Major diplomatic gains notched

TANZANIA: TANZANIA has registered diplomatic achievements in expanding international partnerships, opening investment opportunities and strengthening trade and transport cooperation during President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s first year in her current term.

Through state visits, bilateral agreements and international engagements, the country has advanced cooperation in tourism, energy, mining, skills development and regional connectivity, creating opportunities for economic growth and stronger international relations.

The engagements have been guided by Tanzania’s Foreign Policy of 2001, 2024 edition, which maintains the country’s commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, human rights, democracy, good neighbourliness, African unity and economic cooperation with development partners.

Presenting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation’s 2026/27 budget estimates in Parliament, Minister Dr Mahmoud Thabit Kombo said the principles also emphasised non-alignment, cooperation among developing countries and support for the United Nations in promoting economic development, peace and security.

He said adherence to the principles had helped maintain Tanzania’s international standing through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation. Addressing the 13th Parliament in Dodoma on November 14, 2025, President Samia emphasised the importance of translating diplomatic openings into reliable markets for Tanzanian products, particularly pigeon peas, green grams and sesame.

“In expanding our markets abroad and using the opportunities offered by our economic diplomacy to access markets we have already opened, we will ensure these opportunities result in implementable agreements that guarantee reliable markets,” she said.

At the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in February 2026, President Samia held talks with UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with both sides committing to advance arrangements for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and a Bilateral Investment Treaty.

The proposed frameworks are intended to strengthen trade, protect investments and improve the business environment between the two countries. President Samia also promoted Tanzania’s investment opportunities, stressing infrastructure development, including ports, railways and energy projects.

At the same summit, she met Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne to explore cooperation in trade, tourism, education and human capital development. Discussions with UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais focused on sustainable tourism, digital marketing and community-based tourism, including opportunities linked to Tanzania’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The engagements broadened Tanzania’s international outreach and provided platforms for promoting its tourism attractions and investment opportunities to new partners. Investment promotion continued during President Samia’s visit to Russia in June 2026, where she held talks with President Vladimir Putin and participated in the 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

She invited Russian investors to explore opportunities in Tanzania’s mineral resources, including uranium, nickel, graphite, helium and rare earth minerals, emphasising the need to expand domestic processing and manufacturing rather than depend on exports of raw materials.

The discussions covered mining, energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, transport, tourism and industrial development. Tanzania also set an ambition to increase exports to Russia from about 70 million US dollars to 500 million US dollars by 2030. One of the practical outcomes was the introduction of direct Air Tanzania flights linking Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Moscow in July 2026.

The connection is expected to facilitate business travel, tourism and trade while improving access between the two countries. Tanzania and Russia also signed a tourism cooperation agreement covering promotion, investment and skills development.

Further discussions explored cooperation in agriculture, fertiliser supplies, energy, science and technology. President Samia’s diplomatic outreach also strengthened relations with Singapore. In June 2026, Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited Tanzania in the first state visit by a Singaporean head of state, coinciding with 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two presidents witnessed the signing of five agreements covering the avoidance of double taxation, skills development, carbon trading, diplomatic consultations and industrial and trade cooperation. The agreements provide a framework for improving business relations, strengthening professional skills, supporting climate cooperation and facilitating investment.

They also create opportunities for Tanzania to draw on Singapore’s experience in trade facilitation, industrial development and skills training. President Samia invited Singapore to deepen its engagement with Tanzania and explore opportunities for cooperation through the East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Relations with Egypt also advanced during President Samia’s July 2026 engagement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, whose state visit focused on expanding cooperation in electricity, renewable energy, transport, healthcare, science and technology.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding covering electricity and renewable energy cooperation and transport. The agreements provide a basis for collaboration in ports, railways, aviation and maritime transport, while discussions also addressed Egypt’s potential involvement in the development of Bagamoyo Port.

The engagements opened further opportunities for infrastructure investment and commercial cooperation, although the proposed projects require continued negotiations and implementation. President Samia also used continental platforms to strengthen Tanzania’s role in addressing shared development challenges.

At the African Union health summit in Accra, Ghana, in July 2026, she advocated greater domestic investment in healthcare and stronger African cooperation to build sustainable health systems. Her appointment as African Union Champion for Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health provided an additional platform for promoting maternal and newborn care, childhood vaccination and stronger health services across the continent.

In regional diplomacy, Tanzania continued to reinforce relations with neighbouring and other African countries through engagements focused on peace, trade and connectivity. During her visit to Angola in August 2026, President Samia promoted closer economic relations and cooperation in oil and gas, mining and investment.

The engagement laid a foundation for further collaboration between the two countries’ investment promotion authorities and for businesses to explore opportunities in their respective markets. The relationship gained fresh momentum on October 29, 2026, when President Samia held talks at State House in Dar es Salaam with Angolan President João Lourenço during his state visit to Tanzania.

The visit carried historical significance, coming nearly five decades after Angola’s founding president, the late Dr Agostinho Neto, visited Tanzania in 1979 during Southern Africa’s liberation struggles. President Samia said trade and commercial cooperation remained limited despite the longstanding political ties, calling for practical measures to increase exchanges between the two economies.

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“We have agreed to organise a business and investment forum so that our businesspeople and the private sector can explore areas in which they can cooperate,” she said.

The proposed forum is expected to bring businesses together to identify investment opportunities, establish partnerships and expand trade. It represents a direct effort to turn the countries’ historical friendship into commercial benefits for their citizens.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of four bilateral instruments, a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and three memoranda of understanding covering information and communication technology, the transfer of sentenced persons and meteorology.

The leaders had agreed to strengthen cooperation by linking transport corridors and improving connections with the Port of Dar es Salaam. They also explored the rehabilitation of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway and Angola’s Benguela railway, which passes through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Energy and mining provided further opportunities for Tanzania to gain from the relationship.

President Samia said Angola had invited Tanzania to explore cooperation in oil refining, with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation examining the possibility of participating in an oil refinery project.

The proposed engagement offers Tanzania an opportunity to learn from Angola’s petroleum sector and assess potential cooperation in refining and energy development.

Any participation will depend on the outcome of the preliminary assessment and subsequent agreements.

Across the year, country’s diplomatic engagements have focused on expanding markets, attracting investment, improving transport links and strengthening cooperation in sectors linked to national development.