Tanzania ramps up efforts to boost exports to UK

DAR ES SALAAM: AS part of the efforts to boost exports to UK, the government plans to host an important stakeholders’ meeting in Dar es Salaam to chart out strategies to fully exploit the European country’s market.

According to the Tanzania’s High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Mbelwa Kairuki (pictured), the meeting will attract traders from both, Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar who are currently exporting goods to the UK and those with future plans to do so.

The diplomat said the meeting is planned to be held on March 28, 2024, and will be graced by Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Ashatu Kijaji. During the meeting, participants will come up with strategies on how to capitalise on the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTC), initiative launched in May last year for the objective of growing trade with lower income nations and supporting jobs.

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Mr Kairuki stated that the meeting will serve as a platform to help Tanzanian traders understand how best to exploit the European nation’s market under the new scheme.

The meeting will be attended by participants from both public and private sector, including ministries and other bodies that deal with trade matters such as Tantrade, Cereals and Mixed Produce Board (CPB), Tanzania Tea Board (TTB), Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), Tanzania Ports Authority ( TPA), Tanzania Railway Corporation ( TRC), Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute ( TARI), Tanzania Private Sector Foundation ( TPSF), Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), The Confederation of Tanzania Industries ( CTI), The Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and The Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) During the meeting, the International Trade Centre will also share with participants its research findings on opportunities available in the UK market.

Last year’s figures showed, the value of products and services sold from Tanzania to the UK market stood at 200 million pounds, and the goal is reach 1 billion pounds by 2030.

According to the diplomat, UK has abundant lucrative opportunities for selling Tanzanian goods, especially through the new arrangement. The DCTC scheme applies to 65 qualifying countries and includes improvements such as lower tariffs and simpler rules of origin requirements for countries exporting to the UK.

The new UK scheme means more opportunities and less bureaucracy for developing countries, for example by simplifying rules of origin requirements for the least developed nations.