How Tanzania can create fruitful co-operation with Saudi Arabia

When we talk about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or Great Saudi Arabia as its fans like to call it, we are talking about a country with political weight at the regional and international level, and therefore it is important for Tanzania to create fruitful cooperation with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to reflect this cooperation on the country more.

The Kingdom’s position on the international stage under the leadership of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Mohammed bin Salman’s consolidation of power, ambitious reforms, foreign policy initiatives, and economic influence have made him one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world today. His actions and decisions continue to shape the future of Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region, and as a result, the young prince was able to break into Forbes’ top 10 most powerful people in the world in 2018.

Saudi Vision 2030
Through Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to upgrade its governmental institutions, through which it has achieved many targets at the national and international level, and Saudi Arabia has advanced in international indicators and rankings, and it continues according to a comprehensive approach based on careful review and prioritisation.

Saudi Arabia has achieved many fundamental achievements during this great journey. Among these are the Kingdom’s non-oil activities, which recorded its highest contribution to real GDP (50%) last year, enhancing the sustainability and inclusiveness of growth and achieving high quality in economic diversification, and the Public Investment Fund continues its role in achieving its objectives to be a driving force for investment.

In the field of tourism, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia set the national tourism strategy, which was launched in 2019, with a target of one hundred million tourists in 2030, and this target was exceeded and reached one hundred and nine million tourists in 2023, and the Kingdom achieved the sixteenth place among the most competitive countries, and with the exploration of natural resources, the Kingdom becomes one of the largest stores of natural resources in the world, and has achieved an advanced position in the field of renewable energy and has become one of the most active players in it regionally and internationally.

As a result of its achievements and vision, the Kingdom today enjoys a global trust that has made it one of the first destinations for global centres and major companies, foremost among which is the opening of the regional centre of the International Monetary Fund, centres for multiple international activities in sports, investment and culture, and a gateway for cultural communication, which contributed to its selection to host Expo 2030.

Diplomacy and Mediation
Through its prominent figures in diplomacy and mediation, Saudi Arabia has a high-level position through its neutrality and justice, which it derives from its integrity and the true Islamic religion, as it plays an important diplomatic role in many crises, such as the war in Gaza and the Russian-Ukrainian war, coordination and cooperation between countries for peaceful communication, making it a reliable party to mediate in meetings and international peace summits.

Economic and political influence
Saudi Arabia is the largest oil exporter in the world and is currently seeking to diversify its economy in many fields by strengthening its economic relations with multiple countries, which contributes to increasing its influence and impact on the international arena. Saudi Arabia is the most prominent influencer in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the OPEC group, and is a prominent member of the G20, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international organisations. All these organisations and groups are of great importance, which raises its status in its international relations.

Independence of its political decision-making
Saudi Arabia enjoys its independence in foreign policy, away from US hegemony, through its wide influence that enables it to build alliances with other international powers such as China or Russia. This approach makes Saudi Arabia a force to be reckoned with, as it is not subject to any country in the world and chooses its friends based on its regional and international alliances and interests. In short, Saudi Arabia is a major player on the international scene thanks to its organic diplomacy and economic influence.

Saudi Arabia and Tanzania; aspects of joint co-operation and ways to enhance them
The Kingdom’s humanitarian role in Tanzania
Saudi Arabia has different and great humanitarian works in Tanzania, specifically through the King Salman Relief Centre (KSrelief), which was the last of its charitable works in Tanzania.

From 4 to 14 September 2024, the voluntary medical team of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) conducted 50 people and 30 open heart surgeries, all of which were completely successful, within the voluntary medical project for open heart surgery and catheterisation for children in the city of Dar es Salaam, Republic of Tanzania.

In 2018, the good and humanitarian hands in Saudi Arabia worked without an appeal, but took the initiative to contact the parents of the Tanzanian Siamese twins Anisia and Maryness for help to separate the twins, after Saudi Arabia sponsored their travel to Saudi Arabia and the operation at King Abdullah Children’s Specialised Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, in accordance with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Anisia and Maryness were joined at the lower chest, abdomen and pelvis, each with one lower limb, and shared a third lower limb, liver, intestines, urinary and reproductive systems.

The operation took about 13 hours across 9 stages with the participation of 32 specialised doctors, surgeons, technicians and nurses. The operation was highly successful and the children returned home with their mother in 2021 and were welcomed by the Saudi Embassy and Tanzanian Ministry of Health officials.

In October 2023, in accordance with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the specialised surgical team was able to separate the Tanzanian Siamese twins ‘Hassan and Hussein’ at King Abdullah Hospital King Abdullah Children’s Specialty Hospital at King Abdulaziz National Guard Medical City in Riyadh, after a complex 16-hour operation carried out in 9 stages, in which 35 consultants and specialists from the departments of anesthesiology, paediatric surgery, paediatric urology, plastic surgery and orthopaedics, in addition to nursing and technical staff, participated.

