Supporting enterprise in ‘Silicon Dar’

Perched on the edge of the Indian Ocean, the city of Dar Es Salaam is the commercial heart of Tanzania with a growing population of over 4 million people. While Dodoma is Tanzania’s official capital, Dar Es Salaam remains a major city and is home to government offices as well as the principal port. It is a bustling hive for the arts, fashion, media, music and film, as well as a leading financial Centre.

Under the leadership of former President Magulfuli however, Tanzania was frequently a difficult environment for foreign business. Critics called it the “Cuba of East Africa” because Magufuli was so dismissive of international investors and banned exports of unprocessed ore which led to a $190bn tax dispute against a global mining company that is now part of Barrick Gold.

In contrast, Tanzania’s new leader, President Samia Suluhu, appears to be taking her country in a very different direction, having been quoted as saying she ‘wants challenges on taxes and other issues’ with mining companies quickly resolved.

Her additional promises of improved diplomatic relations with foreign countries, relaxations of media restrictions and the loosening of red tape for business, has been welcomed by international observers.

Hassan’s first diplomatic missions abroad were to restore relations with her East African neighbours. First, she went to Uganda to sign an agreement with President Museveni and France’s Total to complete a long-delayed oil pipeline linking their two countries. This was closely followed by a two-day visit to Kenya thawing the ice between the two states after years of feuding. President Kenyatta of Kenya said in a joint statement, “Your visit has given us an opportunity to renew our relationship.” He added that Kenya and Tanzania would work together to ensure the unity between them “continues to grow and is strengthened for the benefit of our people.”

“The new president has sent a lot of reassuring signals quickly,” says Margarita Dimova, head of intelligence at strategic advisory firm Africa Practice. “The pendulum appears to be swinging back, after a very testing period for the private sector.

But despite the challenges for business under Magufuli, tech companies and start-ups were fast establishing themselves in Dar Es Salaam earning it the nickname, “Silicon Dar”.

And flexible working providers suited enterprise in this unpredictable environment, offering short term, monthly contracts which enabled them to contract or expand their workspace depending on the economic micro-climate. The benefits offered by a coworking environment in Tanzania quickly caught on.

As coworker.com explains, “The Tanzanian government was the first to pilot a major innovation space in Dar es Salaam, which has been followed by other innovation spaces across the country.”

KOFISI’s serviced office space in Dar Es Salaam is one of its largest office spaces outside of Kenya. Located on Toure Drive in the middle of Oysterbay the building has magnificent views over the Indian Ocean. The offices are within easy reach of the well-known Oyster Bay Hotel and the area boasts some of Dar’s most popular restaurants such as Salt, Zuane as well as Samaki Samaki and Shooters Grill and Soul Treats (if you have a sweet tooth).

KOFISI’s private offices in Dar Es Salaam are fully furnished with modern, plug in and get to work spaces for teams of 4 to 20 people. There’s a large Board Room and Meeting Rooms with one of the KOFISI Team’s favourite Knowledge Rooms for those looking for corporate event space in Dar Es Salaam which includes a full hospitality service – all with flexible monthly contracts allowing businesses to respond quickly to market pressures without tying them down to lengthy leases.

KOFISI’s workspace upgrades include increasing the provision of the most stunning co-working spaces in Dar Es Salaam with monthly contracts that include access to over 30,000 sqft of professional on-site business facilities and reception services.

Business here now has a sophisticated place from where to operate and explore, expand and entrench now the opportunity has arisen.

If you’d like to take a physical or virtual tour of our private offices and co-working spaces in Dar Es Salaam then please call +255 222296000 or visit our website at www.kofisi.africa.