Written by
Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Tanzania. This weekend Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan landed at the Melchior Ndadaye International Airport in Bujumbura for her official visit as the new Tanzanian sworn in president. President Hassan’s visit intended to market her country as an investment destination and sign a bilateral trade deals.
President Hassan and her counterpart President Evariste Ndayishimiye held a closed-door meeting in Bujumbura where they disused many issues related to trade and investment between the two neighbouring nations. While briefing the media, President Ndayishimiye revealed that they agreed on exchange programmes in the fields of agriculture and in the fields of agriculture and livestock, and in services, mainly in teaching of Kiswahili and French.
Tanzania and Burundi trade relations
Burundi is a strategic partner of Tanzania in many areas, particularly trade. Since Burundi is landlocked country, almost 80 percent of its goods are moved through by road to Dar es Salaam Port. Tanzania is Burundi’s second largest import partner after China and has a very imbalanced trade balance with Tanzania. In 2013 Burundi exported $1.69 million worth of goods to Tanzania and Tanzania exported $45.2 million worth. Tanzania exports various items to Burundi such as Building material, wheat, sugar and cheap manufactured products.
Samia rebukes trade ties
President Hassan touted the two countries trade ties, noting that bilateral trade increased from $35 million in 2015 to more than $86 million 2019. “This is not enough, as we wish to increase trade between the two countries,” Samia said.
Burundi heavily depends on the Dar es Salaam port and the Central Corridor for imports and export of goods, and last year. 476,000 tonnes of Burundian goods passed through the port of Dar es Salaam. She revealed that Tanzania already allocated 10 hectares for a dry port in Kwala in the country’s Coast province for Burundians to use to move cargo.
The deals
Burundian fertiliser company Itracom is said to be in the process of opening a plant in Tanzania, where it has invested $180 million.
In 2020 when President Ndayishimiye was on his first official visit to Tanzania, he had an agreement with the John Pombe Magufuli to build a narrow gauge railway to transport nickel found in Kabanga and Musongati in Burundi.
President Hassan celebrated the entry of the Tanzania National Fibre broadband Backbone in Burundi, with the capacity 100GB. in 2019, Tanzania and Burundi signed an agreement to use the system, but the use is still low at 26GB.
In 2015 Burundi had a political crisis when President Pierre Nkurunziza brought unrest in the country after he decided to run for a third term. The Tanzanian government has called for the lifting of sanctions on Burindi which were imposed on them. President Hassan also pledged her support for Burundi’s bid to join the southern African Development Community.
