DAR ES SALAAM, April 28 -- AS Tanzania accelerates toward the ambitions of Development Vision 2050, one truth is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: the success of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) will not be determined at the signing table, but at the preparation stage.

For too long, project preparation has been treated as a technical formality rather than a strategic investment. Yet stakeholders are right to describe it as the decisive factor in unlocking investment. Without well-prepared, bankable projects, even the most promising ideas remain trapped on paper, unfunded, delayed, or abandoned before they ever reach implementation.

The numbers tell a story of progress. PPP investments have grown significantly in recent years,...