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Tanzania as a respondent in investment arbitration

Last checked: 22 October 2026 · By country

The ICSID Convention entered into force for Tanzania on 17 June 1992 and the New York Convention on 11 January 1965 1,2. The ICSID case search lists 15 cases with Tanzania or a Tanzanian state entity as respondent. Eleven are concluded and four are pending 3. Tribunals rendered awards in six cases. Five ended by discontinuance before an award 3. Tanzania agreed in July 2024 to pay US$90 million to settle the US$109 million Ntaka Hill nickel award, according to the claimants 7.
ICSID Convention
Signed 10 January 1992, ratified 18 May 1992, in force 17 June 1992 1
New York Convention
Accession 13 October 1964, in force 11 January 1965 2
New York Convention declaration
Applies only to awards made in the territory of another contracting state 2
ICSID cases as respondent
15 (11 concluded, 4 pending), including cases against TANESCO and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation 3
Awards rendered
6 cases 3
Largest reported settlement
US$90 million, Ntaka Hill nickel case, per claimant statement of 29 July 2024 7
Status checked
22 October 2026 3

Treaty and convention status

Tanzania signed the ICSID Convention on 10 January 1992 and ratified it on 18 May 1992. It entered into force for Tanzania on 17 June 1992 1.

Tanzania acceded to the New York Convention on 13 October 1964, with effect from 11 January 1965 2. UNCITRAL records a declaration that Tanzania will apply the Convention only to awards made in the territory of another contracting state 2.

ICSID lists treaties with the United Kingdom (1994), Mauritius (2009), Canada (2013), Sweden (1999) and the Netherlands (2001) among the instruments invoked against Tanzania, with several contract claims 3.

ICSID cases with Tanzania as respondent

The table lists every case the ICSID case search returned with Tanzania or a Tanzanian state entity as respondent on 22 October 2026, with the last outcome ICSID records 3.

  • TANESCO has appeared as a claimant too. In ARB/98/8, TANESCO v. Independent Power Tanzania Limited, the tribunal rendered its award on 12 July 2001 3.
CaseClaimantRegisteredICSID outcome
ARB/05/22 3Biwater Gauff (Tanzania) Limited 32 November 2005 3Award 24 July 2008 3
ARB/10/12 3Standard Chartered Bank 311 June 2010 3Award 2 November 2012. Claimant's annulment application discontinued 2 July 2025 3
ARB/10/20 4Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited v. TANESCO 41 October 2010 4Award 12 September 2016. Annulment decision 22 August 2018 4
ARB/15/41 8Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited 830 September 2015 3Award 11 October 2019 3,8
ARB/17/33 3EcoDevelopment in Europe AB and EcoEnergy Africa AB 311 September 2017 3Award 13 April 2022. Annulment discontinued 16 May 2023 3
ARB/19/8 3Ayoub-Farid Michel Saab 316 April 2019 3Discontinued 24 June 2021 for non-payment of advances 3
ARB/19/17 3Richard N. Westbury, Paul D. Hinks and Symbion Power Tanzania Limited 331 May 2019 3Discontinued 31 May 2021 3
ARB/20/25 3Winshear Gold Corp. 327 July 2020 3Discontinued 1 November 2023 3
ARB/20/38 6Nachingwea U.K. Limited, Ntaka Nickel Holdings Limited, Nachingwea Nickel Limited 65 October 2020 6Award 14 July 2023. Tanzania's annulment application discontinued 17 October 2025 6
ARB/21/6 3Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd 39 February 2021 3Discontinued 31 March 2025 3
ARB/23/26 3Brian Malcolm Thomson and Pennyroyal Limited 320 July 2023 3Pending 3
ARB/24/42 3Aqua Power and Catalysis Capital Ltd 39 October 2024 3Pending 3
ARB/25/42 3PanAfrican Energy Corporation 328 August 2025 3Pending 3
ARB/25/43 3PanAfrican Energy Tanzania Limited v. Tanzania and TPDC 328 August 2025 3Pending 3
ARB/25/44 3PanAfrican Energy Tanzania Limited v. Tanzania and TPDC 328 August 2025 3Discontinued 17 December 2025 by agreement 3

Standard Chartered and TANESCO

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) brought a contract claim against TANESCO over a power purchase agreement 4. As reported by Alison Ross for Global Arbitration Review on 24 August 2018, an ICSID ad hoc committee upheld a US$150 million award against TANESCO and rejected several annulment grounds 5. ICSID dates the committee's decision 22 August 2018 4. italaw records the award of 12 September 2016 as damages of US$148,400,000 with interest at simple three-month LIBOR plus 4% 9. The two sources give different figures and both are shown here 5,9.

The same bank brought a separate claim against Tanzania itself, ARB/15/41, which ICSID lists as concerning a power purchase agreement. ICSID and italaw record an award dated 11 October 2019 3,8. The award text was not reviewed for this page and its result is not stated here.

Ntaka Hill nickel award and settlement

The Nachingwea and Ntaka Nickel companies brought ARB/20/38 under the United Kingdom Tanzania BIT of 1994. The tribunal rendered its award on 14 July 2023 and Tanzania applied for annulment on 28 July 2023 6.

In a statement of 29 July 2024, Indiana Resources said the award was US$109 million and that Tanzania had agreed to pay US$90 million in three instalments: US$35 million already received, US$25 million due by 25 October 2024 and US$30 million due by 30 March 2025 7. The company said the parties would ask the committee to suspend the annulment proceeding until the settlement was complete 7.

ICSID records that the annulment proceeding was discontinued on 17 October 2025 6. No official Tanzanian government statement on the payments was reviewed for this page.

Settled and discontinued cases

Five cases ended before an award: Saab, Symbion Power, Winshear Gold, Montero Mining and one PanAfrican Energy case 3. ICSID records the PanAfrican discontinuance of 17 December 2025 as following the parties' agreement 3. The ICSID records opened do not state the terms of any settlement in the other four 3.

Common questions

How many ICSID cases has Tanzania faced?

The ICSID case search lists 15 cases with Tanzania or a Tanzanian state entity as respondent as of 22 October 2026, four of them pending 3.

Did Tanzania pay the Indiana Resources award?

Indiana Resources said on 29 July 2024 that Tanzania agreed to pay US$90 million in three instalments and that US$35 million had been received 7. ICSID discontinued the annulment proceeding on 17 October 2025 6.

Was the Standard Chartered award against TANESCO annulled?

No. As reported by Global Arbitration Review, an ad hoc committee upheld the award, which it put at US$150 million 5. italaw records damages of US$148,400,000 9. ICSID dates the decision 22 August 2018 4.

Is Tanzania party to the New York Convention?

Yes, since 11 January 1965, with a reciprocity declaration 2.

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Sources

  1. ICSID: ICSID/3, List of Contracting States and Other Signatories of the Convention (16 August 2026)
  2. UNCITRAL: Status, Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958)
  3. ICSID: case database search, records checked 22 October 2026
  4. ICSID: case details, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited v. Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited, ARB/10/20
  5. Global Arbitration Review, Alison Ross: Award against Tanzanian state-run company upheld (24 August 2018)
  6. ICSID: case details, Nachingwea U.K. Limited and others v. United Republic of Tanzania, ARB/20/38
  7. Indiana Resources Limited, company statement published by italaw: US$90 million settlement with Tanzania (29 July 2024)
  8. italaw: case page, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited v. United Republic of Tanzania, ARB/15/41
  9. italaw: case page, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) v. Tanzania Electric Supply Company, ARB/10/20

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