Establishment of the Joint Political Committee
Regular high-level meetings: Establishing regular meetings through the Joint Political Committee between government officials from both countries can ensure continuous dialogue on common interests and challenges, in addition to looking at activating pending agreements between the two countries and establishing new agreements in broader areas.

Volume of trade between the two countries
The volume of trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Tanzania reached SAR 5.517 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2023, in favour of Saudi Arabia by SAR 5.4 billion, while Tanzania’s exports to Saudi Arabia during the same year amounted to about 117.6 million SAR ($31 million)>
Among the most prominent Saudi exports to Tanzania during 2023 were motor fuels, oils and mineral waxes worth SAR 4.7 billion (about $ 1.25 billion), followed by plastics and their manufactures worth SAR 304.9 million (about $ 80.9 million), followed by fertilisers worth SAR 168.8 million (about $ 44.7 million).

Saudi Arabia’s imports from Tanzania during the same period were edible meat, entrails and limbs, copper and its manufactures, as well as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and others.
Considering the status of relations between the two countries, these figures need to be boosted by: –
Strengthening Business Relationships
Diversify trade products: Both countries should diversify the range of products traded.
Saudi Arabia could increase its imports of Tanzanian goods such as agricultural products, textiles, minerals, and livestock, which are much cheaper than in Saudi Arabia and can be profitable.

While Tanzania could import more petrochemical products, in addition to importing dates, which are heavily consumed in Tanzania during the holy month of Ramadan, in addition to importing Arabic clothing such as “abayas”, Arabic dress and “shemagh”, which is becoming increasingly popular in Tanzania, especially during the festive seasons.

Direct Trade Agreements:
Establishing direct trade agreements or preferential trade arrangements can facilitate smoother transactions and reduce tariffs, encouraging more companies to engage in bilateral trade. Saudi businessmen can set up business ventures in Tanzania, which has a lot of business opportunities such as agricultural projects that, if optimally invested, can generate a lot of profits for investors.

Promoting Investment Opportunities
Investment forums: Organising investment forums and trade missions can connect Saudi investors with Tanzanian companies. These events can showcase investment opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, energy and infrastructure.
Concessionary financing: The Saudi Export-Import Bank can provide soft loans to Tanzanian companies to promote local production and industrialisation, especially in sectors such as meat, fish and fruits.

Promote tourism co-operation
Direct flights: Increasing the frequency of direct flights between major cities in both countries (e.g., Jeddah and Dar es Salaam) would boost tourism.

This would make travelling easier for tourists and businessmen alike, and Tanzanian citizens can experience tourism in Saudi Arabia, which has opened its tourism industry significantly to its visitors through various festivals such as Riyadh Season and Boulevard.

While Saudi citizens can enjoy tourism in Tanzania through many tourism activities such as hunting and sniper tourism, as well as enjoying the beaches of Zanzibar, which is one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

Cultural exchange programmes: The implementation of cultural exchange programmes would enhance understanding and familiarity between the peoples of the two countries. This could include art exhibitions, educational exchanges, and joint tourism promotion.

Co-operation in the sports field
Cooperation in the field of sports, especially football, has a great role in strengthening relations between the two peoples due to the overwhelming popularity of this game in both countries, and that Mr. Wallace Karia, President of the Tanzania Football Federation, visited Saudi Arabia in December 2023 and signed an agreement with his Saudi counterpart, Mr. Yasser Al Mesahal, a cooperation agreement in several fields, a very successful step through which, for example, friendly tournaments can be held before the start of the sports season, bringing together the elite Saudi clubs such as Al Hilal the leader of clubs in Asia and the 2nd Fifa world club 2022, and Al Ittihad the dean of Saudi clubs, against the two pairs of Tanzanian clubs Simba and Younga who have popularity and widespread support in the region.

Without forgetting that Saudi Arabia through its many possibilities, won the bid to organise the FIFA World Cup in 2034.

It is worth mentioning that a number of Tanzanian players have played in the Saudi football leagues, most notably Simon Msufa, the star of the Tanzanian national team. and Tanzanian woman footballer Clara Luvanga also features in the Saudi Women’s League, where she is the leading scorer for Saudi league with Al Nassr FC.

On the other hand, the Tanzanian sports sector has utilised a number of Saudi experts, most notably Tanzanian national team goalkeeping coach Osama Al Hamdan, who holds the highest training certificate in the world in the field of goalkeeping.

By implementing these strategies and enhancing bilateral cooperation, Saudi Arabia and the United Republic of Tanzania can significantly strengthen their bilateral relations, leading to mutual economic growth and development in various fields of mutual interest.

Shamsan Tamimi is a Media researcher