Tanzania investment due diligence: test the claims behind the opportunity.

Establish who is making the claim.

Begin with the exact legal entity that you are relying on to own the asset, hold the licence, sign the agreement or deliver the work. A trading name, group brand and project company are not interchangeable. Compare the names and registration details across the pitch, contracts, permits and corporate records.

BRELA’s online services provide access to company registration and information services, including extracts and certificates. Use those records to check the entity presented to you. Then establish who has authority to bind it in your transaction; the registration record alone does not answer that question.

Official source: BRELA Online Services.

Separate a permit from permission to execute.

Ask which approvals are already issued, which are applications, which are conditional and which belong to a different company or activity. Check the issuing body, the named holder, scope, location, conditions and current status. A copy in a data room is evidence to examine, not the end of the inquiry.

Tanzania Investment Centre describes its role in facilitating investors to obtain permits and authorisations from relevant bodies. For a sector-specific claim, check with the competent regulator as well. The Ministry of Minerals links to the Tanzanian mining cadastre, while EWURA publishes electricity licensing information and a list of electricity licensees. Neither an investor-facing summary nor a general investment certificate should be treated as a replacement for checking the underlying sector permission.

Official sources: Tanzania Investment Centre, Ministry of Minerals, and EWURA electricity licensees.

Test the site, not only the site file.

Land documentation, site photographs and a location pin answer different questions. Confirm the land interest claimed by the relevant party, the boundaries and access route, the current use of the site and any physical or community conditions that could affect implementation. Where the investment depends on environmental clearance, distinguish an assessment in progress from an approval already obtained.

TIC publishes guidance on land acquisition for investment, and NEMC operates a project management system for environmental impact assessment and environmental audit processes. These sources help identify the responsible process; you still need evidence tied to your particular site and proposed activity.

Official sources: TIC land acquisition guidance and NEMC Project Management System.

Turn gaps into a decision record.

For each material claim, record the source, the person or body able to confirm it, the date checked, and what remains unresolved. Then ask what the gap changes for you. A missing approval may require a condition before closing; uncertain site access may affect timing or valuation; an unverified counterparty may require deeper inquiry. You should be able to explain your next decision from that record, including the questions you have not yet resolved.

We can help you connect the documents with independent local observations. That gives you and your advisers a clearer view of what the records support, what is happening at the site and what still needs checking.