UNITED KINGDOM: TANZANIA'S embassy in the United Kingdom has set priorities for 2024, including increasing sales of Tanzanian products and attracting more tourists to boost the country's foreign currency reserves.
Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki stated that the embassy intends to increase the sale of Tanzanian products in the UK and Ireland, with a target of 700 million US dollars in sales by 2027.
He announced this in his New Year message to Tanzanians living in the UK.
Amb. Kairuki mentioned that in 2023, Tanzania successfully increased its exports to the UK to 200 million US dollars, up from 49 million US dollars in 2022.
The target for this year is to further increase the volume to 250 million US dollars through collaboration with various stakeholders, including farmers, fishermen, herders, miners, and traders.
"The embassy plans to achieve this goal through partnerships and initiatives, such as organizing a meeting on March 29th, 2024, to inform participants about the UK government's trade promotion program and providing a 98 per cent tax exemption for Tanzanian products entering the UK market," explained Amb. Kairuki.
Mr Kairuki urged Tanzanians abroad to participate in the meeting and take advantage of opportunities to sell products in the UK.
The embassy also outlined efforts to attract investments in key sectors such as mining, energy, and agriculture, including participation in the UK-Africa Investment Summit in May.
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Highlighting Tanzania's honor as one of 26 African countries participating, Ambassador Kairuki emphasized the opportunity to showcase investment prospects and facilitate collaborations between Tanzanian and UK companies.
The embassy will also facilitate meetings between the Tanzanian diaspora and investment and trade institutions.
Ambassador Kairuki also emphasized the importance of the UK-Africa Investment Summit for diasporas to discuss potential involvement in buying bonds in their home country.
In the tourism sector, Mr Kairuki said plans include promoting Tanzania in the UK and Ireland to increase the number of tourists from 70,000 in 2023 to 100,000 in 2024.
The Tanzanian envoy also mentioned efforts to strengthen collaboration in the health sector, including organizing the first diaspora meeting with healthcare professionals in the UK and Ireland, as well as senior officials from the health ministries of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.
He stressed that the meeting, scheduled for January 13, 2023, aims to gather input on how Tanzania can benefit from collaboration with the UK and Ireland in the health sector.
Amb. Kairuki urged diasporas in the health sector to actively participate, providing an opportunity for them to share insights and recommendations for enhancing healthcare services in Tanzania through collaboration with the UK and Ireland.
