Oman and Tanzania boost economic ties in Zanzibar

Zanzibar: The third session of the Omani-Tanzanian Joint Committee was held in Zanzibar, in the United Republic of Tanzania today. The session was chaired by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister and Dr. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania.

In his address at the opening of the Committee's proceedings, Sayyid Badr affirmed the depth of the historical relations and the cultural and human bonds uniting the Sultanate of Oman and the United Republic of Tanzania. He noted that the shared civilizational legacy represents a solid foundation for developing the partnership between the two countries and building on the cooperation achieved in recent years.

He stressed the importance of following up on the outcomes of the official visit made by President Samia Suluhu Hassan to the Sultanate of Oman in June 2022, particularly the agreements and memoranda of understanding concluded during the visit, and of translating them into joint programmes and projects that deliver tangible results and serve mutual interests.

He underlined the Sultanate of Oman's aspiration to expand economic and investment cooperation, strengthen communication between the two business communities, and encourage joint projects in the trade, agriculture, fisheries, transport, tourism, and logistics sectors, alongside exploring new opportunities for cooperation in education, financial technologies, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship.

For his part, Dr. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo expressed his country's appreciation for the historical relations linking the United Republic of Tanzania to the Sultanate of Oman. He affirmed the keenness to develop these relations and elevate bilateral cooperation to broader horizons commensurate with the economic and investment potential available to both countries.

He noted the importance of the Joint Committee's meetings in following up on the implementation of existing agreements and understandings, overcoming the challenges facing the implementation of joint projects, and strengthening partnerships in priority sectors, in a manner that contributes to achieving the development goals of both countries and benefits the two countries’ peoples.

During the session's proceedings, the two sides reviewed the tracks of bilateral cooperation and followed up on the outcomes of previous meetings. They explored opportunities to strengthen the partnership in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, the blue economy, energy, minerals, transport, infrastructure, education, and tourism, as well as cooperation in the fields of labour, archives, and diplomatic training.

The two sides affirmed the importance of establishing practical mechanisms to follow up on the Committee's outcomes, through a joint working team and designated focal points. They underscored the significance of preparing a roadmap including executive programmes for priority projects and areas of cooperation, in harmony with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 and Tanzania's Development Vision 2050.

At the conclusion of the session's proceedings, the two ministers signed the minutes of the third session of the Omani-Tanzanian Joint Committee, along with two memoranda of understanding: the first on the recognition of seafarers' certificates, and the second in the field of diplomatic training.

On another front, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi, Foreign Minister met with Dr. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, and a number of Tanzanian ministers and senior officials, on the sidelines of the third session of the Omani-Tanzanian Joint Committee.

The meeting was attended by Professor Kitila Mkumbo, Minister of State in the President's Office for Planning and Investment; Anthony Mavunde, Minister of Minerals and Professor Makame Mnyaa Mbarawa, Minister of Transport, alongside deputy ministers of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and energy, and a number of senior officials in the Tanzanian government.

During the meeting, views and partnership priorities between the two countries were exchanged on the basis of the friendship and cooperation relations between them. The two sides discussed various ways of strengthening the economic and investment partnership. They also explored opportunities available in the minerals, transport, infrastructure, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and energy sectors.

The meeting addressed the importance of following up on the Joint Committee's outcomes and strengthening coordination among the relevant authorities. It also underscored the need to encourage joint projects and investments and to promote the exchange of expertise, in service of mutual interests and in enhancement of economic and development cooperation between the two countries.