Dar es Salaam. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Sh849.98 billion were signed on Thursday between the government of Tanzania and European Union (EU) institutions at the ongoing Tanzania-EU Business Forum.
The two-day forum is taking place at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) and was inaugurated today, February 23, 2023, by Vice President Philip Mpango.
Over 700 delegates are participating in the forum, including potential investors from 27 member states of the EU and over 150 local investors, organisers said Thursday.
READ MORE: Tanzania-EU Business Forum Kicks Off As Mpango Woos European Investors
The signed MoUs are the Air Service Agreement between the Government of France and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Agency; an MoU between the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International and Tanzania Ports Authority; the KAKONO – investment for construction of the new hydro-power plant in Kagera region; and an announcement by Knauf Gypsum Tanzania Limited Company to triple their production in the country to EUR47 million by 2025.
Speaking about the Air Service Agreement between Tanzania and France, the Minister for Works and Transport Prof Makame Mbarawa said the deal will lead to closer ties between the economies and people of Tanzania and France.
“The new agreement was necessary for aviation developments and [to] cater for market demands,” Mbarawa said immediately before signing the agreement. “It is an important milestone.”
The new agreement will replace the Air Service Agreement between Tanzania and France which was signed in June 1978.
On his part, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs said the agreement would “significantly boost trade and tourism between both countries.”
During the forum, the Director-General of Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Plasduce Mbossa said that its new partnership with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International would see the two cooperating on consultancies on the preparation and implementation port’s infrastructure and development plans.
“The second area of cooperation will be the supervision of strategic port projects between the government and the private sector,” said Mr Mbossa. “[TPA] is moving from being the port operator to becoming a landlord port. We look forward to letting private operators develop and operate our ports.”
He said through the MoU, TPA expects enhanced efficiency of its ports and thus stimulates other economic activities that depend on the efficiency of the ports.
Mario Lievens, the Director of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, called the signing of the MoU the start of the collaboration between the two entities.
“This partnership will see the two of us developing the getaway to Tanzania and its eight neighbouring countries of which six are land-locked,” he said. “It’ll see us developing an attractive port platform, including logistics and industrial activities to anchor the added values of the geo-strategic position of Tanzania.”
The investment for constructing the new hydro-power plant in the Kagera region is expected to create significant opportunities and stimulate economic development.
