By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, on Thursday paid a state visit to her South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa where she urged more cooperation in the areas of security and trade between the two countries.
At the meeting in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, a delegation of Hassan who is the first female Tanzanian leader, discussed trade opportunities and possible agreements with their South African fellow ministers.
She became President of Tanzania in 2021 after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli. This is her first official visit since her emergence as the east African country leader.
“We have agreed to enhance our cooperation in the areas of trade and investment considering that South Africa is among the main sources of direct foreign investment in Tanzania,” said Hassan. She added that tourism and manufacturing are the leading sectors for investment.
The trade volumes between Tanzania and South Africa continued to increase but could be improved further, Ramaphosa said.
“A key aspect of our bilateral cooperation is the promotion of trade and investment between our two countries,” said Ramaphosa. “President Hassan and I will be joining the South Africa-Tanzania Business Forum later today, which brings together business people from our respective countries.”
He said among the industries under discussion at the business forum are agriculture and agro-processing, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure development.
The two leaders also noted their countries’ long-standing relations stretching back to the anti-colonial struggle.
Among global challenges, the leaders noted the effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on African nations, including the interruption of the supply of agriculture-related products such as fertilisers which have exacerbated the continent’s food security situation problems.
Hassan is set to host United States Vice President Kamala Harris when she visits Africa at the end of March as the US continues its outreach to African countries.
