Recently, Asha Hamis Abdullah, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Tanzania, made a public speech on behalf of the Minister of Finance at the the Belt and Road Initiative Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. She said that Tanzania will continue to deepen economic cooperation with China based on the the Belt and Road platform, focusing on the implementation of strategic projects in transportation, energy, communication and infrastructure, to stimulate economic growth, expand trade and investment opportunities, and improve people's well-being. From the forum podium in Nairobi to the upgraded construction site of the Tanzania Zambia Railway, Tanzania is anchoring its cooperation with China in key areas such as transportation, energy, and communication.

Deepen economic cooperation in multiple fields

Asha stated that Tanzania and China have established a long-term friendly relationship based on mutual respect and trust, and bilateral cooperation has produced significant development achievements in infrastructure, trade and investment, energy, and industrial transformation. Tanzania regards the the Belt and Road as an important carrier of multilateral economic and financial cooperation. The direction of cooperation conforms to its own development demands and helps to achieve sustainable and inclusive development. Tanzania will continue to collaborate with China and other partners to implement various projects that match its priority development direction and align with the 2050 development vision, with the goal of enhancing social productivity, stimulating economic growth, and improving public welfare. Transportation infrastructure, energy development, and communication digital infrastructure are the core tracks officially promoted by Tanzania to the outside world, and projects in related fields are more likely to receive policy support.

Tanzania Zambia Railway Upgrades and Accelerates

In terms of key projects, Tanzania, Zambia, and China plan to adopt the PPP public-private partnership model to promote the restoration and upgrading of the Tanzania Zambia railway. After the completion of the project, it will improve transportation efficiency, reduce cross-border freight costs, activate regional trade, and strengthen the connectivity of the entire Southern African market. The Tanzania Zambia Railway adopts the PPP model to promote renovation, and the subsequent engineering, operation and maintenance, and supply chain support will release a large number of business opportunities. Enterprises can sustainably follow up on project bidding information, while also taking into account the regulatory requirements of Tanzania and Zambia. The project radiates to multiple member countries of COMESA, and the business can consider expanding into cross-border trade and logistics. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, connectivity, infrastructure, energy

Aligning with national development plans

Investment can be combined with Tanzania's 2050 development vision, in line with the country's industrial transformation direction, and more conducive to project approval and policy coordination. The 2050 Development Vision of Tanzania aims to enhance social productivity, promote economic diversification, and improve people's livelihoods as its core goals. Infrastructure such as transportation, energy, and communication are key supports for achieving these goals. For enterprises interested in entering the Tanzanian market, aligning project layout with the direction of local industrial transformation can not only improve approval efficiency, but also make it easier to obtain policy support. From transportation infrastructure to energy development, from communication digital infrastructure to cross-border logistics, Tanzania is relying on the the Belt and Road platform to closely link cooperation with China and its own development plan. After upgrading and opening up the cross-border channel in southern Africa, supporting industries such as cross-border trade, warehousing and logistics, and industrial parks along the Tanzania Zambia Railway are expected to grow synchronously, injecting new impetus into Tanzania's economic growth and improving people's livelihoods, and providing broader space for Chinese enterprises to participate in regional connectivity in southern Africa.Editor/Gao Xue