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The South African business delegation comprising of 20 business leaders touched-down in Arusha, Tanzania on a mission to explore and foster investment relations with Tanzania. The delegation forms part of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) led Outward Selling and Investment Mission (OSIM) to Tanzania. The mission coincides with the 40th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair which officially began on Tuesday, 28 June until Friday, 8 July 2016 where some of the companies will be showcasing their products.

Speaking at the business seminar held as part of the first of the two leg mission, the dti Director for Export Marketing in Africa, Ms Seema Sardha said the aim of the mission was to expose South African companies to the myriad of opportunities in Tanzania. She added that the mission also aimed to cement the close historical, economic and political ties that have bound the two economies since the establishment of the 1994 diplomatic relations.

“In a bid to optimize on the trade and investment opportunities in Tanzania, the dti decided to complement their participation in the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair by embarking on an Outward Selling and Investment mission. We felt that it was important for our businesspeople to be aware of other investment opportunities that exist in Tanzania,” said Sardha.

In addition, Sardha stressed that value addition needed to form part the nexus of the bilateral trade relationship, as focussing on the current commodity structured trade would not yield the much needed creation of value chains, which are critical in ensuring structural growth for both economies.

“This was also important in attaining our objectives as espoused in the African Agenda 2063 as well as the SADC Industrialization strategy and roadmap,” she said.

According to Sardha, an analysis has revealed that there lies an abundance of opportunities within the infrastructure, agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, ICT, tourism, energy, advanced manufacturing and the financial services sectors in Tanzania. She highlighted that the scoping exercise conducted on arrival also confirmed that there was much potential for South African and Tanzanian companies to partner in the sectors of roads, telecommunications, construction, water and textiles.

“We envisage that the partnerships emanating from these engagements would create the way for increased cooperation, development and prosperity for our people, as a result addressing structural challenges relating to unemployment, inequality and poverty alleviation that plague both of our countries,” said Sardha.

The Chairman of the Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Mr Walter Maeda highlighted that the recent discovery of gas had attracted significant attention from big multinationals looking to establish operations with Tanzanians. He said they welcomed partnership from the South African companies in terms of exploration and distribution.

“We have a substantial abundance of resources but lack the skills to develop these resources. We look upon South Africa with its expertise to help capacitate us where we are lacking and allow our countries to mutually benefit from each other,” said Maeda.

The programme comprised of business-to-business meetings between companies from the respective countries as well as site visits to a few identified companies in Arusha.

Caption: the dti Director for Export Marketing in Africa, Ms Seema Sardha delivering a presentation during the seminar as part of the Outward Selling and Investment Mission in Arusha, Tanzania.

Issued by Department of Trade and Industry