The 17th Investment Policy Forum took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 16 to 18 September 2026. The three-day event brought together government officials, investment policymakers, negotiators, international institutions and regional bodies from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The forum aimed to discuss how investment policies can generate jobs, skills, technology, stronger supply chains and domestic value addition.
Discussions at the forum focused on strengthening coherence across international, regional and national levels of investment governance. The goal was to ensure that investment policies support sustainable development. The forum also addressed how investment governance can respond to geopolitical shifts, technological advancement, climate change and evolving international trade and investment rules.
Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of State for Planning and Investment, Pius Stephen Chaya, spoke at the opening ceremony. He said the forum provides an important platform for policymakers, practitioners and experts to exchange experiences and strengthen investment governance. Chaya also highlighted that the forum comes at a crucial time when the global investment landscape is undergoing major transformation driven by geographical shifts, technological advancement, climate change and evolving trade and investment rules.
Chaya outlined Tanzania’s investment institutional reforms, including the establishment of the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA). TISEZA is the principal institution responsible for coordinating, promoting, facilitating and enabling investment. He emphasized that investment governance should focus not only on attracting capital but also on the wider economic benefits generated by investment.
Dr. Nathalie Bernasconi, IISD Vice-President for Global Strategies, also spoke at the forum. She noted that the world is moving from a period of dominance by one economic superpower to one of strategic competition between two countries. However, Dr. Bernasconi argued that this disruption creates opportunities for countries to rethink trade and investment rules.
Dr. Bernasconi added that the ideological foundations of trade and investment rules that often constrained developing countries are no longer firmly entrenched. This creates space to shape new rules around today’s development priorities. She emphasized that investment should create domestic value, meaning jobs, skills, technology, global industries, stronger supply chains and greater value addition at home.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) established the Investment Policy Forum as a platform for officials from developing and emerging economies to exchange experiences and develop approaches to investment governance. The forum was first held in Singapore in 2007 and now takes place every two years. Its work includes investment treaties, policy reforms and investor–state dispute settlement.
Key points
- The forum aimed to discuss how investment policies can generate jobs, skills, technology, stronger supply chains and domestic value addition.
- The forum brought together government officials, investment policymakers, negotiators, international institutions and regional bodies from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
- The Investment Policy Forum was first held in Singapore in 2007 and now takes place every two years.
