President Samia Suluhu Hassan's visit to Egypt has signalled efforts to further strengthen the country's foreign policy by embracing the world for growth, analysts have asserted. They said as President Samia is taking crucial efforts to enhance Tanzania's multilateral ties, then her subordinates should work hard to ensure the initiative pays off.
On Friday, the Head of State completed her three-day visit to Egypt in response to an invitation by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of the Northern African country. During her visit, President Samia and her host agreed on a number of issues with the main aim of stimulating bilateral ties and increasing trade volume between the two countries. President Samia also seized the occasion to invite Egyptian investors to explore opportunities in ten sectors, such as Livestock, Agriculture, Real Estate Industry, Energy, Tourism and Hospitality.
Others are pharmaceutical, transportation, mining, manufacturing and agro processing industries. She also assured of her government's full facilitation on establishing their investments. Speaking to the 'Daily News' on Saturday, a lecturer at Centre for Foreign Relations (CFR), Innocent Shoo said President Samia's efforts will pave way for economic growth of Tanzania and the whole continent.
"She is effectively implementing Tanzania's foreign policy that focuses on economic diplomacy. This is part of efforts to bolster and leverage the agenda and spirit of Africa's continental free trade area which will pave the way for Africa economic growth and development," he said. According to him, the Head of State is determined to promote further the national agenda at the regional and global level. For her part, a lecturer at Tumaini University Dar es Salaam College (Tudarco), Rachel Yusuph Mariam said the foreign trips by President Samia are crucial for the economic growth of the country.
According to her, the President is proving to the world that Tanzania can play a part in international trade, through the deliberate efforts to improve business and investment climate in the country. "Above all, Tanzania is going to the next level as we have already seen an increase in the number of foreign investors who are developing interest to invest in the country," she explained.
The pundit went on to explain that President Samia's move has come at the right time since Tanzania is implementing an economic diplomacy policy that needs the country's effective involvement in international trade. "Our President is passionate about seeing the economic well-being of the country and all the individuals, that is why she is doing her best to make things happen," Ms. Rachel noted further.
Their observations were in line with comments made by the Assistant Lecturer at Mzumbe University, Jerum Kilumile on President Samia's ongoing efforts to market multiple opportunities available in Tanzania. "Having resources and vast opportunities is one thing, but the most crucial effort is to make the opportunities known to the potential investors, and this is exactly what President Samia is doing," he said.
He was of the view that successful implementation of the economic diplomacy policy will increase the number of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). Available statistics issued recently by World Investment Report 2021 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that in 2020, the country's FDI reached 1 billion US Dollars, up from 991 million US Dollars in 2019.
This was her fourth state-visit since she was sworn into the country's top office in March this year. She has also visited Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda. The Head of State has also made working visits to Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. In a bid to cement further the multilateral cooperation between Tanzania and other international communities, President Samia has also attended the United General Security Assembly (UNGA) in New York in the United States and the recent UN Climate Change Summit (COP26) held in Glaslow, Scotland.