THE Sixth Phase Government has put a special emphasis on economic diplomacy, mostly through its envoys in different countries.
Economic diplomacy is becoming increasingly important in foreign policy. It enriches the more traditional and well-known focus of diplomacy by strengthening the role of economic and trade relations, which have proved to be a priority element of international relations in this century.
It is the use of government recourses to promote the growth of a country’s economy by increasing trade, promoting investments, collaboration on bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, among other things. It can also mean the use of the economy to promote foreign policy objectives.
It is against this background, Zanzibar President, Dr Hussein Mwinyi tasked Tanzanian envoys abroad to aggressively market the country’s business and investment opportunities in their respective duty stations.
He said so because the country relies on them to spearhead economic diplomacy as well as accelerate economic transformation. He was speaking to ambassadors, consular generals and ambassadorial representatives in a conference that took place in Zanzibar.
In a broad sense, economic diplomacy can be defined as any diplomatic activity that promotes the state’s economic interests. It also includes diplomacy that uses economic resources to achieve a specific foreign policy objective.
In a narrow sense, economic diplomacy is about export promotion and inward investment. This is sometimes called commercial diplomacy.
As Zanzibar and Tanzania are endowed with tourist attractions as well as marine resources that support blue economy , tourism, ports, fishing, marine transport, oil and natural gas as well as seaweed farming, the envoys should focus on that and lure more tourists, investors and get markets for Tanzania produced goods and food.
The government is investing heavily in investment supportive infrastructures, some of them being construction of trunk and feeder roads, airports and the envisaged Mangapwani integrated project.
This comes as it has also been revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation is reviewing the country’s international relation policy, as the 2001 policy is outdated.
Apart from the envoys, all stakeholders should effectively participate to market the country.
The exchange of goods demonstrates the value of bargaining, fosters skill in the activity, and cannot flourish in the absence of civil – if not necessarily friendly – relations.
Economic diplomacy requires application of technical expertise that analyse the effects of a country’s (receiving state) economic situation on its political climate and on the sending state’s economic interests.
The sending state and receiving state, foreign business leaders, as well as government decision-makers, work together on some of the most cutting-edge issues in foreign policy, so sound judgment and strong business skills are all needed in the execution of economic diplomacy.
