The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will strengthen its relations with Tanzania through the implementation of development projects in the country.
The announcement was made by Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), during a meeting with Tanzania’s President Magufuli in Dar es Salaam on October 27th, 2016.
In particular, the ADFD is interested in Tanzania’s mining and infrastructure development, including railways, roads, and aviation.
During the meeting, Magufuli invited the Fund’s Director to invest in the construction of Tanzania’s standard gauge railway (SGR) along the central corridor, which is set to start in December 2016.
The 2,190km railway involves the construction of a SGR from Dar es Salaam-Tabora-Isaac-Mwanza, Tabora-Mpanda-Kalemela, Tabora-Kigoma, and Uvinza-Isaac-Keza-Msongati.
UAE Tanzania Relations
UAE is among Tanzania’s top five import partners headed by China representing 12% of total imports, followed by Switzerland (8.8%), South Africa (8.5%), UAE (8.4%), and India (7.6%).
The trade balance between UAE and Tanzania stands at around USD2b annually. Tanzania imports mainly refined petroleum products from the UAE, while the UAE is the largest buyer of cloves from Tanzania.
