Dar es Salaam — 'FROM Russia with Love' is one of the best films in the James Bond's series based on the 1957 novel by Ian Fleming. In the film, James Bond is sent to assist in the defection of Corporal Tatiana Romanova in Turkey.

Though the movie is typically of Bond's style of spy series, the name of the movie is nowadays widely used as slogan to welcome Russians in a foreign country.

Recently Tanzania received a high powered delegation of Russian industrialists who came under umbrella of Russian-Tanzanian Economic Forum.

The business delegation comprised representatives of Russian Chamber of Commerce as well as Chief Executive Officers from prominent Russian companies.

The companies deal with a range of products including production and supply of various machines and for track services or transport and mechanical engineering, production of instructional and training light airplanes for air photo survey.

Others were those dealing with aero tourism and business travel, equipment for detection, auto tracking, anti-poaching, positioning and motion determination of ships, geo-studies for oil, gas and mining explorations, as well as earth moving and agricultural equipment.

It was a rare opportunity to get businessmen from Russia of such caliber as in recent years Tanzania had witnessed business forums coming from China, Japan and even India.

Traditionally, Russia and Tanzania had a long history of good relationship, but more on political and traditional, especially on education exchanges.

This time Russians did not only bring love to Tanzanians but also hope to the business community and the economy of the country.

Though, they agree that they were late to come and invest in Tanzania but they say it is never too late. ìWe know there are many opportunities in Tanzania and there is nothing like being late, says the Russian Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Leonid Safanov.

He says Tanzania has great potential for agriculture but it looses a lot of money because it exports raw materials such as of cotton, coffee, tea and fruits instead of processed products.

The ambassador also says the Russians are deeply interested in helping the mining industry because there are other minerals and germs that are under utilized in Tanzania.

'There is a lot of mineral wealth here but you are not fully utilized the resources. Foreign companies only come here for gold but this country has everything,'  says the ambassador.

The Executive Director of JSC-Vniizarubezhgeologia, Mr Gennady Sidorin says the southern, central parts of the country and south of Lake Victoria had not been surveyed well in geological maps.

'We can help to improve the efficiency in geological surveys in order to improve extraction of mineral in those areas,' he says.

The pipes producing company, TMK, Executive Director, Mr Sergy Zinchenko says Tanzania poses great treasury in natural resources such as natural gas and oil where his company can supply pipes in the area.

Infact Zinchenko says TMK which is the third largest in the world, plans to establish a branch in Tanzania to fulfill the demand of pipe industry and create jobs.

'The prospect of cooperation between these countries is wide open,' he says during the forum in Dar es Salaam. There were also discussions on possibility for investment and provision modern railways and its tools in the troubled Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL), Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara).

The Minister for Industry, Trade and Marketing, Dr Mary Nagu welcomed the guests by offering them plenty of opportunities to invest. 'We have the resources and various investment opportunities for the Russian investors,' she says.

Dr Nagu told the delegates that Tanzania's priority is to increase its processing capacity so that to disengage from exporting raw products and promote Kilimo Kwanza Initiative.

'We need the partnership and cooperation of Russians to come and team up with our local entrepreneurs to develop and expand the Tanzania's capacity in the processing and manufacturing industries,' she said.

She told the investors that Tanzania's capacity in agroprocessing was small and that the country needed capital and technology to improve the value addition.

She said improved partnership between the countries would improve trade volumes and reduce trade imbalance that has remained in favor of Russia over the years.

Statistics show that between 2004 and 2008 exports from Tanzania to Russia grew from 1.4bn/- to 5.9bn/- but imports from Russia grew from 2.3bn/- to 87.8bn/-.