By Edha Nahdi
The last fortnight has, in many ways, reignited a historical brotherhood that is deeply ingrained between Kenya and Tanzania.
Multiple events from the KSh 4.5 billion announcement by Amsons Group to construct ten Mother and Child hospitals, President William Ruto’s state visit to Tanzania and the hosting of Tanzania – Kenya Business Forum 2026, all point to a bilateral economic and political rewakening.
For me, these events serve to illustrate our shared interests and destiny as neighbouring countries, and, above all, as a common market. At an individual level, these shared interests and destiny have continued to define my investment focus.
See, when Amsons Group made the strategic decision to invest heavily by mobilising Tanzanian capital to Kenya, most notably through our US $300 million acquisition of Bamburi Cement, controlling stake acquisation in the East African Portland Cement and our recent US $250 million commitment to the green clinker plant in Kwale, we were guided by a single conviction: that the East African Community is not just a political bloc, but a single, vibrant economic engine.
True to form, our corporate experience in Kenya has been one of growth and warm reception. We have found a market that is hungry for infrastructure and a workforce that is exceptionally skilled.
By acquiring a 69% stake in East African Portland Cement and taking the helm at Bamburi, we haven’t just bought assets; we have embraced the responsibility of powering Kenya’s 10-year national development roadmap. The bold and ambitious KSh 5 trillion roadmap to be financed by the National Infrastructure Fund aims to transform Kenya into a first-world economy by developing strategic infrastructure, all of which is heavily reliant on cement and concrete products.
From where we sit, we have seen firsthand that when Tanzanian capital meets Kenyan industrial spirit, the results are transformative.
Economic investments, by all means, ride heavily on foreign policy and political goodwill. On this score, I must commend the excellent and friendly policy environment set out by President Dr William Samoei Ruto, which has played a significant role in our adaptation to the Kenyan Business Environment.
Having come to Kenya and done it, in recent months, I have been actively urging my fellow Tanzanians to seize this extraordinary opportunity to invest in Kenya. I have also not spared a moment to implore Kenyan entrepreneurs to consider expanding into Tanzania, a land of untapped opportunities that offers the right environment to build the industrial hub of our great continent. Undoubtedly, Kenya and Tanzania offer different opportunities, each with its own unique advantages.
Buoyed by recent developments and political goodwill spearheaded by Presidents Samia Suluhu and William Ruto, Amsons Group is committed to playing a role as an economic development bridge. We see a future where a truck carrying cement from Tanga to Nairobi, or fuel from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam, moves with the same ease as a commuter in a single city.
In all my engagements with Heads of State, I’ve also not missed an opportunity to remind them that political will is needed to dissolve non-tariff trade barriers. As entrepreneurs across borders, our ask is for continued predictability in the investment climate and for further streamlining of cross-border labour and capital flows.
At Amsons, we are not just investing in cement or energy; we are investing in the undefeated East African spirit for economic and social growth.
Mr Edha Nahdi, is the Group Managing Director, Amsons Group