DITF attracts 26 foreign countries

DAR ES SALAAM: PREPARATIONS for the 48th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) that is expected to kick off today has reached 97 per cent, the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) has said.

“The annual event received a major rearrangement to reflect its status knowing that it has an international aspect and will attract participants to invest in the country,” the TanTrade Director General, Ms Latifa Khamis told ‘Daily News’ yesterday.

Ms Khamis said 26 foreign countries have confirmed to participate at the 48th DITF and more foreign participants are expected to come as TanTrade continues to receive applications.

In addition, she said TanTrade in collaboration with Tanzanian embassies and ambassadors managed to motivate and invite foreigners in this year’s DITF.

“The country’s economic diplomacy and the fair’s increasing activities especially corporate days also contributed heavily to attracting exhibitors,” she said.

The DITF has positioned itself as an international trade promotion platform. It is considered to be the largest in East Africa.

According to Ms Khamis, latest technologies like the Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be one of attractions to be showcased at the 48th edition.

“This year’s exhibition will have unique attractions to be showcased, including new technologies like AI which is an important initiative. This trade fair also seeks to promote transfer of technologies through the exhibitions,” said Ms Khamis.

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Meanwhile, the DG said TanTrade has renovated a big international pavilion that will accommodate more than 300 exhibitors at once, being decorated by robots.

“The pavilion has capacity to accommodate more than 300 companies, particularly foreigners at a time and also there will be a hall for B2B meetings that will be conducted during the exhibition,” she said.

She said that four provinces from China will participate in this year’s trade fair edition, as opposed to last year, whereby only Shandong Province came and brought more than 150 participants.

Ms Khamis mentioned the countries that will participate in the exhibition as China, Türkiye, India, Singapore, Syria, Japan, Iran, Pakistan and United Arabs Emirates (UAE).

Others are Zambia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Rwanda, Commoro, Mauritius, Oman, Mozambique, Egypt, Indonesia, Switzerland, Italy, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Ms Khamis said during the exhibition there will be country corporate days.

The East Africa Commercial and Logistics Centre (EACLC), the exclusive agency that mobilised Chinese companies, said more than 300 companies from China will participate in the 48th exhibition.

The EACLC Sales Manager, Ms Seven Sun said Chinese companies are interested in trade fairs because every time they came, they managed to close business deals.

“The Chinese people have a good tendency of sharing information when they see a business opportunity, so this year they have come twice as much as last year.

In the 46th exhibition, there were only 50 companies.

The data shows they are increasing year by year,” said Ms Sun. Ms Sun said this year companies will bring various technologies including machines