Tanzania and Russia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in industry, energy, transport infrastructure, and air transport, identifying value-added processing, production technology, and goods transportation as priority investment areas.
The agreements were reached at the Tanzania–Russia Business and Investment Forum held on 15–16 May 2026 in Arusha, organised by the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zone Authority (TISEZA), which drew 120 Russian companies.
The forum was the continuation of the Third Joint Intergovernmental Commission session on trade and economic cooperation, which opened earlier that week and brought together government officials, investors, traders and development stakeholders from both nations.
The Russian delegation was led by Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, heading a large delegation drawn from multiple sectors.
The two governments agreed to deepen cooperation in industry, transport infrastructure, energy, and air transport, with value-added processing of agricultural produce, production technology, goods transportation, and business-to-business trade linkages named as priority investment areas.
Russian investors were invited to target mining, agriculture, industry, energy, information and communication technology, and technical education.
The cooperation is intended to open new markets for Tanzanian agricultural produce and manufactured goods.
As part of the air transport component, Air Tanzania (ATCL) will begin direct flights to Russia, a move expected to ease trade, tourism, and investment between the two countries.
A separate agreement on the use of the Swahili language in Russia was signed between the Chief Executive of the National Swahili Council (BAKITA), Consolata Mushi, and Maxim Reshetnikov.
The Minister of State in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, Prof. Kitila Mkumbo, said Tanzania and Russia have maintained relations for more than 60 years, and that the cooperation aims to increase bilateral trade, attract investors across sectors, and open new markets for Tanzanian produce and manufactured goods.
For his part, the Deputy Minister of State in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, Dr. Pius Stephen Chaya, invited Russia to invest in Tanzania, stating that the country is pursuing major economic reforms to become a hub for trade, industry, and investment in Africa.
Dr. Chaya added that the participation of 120 Russian companies and hundreds of Tanzanian traders signals strengthening economic ties, and that the cooperation will increase trade, employment, technology transfer and industrial development.
Tanzania–Russia Economic Relations
The Joint Intergovernmental Commission is the formal bilateral mechanism through which Tanzania and the Russian Federation negotiate trade and investment terms.
Russia has previously expressed interest in Tanzanian uranium and other mineral resources, while Tanzania has sought Russian participation in energy and infrastructure projects.
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