DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA and Vietnam are seeking to expand trade beyond traditional agricultural exports, with both countries targeting new products and markets to deepen economic ties.
The move follows a sharp rise in bilateral trade from 248.4 million US dollars in 2020 to 368.2 million US dollars in 2025, officials said yesterday.
The move came as both countries opened the Second Tanzania-Vietnam Joint Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam.
The five-day meeting, which runs until September 25, is expected to identify new products, investment opportunities and areas of technology cooperation to strengthen the long-standing partnership between the two countries.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Samwel Shelukindo, said the steady growth in trade reflects expanding economic relations but called for greater efforts to diversify the range of goods exchanged.
“Of particular importance is the expansion of our economic and commercial relations. The increase in trade should be matched by efforts to broaden the range of goods exchanged between the two countries,” Amb Shelukindo said.
He said Vietnam has become Tanzania’s second-largest buyer of cashew nuts and the third-largest buyer of raw cotton, making it an increasingly important market for the country’s agricultural exports.
Amb Shelukindo urged technical experts attending the meeting to develop practical recommendations for expanding trade and investment, strengthening business-to-business partnerships and promoting technology and knowledge transfer between the two countries.
He said investment remains a key pillar of the partnership, citing Vietnamese telecommunications company Halotel, whose cumulative investment in Tanzania has exceeded one billion US dollars.
According to him, the company has attracted more than 16.5 million subscribers while creating about 230,000 jobs, demonstrating the potential for more Vietnamese investment in Tanzania’s priority sectors.
“The meeting should produce practical recommendations and clear areas of follow-up that can be presented to ministers during the joint ministerial session,” he said.
On his part, Vietnamese Deputy Director General in the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Pham Ngoc Mau, described Tanzania as Vietnam’s leading partner in Africa, supplying agricultural products while offering access to wider regional markets.
He said the two countries are looking to expand cooperation into new areas, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, processing industries, logistics and sustainable aquaculture technology.
Mr Mau said digital cooperation also remains an important area, with Halotel seeking greater investment in 4G infrastructure and digital transformation while discussions continue on issues affecting the telecommunications sector, including data pricing and taxes.
“We aim to strengthen regional connectivity by using Vietnam as Tanzania’s gateway to Asia and Tanzania as Vietnam’s entry point to East and Southern African markets,” Mr Mau said.
Earlier, Director of the Department of Asia and Australasia in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Felister Rugambwa, said Vietnam remains an important partner in expanding Tanzania’s access to international and regional markets because of its position as a low-cost manufacturing economy.
She said the Joint Intergovernmental Committee provides an opportunity for both countries to review existing cooperation while identifying new areas for collaboration in trade, investment, agriculture, innovation and communication.
Ms Rugambwa said discussions will focus on strengthening political and diplomatic relations, improving legal and institutional frameworks for cooperation, expanding trade and investment and increasing Vietnamese participation in Tanzania’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors.
“Tanzania will explore opportunities to learn from Vietnam’s experience in agriculture and strengthen cooperation in the sector by attracting more Vietnamese investors to invest in Tanzania,” she said.
Tanzania and Vietnam have maintained diplomatic relations for decades, with cooperation expanding across political, economic, trade, education and development sectors and officials said the current meeting is expected to conclude with the signing of agreed minutes outlining practical steps to deepen cooperation and unlock new business opportunities.
