Tanzania's Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has directed the country's diplomats in Russia to push harder for new export markets, the state-owned Daily News reported. He said Tanzania now produces surplus agricultural commodities and needs reliable international buyers.
Nchemba met staff at the Tanzanian Embassy in Moscow on October 30 and praised them for promoting the country's interests. He told them to look beyond existing markets and win access to major Russian cities. "We have increased agricultural production and now have surplus, so use this opportunity to establish markets in other cities because Russia is a very large country," he said, according to the Daily News.
The Prime Minister said wider market access would let Tanzanian producers benefit from higher output. He added that it would also create opportunities for trade and economic growth. He asked embassy officials to explore the education sector as well, an area raised during the recent heads of state summit.
Nchemba also told the diplomats to follow up on all resolutions from President Samia Suluhu Hassan's visit to Russia in June. Before the meeting, he visited AZBUKA VKUSA, a Moscow retail outlet that sells Tanzanian products. The aim was to check how Tanzanian goods are faring in the Russian market.
The trip coincided with the Third Russia-Africa Summit, held in Moscow over two days. According to the Daily News, the summit brought together 48 African countries, 22 of them represented by heads of state or government. Talks covered trade, investment and development.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the summit that Russia is a reliable partner for Africa's development and sovereignty. He said Moscow respects the right of African nations to choose their own political and economic systems. Putin also criticised what he called the continued exploitation of Africa's natural resources. He said Russian companies prefer to process resources inside the countries where they operate. He argued that this creates jobs and raises tax revenue.