Competition for upstream oil and gas investment in Africa is set to deepen as Tanzania positions its vast natural gas resources and planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure as key attractions for global energy investors.

The Managing Director of Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), Charles Sangweni, said the country is leveraging its 57.54 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven natural gas reserves, repeatable deepwater discoveries and a stable investment framework to secure fresh exploration and production investments.

Speaking during a fireside dialogue on Tanzania’s upstream future with AOW Energy’s Paul Sinclair, Sangweni said the country’s offshore discoveries in the Indian Ocean have significantly reduced exploration risks while opening new opportunities for long-term commercial development.

“Tanzania’s upstream story has shifted from frontier to something much more exciting, with a real risk-adjusted opportunity on the table for operators and investors,” he said.

According to him, confidence in Tanzania’s petroleum sector is underpinned by decades of exploration success, beginning with gas discoveries at Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay and extending to major deepwater finds between 2010 and 2015.

“Confidence in any upstream jurisdiction begins with the subsurface. Tanzania offers an exceptional combination of scale, prospectivity and geological consistency,” Sangweni said.

As African countries increasingly seek to monetise natural gas resources amid growing global energy demand, Sangweni said Tanzania is targeting a larger role in regional and international gas markets through the development of an LNG project in Lindi and the expansion of domestic gas infrastructure.

He noted that natural gas remains central to industrialisation energy access and economic growth, describing it as a transition fuel with “lower carbon emissions compared to many other conventional fossil fuels”.

Beyond resource development, Sangweni stressed that investors are being offered a predictable operating environment supported by reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s legal and institutional framework.

“Upstream petroleum investments are long-term… Tanzania has made significant progress in strengthening its institutional and legal framework,” he said.

He added that while financing constraints, infrastructure gaps and evolving energy transition policies remain concerns across the industry, they are “manageable through strong partnerships, sound policy frameworks and long-term strategic planning”.

Sangweni also identified regional collaboration and strategic partnerships as critical to unlocking new investment flows, saying Tanzania is seeking investors with technical expertise, financial capacity and a commitment to local content development.

“With the right collaboration and investment approach, Tanzania is well positioned to unlock the full value of its petroleum resources responsibly and sustainably,” he concluded.