Tanzania launches new industrial policies in efforts to advance industrialization

DODOMA: TANZANIA has launched the Sustainable Industrial Development Policy 2025 and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Policy 2003, with the government seeking to strengthen industrial growth, expand employment opportunities and promote entrepreneurship.

Speaking during the launch in Dodoma, Minister for Industry and Trade, Judith Kapinga, said the country was positioning its locally manufactured products to compete effectively in regional and international markets, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

She said Tanzania was targeting to sell 30 per cent of its locally manufactured industrial products within the AfCFTA market, emphasising that competitiveness would depend not only on prices but also on product quality, packaging, standards and reliable supply.

“We have continued to champion the promotion of free trade in Africa and are positioning ourselves to ensure that 30 per cent of our locally manufactured industrial products are sold in this market,” she said.

Kapinga said Tanzania remained committed to regional and international trade agreements but would take necessary measures to protect domestic industries whenever such arrangements threatened local production and investment.

She cited the country’s marble industry, supported by significant investments through the Gudu factory, as an example of the need to safeguard local industrial capacity while pursuing international market opportunities.

The minister said the two policies were intended to connect large-scale industrial development with the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), creating a more inclusive and productive economy.

She said the government aimed to increase the number of productive businesses, generate employment, expand production infrastructure and improve services available to entrepreneurs, while strengthening access to finance, technology and production facilities.

Kapinga said the success of the new policy framework would be measured by the number of businesses growing from small to medium and large enterprises, employment generated and their contribution to the national economy.

She added that changing global trade dynamics, technological advancement and growing environmental requirements had made it necessary for Tanzania to align its industrial policies with emerging international standards and market expectations.