The Adani Group is currently in discussions to secure a $900 million (approximately Ksh. 116 billion) contract aimed at enhancing Tanzania’s electricity transmission infrastructure, according to reports from Bloomberg, citing a senior government official with knowledge of the negotiations.
The Indian multinational, headed by billionaire Gautam Adani, intends to establish high-voltage power lines through a public-private partnership. David Kafulila, the executive director of Tanzania’s Public-Private Partnership Centre, shared this information with the news agency.
Furthermore, Bloomberg indicates that Tanzania is also engaged in negotiations with the UK-based Gridworks Development Partners LLP for a $300 million project focused on power lines under a similar public-private partnership framework.
In June, Adani Group’s Adani International Ports Holdings (AIPH) entered into a 30-year concession contract with the Tanzania Ports Authority to oversee the operations of Container Terminal 2 (CT2) at the port of Dar es Salaam. Additionally, the group is affiliated with Adani Airport Holdings Limited, which is embroiled in a contentious $1.85 billion (approximately Ksh. 239 billion) investment proposal with the Kenyan government aimed at upgrading the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.
A legal injunction has paused any developments regarding the proposed lease of JKIA to Adani, pending the resolution of a case filed by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) on September 9, which seeks to block the agreement. The case is scheduled for mention on October 8. Concurrently, Adani is also engaged in a Ksh. 94 billion project with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited to construct 422 kilometers of power transmission lines within the country.
In recent years, Adani has faced scrutiny not just in Kenya but globally. In 2023, the group was accused of fraud and market manipulation by an American investment research firm, and allegations of political corruption, tax evasion, environmental harm, and litigation against journalists have also surfaced.
