It’s beyond history

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA and Namibia yesterday agreed to elevate their long-standing historical ties into a stronger economic partnership focused on trade, investment and job creation, as Presidents Samia Suluhu Hassan and Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah pledged to deepen cooperation across key sectors of their economies.

The commitment followed bilateral talks between the two leaders and was underscored by the signing of four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering trade cooperation, defence, promotion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and a partnership between Zanzibar Municipal Council and the Municipality of Swakopmund.

President Samia said the move was necessary because economic cooperation between the two countries remains below its potential despite decades of strong historical relations dating back to the liberation struggle.

Speaking during the joint press conference in Dar es Salaam, she said bilateral trade between Tanzania and Namibia stood at only about 17.8bn/- (7.8 million US dollars) in 2024, a figure that does not reflect the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

“Despite the good historical relations that exist between Tanzania and Namibia, we still have a long journey ahead to ensure that this relationship matches the level of economic development we want for our countries and our people,” President Samia said during a joint press conference.

She said the two leaders agreed on measures to expand economic cooperation in trade, investment and other strategic sectors, including food security, the blue economy, mining, oil and gas.

President Samia encouraged business communities from both countries to take advantage of the available opportunities.

“I wish to use this opportunity to encourage Tanzanian business people to seize the many trade and investment opportunities available in Namibia and equally encourage Namibians to come to Tanzania and do the same,” she said.

President Samia said discussions also focused on strengthening cooperation in the blue economy, noting that both countries are endowed with abundant marine resources that can contribute significantly to economic growth and the livelihoods of citizens who depend on them.

She said the two countries would also deepen cooperation in the oil and gas sector through knowledge exchange and capacity building between their respective national institutions.

“As you know, Tanzania and Namibia are among the countries blessed with significant gas resources. This is one of the strategic sectors capable of transforming our economies,” she said.

President Samia further said the two countries had agreed to strengthen cooperation in livestock development, describing Namibia as one of the countries that has made remarkable progress in the sector.

During their bilateral talks, she said other areas discussed included tourism, civil aviation and the possibility of establishing direct flights between Tanzania and Namibia to facilitate trade, tourism and people-topeople exchanges.

The two leaders also discussed promoting Kiswahili in Namibia. President Samia said Namibia had requested Kiswahili teachers to train government officials, particularly those working in the Ministry of International Relations and Trade, and Tanzania had agreed to support the initiative.

For her part, President Nandi-Ndaitwah said the primary objective of her State Visit was to transform the longstanding political solidarity between the two countries into practical and tangible economic cooperation.

“The era we are in demands that the bond we share in diplomacy translates into wealth creation, job creation and poverty eradication for the citizens of both Namibia and Tanzania,” she said.

She said discussions centred on priority sectors capable of driving modern economic growth and improving the welfare of citizens in both countries. The Namibian leader called for the removal of bureaucratic barriers that hinder trade and investment, stressing the need to strengthen cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries.

“While governments can create an enabling environment and sign treaties, it is the private sector that acts as the true engine of economic growth,” she said.

She said the agreements signed during the visit would help translate the strong political and historical relations between the two countries into concrete development outcomes.

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President Nandi-Ndaitwah paid tribute to Tanzania’s contribution to Namibia’s liberation struggle, saying the friendship between the two countries was built on a solid foundation laid by founding leaders Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Dr Sam Nujoma.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah is in Tanzania on a State Visit during which she is expected to visit several sites linked to Namibia’s liberation history and her personal connection with the country.

Her itinerary includes visits to Magomeni Mikumi in Dar es Salaam, where she once lived, the former Namibian liberation fighters’ camp at Kongwa in Dodoma Region and the plot earmarked for the Namibian High Commission in the Mtumba Diplomatic Enclave in Dodoma