Tanzanian President Declares Foreign Policy Changes Amid 'Wrenching Politics' of Superpower States
10:24 GMT 21.11.2022 (Updated: 14:09 GMT 14.02.2023)
© AP Photo / Patrick Semansky
Subscribe
The East African country’s leader explained that Tanzania’s current foreign strategy was adopted 20 years ago and needs readjustment due to “the changes the world is going through.”
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced amendments to her nation's foreign policy amid the political, social and economic changes in the world and the unfolding attempts of the superpowers to drag Africa into their "wrenching politics."
“Our foreign policy should address this as we are currently experiencing the re-emergence of wrenching politics between superpower countries, which want to drag African nations into their conflicts… We need also to look at the global impacts resulting from such conflicts on currencies, energy, and food security,” the country’s leader noted.
Speaking about the changes, the president also stated that the global economy is experiencing the shift of its main economic activities to Asia, which currently accounts for about 40 percent of world production.
“It is good for us to discuss how we can compete and how we can benefit [from this shift],” she said.
She told envoys that they should think how Tanzania could possibly benefit from the rise of the Asian economies.
“Please share your thoughts on the strategies that will allow Tanzania to participate in such a forum and profit greatly from what will be offered to our country. However, our strategy should also be in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” she urged.
The head of state emphasized that the changes “should also reflect on what is happening within the East African block,” which has expanded from five members to seven after the recent admission of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Additionally, Suluhu underlined the country's commitment to the implementation of the blue economy - the sustainable use of ocean resources.
“This is a new vocabulary, and we need to take it on board with us, wherever we are; we need to sell it; we need to have some mechanisms through which the blue economy is to be implemented,” she elaborated.
Suluhu also spoke about the Tanzanian diaspora in other nations whose contribution to the country’s economy is estimated to have risen from $400 million in 2020 to $569.3 million in 2022.
“Another thing that I would like to have your input on is the Tanzania Diaspora issue. We are supposed to create a conducive environment for their engagement, thus effectively contributing to the country’s political, socio-economic, and cultural development, as well as their welfare in their respective countries of domicile,” the president stated.
The president also pointed out that Swahili is a thriving language with a rapidly growing number of speakers. It is estimated to account for more than 200 million speakers in over 14 countries.
Notably, discussions of Tanzania's new foreign policy were held in the presence of all 45 Tanzanian envoys that represent different countries abroad.
Earlier this month, Samia Suluhu Hassan paid a state visit to China. According to a joint statement based on the results of the visit, the two countries agreed to promote industrial complementarity and production capacity cooperation, with a focus on energy and mineral development, processing and manufacturing, green development, and the digital economy. Furthermore, China marked its plans to assist Tanzania in developing infrastructure and maritime trade.
19 November 2022, 17:07 GMT
According to the Tanzanian government's spokesperson, in addition to other deals in the agricultural and transportation sectors, the two countries also agreed on the transportation of avocados, worth $56.72 million, the Chinese-funded expansion of the Zanzibar Airport, and financial assistance worth 100 million yuan ($13.9 million).
In addition to developing bilateral relations with Asian countries, Tanzania's president is working on the advancement of regional cooperation, including in the defense sphere. In particular, in late September, Tanzania and Mozambique signed a deal for joint security and defense cooperation. The deal is focused on addressing the Islamist insurgency on their mutual border.
Moreover, in early October, Samia Suluhu and Kenyan president William Ruto agreed to fast-track construction of a new gas pipeline connecting the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam to Mombasa, Kenya’s main port. The pipeline will allow Tanzania to transport its gas to Kenya and give the possibility of its further use for power generation, cooking and heating.
