In July, the opposition criticized the $250m (£205m) deal as violating Tanzania’s constitution and endangering national sovereignty.

For planning anti-government protests, activists petitioned a court to halt the deal.

DP World will manage two-thirds of the Dar es Salaam port for the next 30 years after the high court in Tanzania’s south-western town of Mbeya dismissed the petition.

Tanzania will retain 60% of earnings and no jobs will be lost, said Transport Minister Makame Mbarawa, whose office did not respond to earlier requests for comment.

Within a decade, DP World anticipates doubling revenue and reducing vessel clearance times from 12 hours to 60 minutes.

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu signed the agreement due to chronic inefficiency, corruption allegations and competition from Kenya in freight management.

The government has a duty to respond to public concerns because this is a democracy,” she said during the signing in the administrative capital, Dodoma.

After China, Europe and the US, the UAE is the fourth-largest investor in Africa. Africa’s infrastructure and energy sectors have received nearly $60 billion in investments over the past decade.

With port operations in Angola, Djibouti, Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal and Somalia, DP World – established in 1999 and owned by Emirati ruling families – has increased those inroads.