Traders vie strong ties with Russia
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA National Business Council (TNBC), Executive Secretary, Dr Godwill Wanga has said that the country will continue to strengthen its relations with Russia as an important partner in trade, investment and political cooperation.
Dr Wanga made the remarks in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday at the Second Russia-Africa Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, the first of its kind to be conducted outside Russia.
“We will continue to seek closer cooperation in these areas to sustain the diplomatic ties built over the past 60 years,” he said.
According to Dr Wanga, currently, trade and investment between Russia and Africa stand at just 20 billion US dollars which is lower than that of India or Turkey, saying the trade and investment between Russia and Tanzania are even lower compared to China and India.
“We see great opportunities ahead to double our efforts to increase trade and investment flows between our two countries in the next decade,” he added.
He said that the robust resurgence of Russia-Africa partnership, since the end of the Cold War, has caught the world by surprise.
“While Russia-Africa cooperation is not new, the changing multipolar world brings new challenges and opportunities for both Tanzania and Russia”.
Dr Wanga said it demands careful deliberations and strategic positioning for both countries in the global order, particularly as they seek to increase trade, investment, cooperation in human resource development, security and defence, natural resource management, and cultural exchanges.
ALSO READ: EIB sets to ramp up investment in Tanzania
He further expounded that, as the number of Russian tourists drives up the tourism industry growth in both Zanzibar and Mainland, the efforts have to be replicated in agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, among many sectors for mutual strategic gains.
Dr Wanga said that the economy of Tanzania has seen growth by 5.3 per cent last year and is expected to grow by 6 per cent in 2024 attributing the development to the implementations of Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s 4Rs (Reconciliation, Resilience, Reforms and Rebuild) philosophy in contribution to the country’s peace unit and people- centred-Development.
He underscored the importance of fostering digital transformation, global connectivity, and cybersecurity measures to strengthen the partnership between Tanzania and Russia, as well as with the broader of other African countries.
Moreover, he recalled Russia-Africa forums of 2016 and 2023, attended by Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa that marked a significant turning point in Russia-Africa relations, demonstrating a strategic commitment to enhancing cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
