Tanzania strikes gold in Africa50 Forum, President Museveni tour

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA stands to benefit from the Africa50 meeting and the recent visit by Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni through increased opportunities in infrastructure, energy, trade and regional economic integration, Government Communication Unit Director and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Spokesperson Ambassador Mindi Kasiga has said.

Speaking during a programme on Radio One on August 11, Ambassador Kasiga said the Africa50 meeting demonstrated Tanzania’s growing role in advancing infrastructure development and economic cooperation across Africa.

She said Tanzania’s experience in expanding electricity infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, has positioned the country as an example of how effective policies and adequate infrastructure can help address major development challenges.

Ambassador Kasiga said the Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity, demonstrates the importance of infrastructure investment in improving people’s livelihoods.

She explained that access to electricity enables people to establish businesses and improve their living conditions.

“If you give someone the opportunity to access electricity, you have enabled them to do business and to find better ways of managing their lives, which they could not do before,” she said.

Kasiga said Tanzania’s geographical position gives it a strategic advantage as a gateway to East Africa, noting that the country is connected to the sea while surrounded by several land-linked countries without direct access to the ocean.

She said Tanzania should maximise this position by expanding infrastructure and developing new economic opportunities.

“We want to show our fellow Africans that it is possible when you have strong policies, adequate infrastructure and the opportunities that we have been blessed with as the gateway to East Africa,” she said.

She said infrastructure such as the Port of Dar es Salaam, other ports, logistics hubs and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) could generate greater economic benefits if complementary infrastructure is expanded.

Museveni Visit to Boost Energy Cooperation

On President Museveni’s recent visit to Tanzania, Ambassador Kasiga said the two countries witnessed the signing of an agreement to develop a major energy facility in Tanga.

She said the project would complement the EACOP, which will transport crude oil from Uganda to Tanzania, and further strengthen Tanga’s potential to become a major energy hub in East Africa.

Kasiga said the cooperation would go beyond employment creation by expanding infrastructure and opening up additional business and investment opportunities.

She stressed that Tanzania’s geographical position should be transformed into tangible economic benefits for citizens and the wider region.

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“We are implementing a foreign policy that brings positive results to the economy of individual Tanzanians, while also strengthening the African economy,” she said.

Kasiga further called for deeper East African cooperation, saying Tanzania, as a founding member of the East African Community, should pursue stronger partnerships that maximise opportunities arising from its strategic location, infrastructure and energy potential.