cannot yet answer. We can discuss the local checks you need, alongside the legal, financial, environmental and technical work for your specialist advisers.
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