The Tanzanian seaweed sector has been the recipient of several funding initiatives, as well as the subject of government commitments toward its expansion over the past few years.
For instance, in 2024, Zanzibar, Tanzania-based seafood firm Zanzibar Seaweed Company (ZASCO) signed an agreement with a financial lender to back the expansion of seaweed-processing infrastructure in the region, including a factory on the island of Pemba.
The same year, female seaweed farmers operating in the Western Indian Ocean secured access to private-sector financing up to USD 50 million (EUR 43.4 million) over a five-year time frame. The funding aims to support them in introducing farming technology, boosting the resilience of their enterprises against climate change and increasing production of high-quality seaweed.
More recently, Tanzania launched a USD 117 million (EUR 99 million) World Bank-funded fisheries and aquaculture project that, among other initiatives, includes access to USD 18.4 million (EUR 15.6 million) to boost the development of seed production, grow-out, post-harvest handling, value addition, and marketing of seaweed and sea cucumber.
Additionally, the East African country’s government has announced six priorities aimed at unlocking the potential of its seaweed industry, including tax relief for equipment costs, more funding toward value-added projects, protection for long-term investment and more, aiming to reverse the country’s reputation as a notoriously difficult place to invest.
Despite all of these efforts, the value and quantity of Tanzania's seaweed exports continued to decline for the third consecutive quarter through the first quarter of 2026.
The Bank of Tanzania indicated in its latest statistics that export volumes for Q1 2026 declined to 200 metric tons (MT), marking the lowest total since Q2 2025 when the country exported 1,400 MT. The value of those exports declined to USD 8,500 (EUR 7,467), down from USD 689,100 (EUR 605,345) in Q3 2025 and USD 453,800 (EUR 398,644) in Q4 2025.
Tanzania accounts for 92 percent of Africa’s total seaweed output.
