Arusha — Tanzania is now open to business and investment, the East African Business Council (EABC) has asserted.

Hosting the United Kingdom’s UK’s trade envoy to Tanzania, Lord Walney John Woodcock, the regional business council Chief Executive Officer John Bosco Kalisa informed the envoy that the East African nation was now open to do business with rest of the world.

Mr Kalisa singled out Tanzania’s recent commitments to ratify the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and the removal of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) at its borders.

“There’s actually been a paradigm shift where the President Samia Suluhu Hassan is striving to ensure that Tanzania is ever open for business and investment,” he informed the UK Trade envoy to the country.

The EABC boss further heaped praise on Tanzania for its high level of support and endeavor to open up the country for business.

Mr Kalisa described the East African nation’s commitment as enormous.

“Tanzania has shown its desire of dismantling the barriers which once dented trade prospects with some of its neighbors,” he said.

Mr Kalisa, however, underscored the importance of EAC partner states to embrace the Open Skies policy as a way making air transport affordable in Africa.

In his rejoinder, Lord Walney disclosed to the EABC boss that a number of UK companies had shown interest of investing in Tanzania.

“Some companies want to understand how they can access markets here in Tanzania… I really welcome such an opportunity and let’s continue creating such a dialogue,” he said.

The trade envoy further added that UK was committed to vitalizing Aid for Trade and craft a win-win trade relationship with EAC bloc as the region is has vast endowments and opportunities.

He further committed to steering a dialogue platform between EABC and UK businesses for mutual trade and investment benefits and emphasized the need to engage and promote climate change mitigation to build sustainable economies and businesses.

According to Trade and Industry Minister Kitila Mkumbo, Tanzania has in this year alone, exported to the UK goods worth 90bn/-, while the latter reciprocated to the tune of 450bn/-.

On the other hand, EAC’s imported goods to the UK this year reached $503million while exports were at $ 523million.

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