JK relishes TZ, Canada longstanding bilateral relations
FORMER President Mr Jakaya Kikwete, has met and held a brief conversation with the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Justin Trudeau, during a cocktail reception held in the capital city of Ottawa, in the North American country.
During their brief conversation, Mr Kikwete appreciated Canada for upholding the longstanding bilateral relations between the two countries particularly investments and support of various development projects which have been extended to Tanzania from Canada.
On his part, the Canadian Premier thanked the former Tanzanian leader for attending the cocktail reception, which was hosted in honour of Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat.
Mr Trudeau informed Mr Kikwete that his government greatly appreciates bilateral relations between Canada and Tanzania and pledged to cement even further the cooperation between the two countries.
The Canadian PM also confided to former President Kikwete that he still has good memories of his visit in Tanzania in 1981, when his father Pierre Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada.
According to information availed on the website of the Canadian High Commission in Tanzania, last year two-way merchandise trade between Canada and Tanzania totaled 217.8 million US dollars, consisting of US 194.1 million dollars in exports to, and US 23.7 million dollars in imports from Tanzania.
The data reveal further that Tanzania is one of the largest recipients of Canada’s international assistance totaling US 133.9 million dollars during 2020 and 2021.
In total, the North American country has contributed US 3.4 billion dollars in development assistance to Tanzania since its independence in 1961.
Tanzania is also a growing market for Canadian businesses where her mining companies are among the largest foreign investors in Tanzania.
Business opportunities for Canadian companies active in Tanzania exist in power, renewable energy, and the emerging oil and gas sector.
Canada is a strong advocate for responsible business practices in Tanzania, having sponsored conferences with strong participation from the Government of Tanzania, the business community and civil society organizations.
In the framework of Canada’s Market Access Initiative for Least Developed Countries, Tanzania has duty-free access to the Canadian market for almost all commodities. A bilateral Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) came into force in December 2013.
Since the 1960s, Canada has also supported training for Tanzania’s armed forces. In 2014, the country contributed US 1.3 million dollars to build the new Tanzanian Peacekeeping Training Center in Dar es Salaam.
The two countries established diplomatic relations after Tanzania gained its independence in 1961.In Tanzania, Canada maintains a High Commission in Dar es Salaam, which is concurrently accredited to Zambia, Comoros and Seychelles while Tanzania also has a High Commission in Ottawa.
What is more, Tanzania and Canada have shared interests in international fora such as the United Nations (UN) and the Commonwealth on important issues such as gender equality, combatting climate change, sustainable development, refugees in addition to regional peace and security.
